Passage

Genesis 24:15-61

Rebekah Is Chosen

Berean Standard Bible

15 Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again.
17 So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”
18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.
21 Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.
22 And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels. 23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.” 25 Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28 The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.
31 “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” 32 So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.
33 Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.”
So Laban said, “Please speak.”
34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied. 35 “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.
37 My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell, 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’
39 Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’
40 And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house. 41 And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’
42 So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success! 43 Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’ 44 and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.
45 And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.
47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.
49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.”
50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter. 51 Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53 Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother. 54 Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there.
When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”
55 But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”
56 But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”
57 So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”
58 They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
“I will go,” she replied.
59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“Our sister, may you become the mother
of thousands upon thousands.
May your offspring possess
the gates of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

What is the context?

Rebekah arrives before the servant has finished praying. She gives him water, then volunteers to draw enough for all ten camels. He watches to see whether the LORD has made his journey successful. He also asks about her family and lodging, learning that she is Bethuel's daughter and belongs to Abraham's kindred. Her kindness and her identity both matter to the mission.

The servant responds by bowing and thanking God for kindness and faithfulness toward Abraham. Rebekah goes home, and Laban comes to welcome the travelers. The servant refuses to eat until he explains why he has come. His long retelling lets the family hear Abraham's instructions, the prayer, and Rebekah's response together, so that the reader sees why he understands the meeting as God's guidance.

Laban and Bethuel recognize the matter as coming from the LORD and agree that Rebekah may become Isaac's wife. The servant worships again and gives gifts to her and her family. The next morning her brother and mother ask for a delay, while the servant wants to leave. Rebekah herself is consulted and agrees to go. Her willingness fulfills the condition Abraham had set before the journey began.

The family sends her away with a blessing for many descendants and victory over enemies, echoing the promise of Genesis 22:17. She travels with her nurse and servant girls, accompanied by Abraham's servant and his men. The chapter describes a consequential decision carried out through prayer, hospitality, conversation, and a willing departure.

How is this passage commonly understood?

Christians commonly understand the meeting as God's care working through Rebekah's generosity and the servant's faithful work. Wesley's notes on Genesis 24:15, 27, 52, 57 emphasize answered prayer, thanksgiving, and the importance of consulting Rebekah herself. His explanation does not make gratitude a substitute for the practical steps described in the story.

Where does this fit in God's plan?

The repeated prayers of thanks show how the promised future takes shape through ordinary actions. Drawing water, offering a place to stay, explaining a mission honestly, and agreeing to leave become part of the continuation of Abraham's family. God's purpose is being carried forward without a new public miracle like Isaac's birth.

Rebekah's departure also offers a useful parallel to Abraham's earlier willingness to leave a familiar home for the future God opened before him. Hebrews 11:8–10 explicitly describes Abraham's journey as faith. It does not make that same statement about Rebekah, but her decision similarly involves going toward a future she has not yet seen. This is a comparison of the two journeys, rather than a claim that every detail of the servant's mission predicts a later event.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

No deeper study linked yet.

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