Genesis 24:62 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb.

NIV: Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev.

NASB: Now Isaac had come back from a journey to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the Negev.

CSB: Now Isaac was returning from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev region.

NLT: Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi.

KJV: And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

NKJV: Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South.

The focus of the story of the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah now turns to Isaac. This if the first we see of him in this chapter. It's also the first we have seen of him since he was nearly sacrificed by Abraham in obedience to the Lord (Genesis 22:1–14). We will learn later that Isaac is 40 years old (Genesis 25:20). Here we see him living in the Negeb. Either Abraham and his estate had moved again after living in Hebron, or Isaac is living apart from Abraham. He has just returned from Beer-lahai-roi.

Genesis 24:60–67 describes how, after being blessed and sent away by her family, Rebekah journeys to the land of Canaan. Arriving in the Negeb, she is met by her future husband Isaac and given the tent of his late mother Sarah. Soon, they are married, taking their place as the next generation of God's chosen people.

Abraham asks his most trusted servant to travel to his former homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. Swearing to do so, the servant arrives at the city of Nahor and asks the Lord to show him which young women is appointed for Isaac. Finding Rebekah, the very granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor, the servant reveals the reason for his journey to her family. Her father Bethuel and brother Laban agree to allow Rebekah to travel to Canaan and marry Isaac, which she does.

Genesis 24 takes place a few years after Sarah has died. Abraham becomes urgent to find Isaac a wife, not among the women of Canaan, but from his own people back in Mesopotamia. His trusted servant, sent to accomplish this mission with the help of the Lord, eventually returns with Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham's own brother. Isaac is married to her at the age of 40. Abraham's death is recorded in the following chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/1/2024 8:22:38 PM