This chapter shows Abraham’s concern to get a suitable wife for his son Isaac, for which purpose he commits the affair into the hands of his eldest servant, and makes him swear that he will not take one from among the Canaanites, but out of his own country, and from among his own kindred, Gen.

And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age Being now one hundred and forty years of age, for as he was an hundred years old when Isaac was born, and Isaac was forty years of age when he married Rebekah, which was at this time, Abraham must be of the age mentioned, see ; and the Lord had blessed…

And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house To Eliezer his servant, according to the Targum of Jonathan, and as is generally thought; and who may well be called an old servant, and his oldest servant, since he must have lived with him fifty years and upwards; one may trace him near sixty…

And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of earth The Maker and possessor of heaven and earth, by whom Abraham used to swear whenever he did, and by whom only men should swear, see .

But thou shalt go unto my country Not Canaan, which though his by promise, yet not in possession, but Mesopotamia, as appears from ; which taken largely included the Chaldea, see , the country where Abraham was born, and from whence he came: and to my kindred; the family of Nahor his brother, which…

And the servant said unto him Before he would take the oath, being cautious of it, and desirous of knowing how far it reached, and what it would or would not oblige him to, which was prudently done: peradventure the woman will not be to follow me into this land; supposing this should be the case,…

And Abraham said unto him Not blaming him for putting such a question, nor charging him with impertinence, but plainly seeing the propriety of it: and in order to clear up this matter to him, gives the following instructions, beware thou, that thou bring not my son thither again; for the command to…

The Lord God of heaven, which took from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred Jarchi distinguishes between his father’s house, and the land of his kindred; the former he takes to be Haran, in which he seems to be right; for his father and his family came with him from Ur of the…

And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee Or “but” if [[11]], which is said by Abraham, not as doubting she would be willing, of which he was satisfied, being persuaded that that God that had made him willing to leave his own country, and his father’s house, would make her willing to do…

And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master Or “then” or “therefore the servant”, &c. [[12]] being satisfied of the nature and extent of his oath, and thoroughly understanding how he was to act upon it, readily took it by using this rite, (See Gill on Gen.

And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed Camels were much in use in the eastern countries; where, as Pliny [[13]] says, they were brought up among their herds of cattle, and their riches much consisted in them.

And he made his camels to kneel down Which these creatures are used to do when they are loaded and unloaded, and also when they take rest, and it was for the sake of the latter they were now made to kneel.

And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham He does not call the Lord his God, though no doubt he was, since he appears throughout the whole to be a good man; but the God of Abraham, because God had often manifested and renewed his covenant with Abraham in an eminent manner, and had bestowed many…

Behold, I stand here by the well of water Wishing, hoping, and expecting that something would turn out that would direct and instruct what further to do, and that would lead on to the business he came about: and the daughters of the men of the city came out to draw water; which was the usual custom…

And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink The pitcher of water she should have upon her shoulder, after she had drawn it out of the well: and she shall say, drink, and I will give thy camels drink also; not only very readily…

And it came to pass, before he had done speaking In his heart, ; for his prayer was mental; while the last words were dropping from him, that very moment, as the Targum of Jonathan; so soon were his prayers heard and answered, ; that behold Rebekah came out; out of Haran, the city of Nahor: who was…

And the damsel was very fair to look upon Of a good countenance and beautiful aspect: a virgin, neither had any man known her; not only was reckoned a virgin, but was really one, pure and incorrupt: and she went down to the well and filled her pitcher, and came up; by which it appears the well lay…

And the servant ran to meet her He did not stop her as she went to the well, but stayed till she had been there and filled her pitcher, and then he made all the haste he could to meet her, in order to have the sign and token answered he had requested, which could not be done until she returned: and…

And she said, drink, my lord Signifying at once that he was welcome to drink what he would, giving him a very honourable title, observing that he had a pretty large retinue with him of men and camels; so that she took him for some considerable personage: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher…

And when she had done giving him drink Whatever he pleased to have: she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking; she proposed to go back to the well, and did, and fill her pitcher, and repeat it as often as was necessary, until the camels had enough; and this now…

And she hasted and emptied her pitcher into the trough The place out of which cattle drank water, being put there for that purpose, which was of wood or of stones made hollow; into this Rebekah poured out what was left in her pitcher after the servant had drank: and ran again to the well to draw…

