24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that
ruled over all that he had, a Put, I pray thee, thy hand
under my thigh:
(a) Which ceremony declared, the servants obedience towards
his master, and the master's power over the servant.
24:3 And I will make thee b swear by the LORD, the God of
heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take
a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites,
among whom I dwell:
(b) This shows that an oath may be required in a lawful
cause.
24:4 But thou shalt go unto my c country, and to my kindred,
and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
(c) He did not want his son to marry out of the godly
family: for the problems that come from marrying the
ungodly are set forth in various places throughout the
scriptures.
24:6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not
my son d thither again.
(d) Lest he should love the inheritance promised.
24:10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his
master, and departed; for all the goods of his master
[were] in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia,
unto the e city of Nahor.
(e) That is, to Charran.
24:12 And he said, O f LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray
thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto
my master Abraham.
(f) He grounds his prayer on God's promise made to his
master.
24:14g 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; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy
camels drink also: [let the same be] she [that] thou hast
appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know
that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
(g) The servant moved by God's spirit sought assurance by
a sign, as to whether or not God would prosper his
journey.
24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that,
behold, h Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son
of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her
pitcher upon her shoulder.
(h) God gives success to all things that are done for the
glory of his name and according to his word.
24:16 And the damsel [was] very fair to look upon, a virgin,
neither had any man known her: and she i went down to
the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
(i) Here is declared that God hears the prayers of his
own, and grants their requests.
24:22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that
the man took a golden k earring of l half a shekel
weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten [shekels]
weight of gold;
(k) God permitted many things both in apparel and other
things which are now forbidden especially when they do
not suit our humble estate.
(l) The golden shekel is meant here, not silver.
24:27 And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master
Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his
mercy m and his truth: I [being] in the way, the LORD
led me to the house of my master's brethren.
(m) He does not boast in his good fortune (as the wicked
do) but acknowledges that God has dealt mercifully
with this matter in keeping his promise.
24:30 And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets
upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of
Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me;
that he came unto the man; and, behold, n he stood by
the camels at the well.
(n) For he waited on God's hand, who heard his prayer.
24:32 And the man came into the house: and o he ungirded his
p camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels,
and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that [were]
with him.
(o) That is, Laban.
(p) The gentle entertainment of strangers practised by the
godly fathers.
24:33 And there was set [meat] before him to eat: but he said, I
q will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he
said, Speak on.
(q) The faithfulness that servants owe to their masters,
causes them to prefer their masters business before
their own needs.
24:35 And the LORD hath r blessed my master greatly; and he is
become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and
silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and
camels, and asses.
(r) To bless signifies here to enrich, or increase with
substance as the text in the same verse declares.
24:37 And my master made me swear, saying, s Thou shalt not
take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites,
in whose land I dwell:
(s) The Canaanites were cursed, and therefore the godly
could not join with them in marriage.
24:38 But thou shalt go unto my t father's house, and to my
kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
(t) Meaning among his relatives, as in (Ge 24:40).
24:41 Then shalt thou be clear from [this] u my oath, when
thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee
[one], thou shalt be clear from my oath.
(u) Which by my authority I caused you to make.
24:45 And before I had done speaking in mine x heart, behold,
Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and
she went down unto the well, and drew [water]: and I said
unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
(x) Signifying that this prayer was not spoken by the
mouth, but only in his heart.
24:48y And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, 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.
(y) He shows our duty when we have received any benefit
from the Lord.
24:49 And now if ye will deal z kindly and truly with my
master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to
the a right hand, or to the left.
(z) If you will freely and faithfully give your daughter
to my master's son.
(a) That is, that I may look elsewhere.
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, b The thing
proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or
good.
(b) As soon as they perceived that it was God's ordinance
they yielded.
24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at c
her mouth.
(c) This shows that parents do not have the authority to
marry their children without the consent of both
parties.
24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou [art]
our sister, be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions,
and let thy seed possess the d gate of those which hate
them.
(d) That is, let them be victorious over their enemies: a
blessing that is fully accomplished through Jesus
Christ.
24:63 And Isaac went out to e meditate in the field at the
eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold,
the camels [were] coming.
(e) This was the habit of the godly fathers to meditate on
God's promises, and to pray for the accomplishment of
it. The custom was that the bride was brought to her
husband, her head covered, a token of humbleness and
purity.
