Genesis 24

This chapter comes near the end of the Abraham narrative in Genesis. Following the death and burial of Sarah in Genesis 23, it turns to the marriage of Isaac, the son who will carry on the family line, and leads into the account of Abraham's death in Genesis 25.

Outline

• Verses 1–9 The aged Abraham has his old servant, who is in charge of all his possessions, place his hand under Abraham's thigh and swear an oath. The servant is to find a wife for Isaac not from among the Canaanites but from Abraham's kindred in his homeland, and he is not to take Isaac back there.
• Verses 10–14 The servant sets out with ten camels and arrives at the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia. In the evening at the well, he prays that the young woman who, when he asks her for a drink, offers to water his camels as well may be the one appointed.
• Verses 15–21 Before he has finished praying, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, comes out, gives the servant a drink, and draws water for all his camels.
• Verses 22–27 The servant gives her a golden earring and bracelets and asks about her family. Learning that she belongs to Abraham's kindred, he worships the LORD.
• Verses 28–33 Rebekah's brother Laban welcomes the servant into the house. The servant refuses to eat until he has told his errand.
• Verses 34–49 The servant recounts the oath and the events at the well from the beginning.
• Verses 50–61 Laban and Bethuel give their consent, saying, "The thing proceedeth from the LORD." When the family asks that she stay at least ten days, Rebekah answers, "I will go," and she departs with their blessing.
• Verses 62–67 Isaac, who has gone out into the field at eventide, meets Rebekah. She covers her face with a veil. Isaac brings her into his mother Sarah's tent, takes her as his wife, and is comforted after the loss of his mother.

Key Verses

• Genesis 24:27 "I being in the way, the LORD led me" — the central statement of the chapter, which attributes the success of the mission to God's guidance.
• Genesis 24:58 "I will go" — the moment of Rebekah's own decision.
• Genesis 24:67 "Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" — the grief of chapter 23 finds its resolution here.

People and Places

• Abraham: the aged patriarch who entrusts the arrangement of his son's marriage to his servant.
• Abraham's servant: not named in this chapter.
• Rebekah: granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor and daughter of Bethuel.
• Laban: Rebekah's brother, who reappears later in the Jacob narrative.
• Isaac: the son of Abraham and Sarah. According to Genesis 25:20, he is forty years old at this time.
• Canaan: the land where Abraham lives.
• The city of Nahor: a city in Mesopotamia, commonly identified with Haran.
• Beer-lahai-roi: a well in the south country where Isaac was dwelling; it also appears in the Hagar narrative.

Points for Reflection

• One tradition identifies the servant with Eliezer, the steward of Abraham's house (Genesis 15:2). This chapter, however, does not name the servant.
• The oath taken by placing the hand under the thigh is understood to be a solemn ancient form of oath-taking, though its precise meaning is disputed.
• Interpreters differ over the servant's prayer in which he specifies a sign in advance (verses 12–14). Some read it as a model for seeking God's will today, while others hold that it merely records what happened at that time and is not a method to be followed.
• The Hebrew word rendered "meditate" in verse 63 is of uncertain meaning, and some translations render it "walk."
• An allegorical (figurative) interpretation, handed down in preaching, reads Abraham as God, Isaac as Christ, the servant as the Holy Spirit, and Rebekah as the Church. This is an interpretive tradition rather than something the text states directly.
• The chapter is often treated as a passage in which providence is discerned in ordinary events where God's name is seldom mentioned.

In the Korean Church

The chapter is frequently used as a sermon text on finding a spouse within the faith and on answered prayer, and it is also cited in sermons at wedding services. Verse 63 is sometimes quoted to encourage quiet time or meditation.