And the man wondering at her At her affability and courteousness to a stranger; at her humility and condescension to take upon her such a service; at her readiness, diligence, and laboriousness in it; and the quick dispatch she made; and at her expressions and conduct being so exactly agreeable to…

And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking Having had enough to abate their thirst and satisfy them, by means of Rebekah’s drawing water for them: that the man took a golden earring; out of his pocket, or out of a box or parcel that was upon the camels; it is in the margin of our Bibles,…

And said After he had given her the earring and the bracelets, he put the following question, according to Jarchi, and so our version seems to intimate the same; but, as it is related in ; the question was put before those were given, therefore some render the words, “and he had said”, or, “and…

And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah Which Milcah was the daughter of Haran, Abraham’s elder brother, and, as thought by many, sister to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, see : which she bare unto Nahor; Abraham’s brother; so that her father was Nahor’s son, not by his…

She said moreover unto him In answer to the second question: we have both straw and provender enough; for the camels, straw for their litter, and provender for their food, as hay, barley and room to lodge in; for him and his men; this she could venture to say, and invite him to come and take up his…

And the man bowed down his head To show what a deep sense he had of the divine goodness, and in humble acknowledgment of the favours he had received in being thus providentially directed: and worshipped the Lord; gave thanks unto him, that he had thus far prospered him, hoping and believing that…

And he said, blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, &c.] (See Gill on Gen. 24:12): who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and truth; or hath not withdrawn his mercy, grace and goodness, truth and faithfulness; for his loving kindness he does not take away from his people, nor…

And the damsel ran Having invited him to come and lodge at her father’s house, that he might not be brought in abruptly, she ran before to acquaint the family of what had passed: and told them of her mother’s house these things; she did not go to her father to inform him of it; some think he was…

And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban Perhaps he was her only brother, or however the elder brother, the principal in the family, her father Bethuel being old: and Laban ran out: out of his house, and out of the city of Haran: unto the man unto the well; this was after Rebekah had got…

And it came to pass, when he saw the earring, and bracelets upon his sister’s hands From whence he concluded that he was a rich and generous man she had met with, and might hope to receive a gift also upon giving him an invitation to his house; or however might judge he should be no loser by…

And he said, come in, thou blessed of the Lord Both with temporal and spiritual blessings; he concluded he was blessed with the former by the presents he had made to his sister, and by the men that attended him, and the number of camels that were with him; and with the latter by his devotion, his…

And the man came into the house Upon the pressing instance made unto him; for so it may be rendered, “wherefore the man came” [[9]] and he ungirded his camels; took off their bridles, which hindered them from eating, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi; or loosed their girts and took off their…

And there was set meat before them to eat By the order of Bethuel or Laban, or both; or, “afterwards was set” [[10]]; that is after care had been taken the camels, then food being provided was set before the men to refresh them: but he said, I will not eat until I have told mine errand; or, “spoke…

And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. ] Not Abraham himself, this undeceived Laban, if he so thought, but a servant of his; which was enough to introduce his discourse, his master being a near relation of theirs, and well known to them by name, if not in person.

And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly With temporal blessings, after enumerated, which are of God, and are here ascribed to him, the Father, fountain, author, and giver of all such mercies: and he is become great; in the world, and highly honoured and esteemed among men: and he hath given him…

And Sarah, my master’s wife Who must be well known to this family, by name at least, being, as is generally supposed, the sister of Milcah, Nahor’s wife, and Bethuel’s mother; the same bare a son to my master when she was old; even when ninety years of age, ; this is mentioned because it was an…

And my master made me swear (See Gill on Gen. 24:3). In , the servant relates the oath his master made him take, and the charge he gave him, much in the same language as in .

But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. (See Gill on Gen. 24:4).

And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. (See Gill on Gen. 24:5).

And he said unto me, the Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee. (See Gill on Gen. 24:7).

Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath (See Gill on Gen. 24:8).

And I came this day unto the well Hither he was come at length by several days’ journey; not on the same day he came from Abraham, as the Jewish writers say [[12]], by means of a miracle: and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham; being come to the well, he prayed as follows: if now thou do prosper…

Behold, I stand by the well of water, and it shall come to pass (See Gill on Gen. 24:14).

And she say to me, both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels (See Gill on Gen. 24:14).

And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder (See Gill on Gen. 24:15). and she went down unto the well, and drew water: (See Gill on Gen. 24:16). and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. (See Gill on Gen. 24:17).

And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder (See Gill on Gen. 24:18). And said, drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. (See Gill on Gen. 24:19). so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. (See Gill on Gen. 24:20).

And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? &c.] (See Gill on Gen. 24:23). And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: (See Gill on Gen. 24:24). and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. (See Gill on Gen. 24:22).

And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord (See Gill on Gen. 24:26). And blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son. (See Gill on Gen. 24:27).

And now, if you deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me The servant directs himself to more than one, to the whole family, especially to Laban and Bethuel; if you will do my master a kindness, and grant him the favour he requests, that a damsel of this family may be given for a wife to his…

Then Laban and Bethuel answered The order of the words in the original is, “then answered Laban and Bethuel”; the word for “answered” is in the singular number, from whence it may be concluded, that Laban gave the answer in the name of Bethuel, he consenting to it, who might be an old man, and left…

Behold, Rebekah is before thee Not only was present, but she was delivered to him, or his request was granted: take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife; not that they meant he should go away directly with her; for they afterwards solicit her stay with them some time; but they agreed…

And it came to pass, that when Abraham’s servant heard these words That Laban and Bethuel said; and no doubt but the mother of Rebekah, and she herself consented that she should be the wife of Isaac, believing it was agreeable to the will of God: he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth;…

And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold Ornaments for women, which he had brought along with him for presents, and which were a proof of the riches of his master, and of his generosity and liberality, who had furnished him with such a profusion of rich things to bestow on…

And they did eat and drink, he, and the men that were with him Every thing being settled with respect to the affair he came about, he then sat down at table, and ate of the provisions set before him; he and the men that came along with him; and refreshed themselves: and tarried all night; lodged…

And her brother and her mother said Here her brother Laban is set before his mother, as above before his father, being the chief speaker and the principal manager of business: let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; which was but a reasonable request; and if no more time is…

And he said unto them, hinder me not Do not detain me, let me set forward on my journey: seeing, the Lord hath prospered my way; succeeded him in what he came about; and by his being succeeded so well, and so soon, it seemed to be the mind of the Lord that he should hasten his journey homeward:…

And they said, we will call the damsel Who perhaps through modesty had withdrawn herself to her own apartment, while the man and her friends were discoursing on this subject: and inquire at her mouth; what she says to it, whether willing to go directly or not; the matter in question was referred to…

And they called Rebekah Or ordered her to be called by one of the servants: and said unto her, wilt thou go with this man? that is, directly; the question was not about her marriage of Isaac, that was agreed upon, and she had doubtless given her consent, and which she tacitly did by accepting of…

And they sent away Rebekah their sister Not in a pet or angry humour, but with good will; they agreed she should go, and took their leave in a very honourable and affectionate manner.

And they blessed Rebekah That is, her parents and her friends, they wished the best and choicest of blessings might descend upon her: and said unto her, thou art our sister; the Targum of Jonathan is, “hitherto thou hast been our sister,” as if the relation now ceased, having entered into another;…

And Rebekah arose, and her damsels Her maids that were given her by her parents to wait upon her, as was usual in those times and countries: and they rode upon the camels; that Abraham’s servant had brought with him: and followed the man; who rode before and directed the way; the sense is only,…

And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi The well at which the angel met with Hagar, when she fled from her mistress, (Gen. 16:7, Gen. 16:14) .

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide Both the time and place were very proper for meditation: the place, “in the field”: where he might view the works of nature, and be led to the Creator of them, and the praise of him, and where he might be alone, and nothing to disturb his…

And Rebekah lifted up her eyes And looked about: and when she saw Isaac; whom she suspected him to be, and therefore inquired of the servant, who told her who he was: she lighted off the camel; or “fell” [[21]] from it, not accidentally, or through surprise, but willingly, and in honour to Isaac,…

For she had said unto the servant As soon as she saw a man walking towards them, who she thought with herself might be Isaac: what man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? for by the course he steered, she perceived that he was coming towards them, and so concluded it must be one of the…

And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. ] By what means he found out the person designed for his wife, and got knowledge of her father’s house, to which he was introduced, and where he was made welcome; and what agreement he had made with the parents and relations of Rebekah to be…

And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent The apartment in which she dwelt when living; for women in those times and places had separate apartments from their husbands; this was done after many other things had passed, not here recorded; a conversation with her, an espousal of her, and an…