Genesis 24:31. Come in, thou blessed of the Lord Such was the beautiful language of those ancient times, whereby a sense of God was constantly kept up in their minds. How little is this language used in our day! Perhaps, because they heard from Rebekah of the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, they concluded that he was a good man, and therefore blessed of the Lord. read more
A wife for Isaac (24:1-67)Since Isaac would succeed Abraham as heir to the land of Canaan and ancestor of the promised nation, Abraham required two things concerning him. First, he was not to leave Canaan; second, he was not to marry one of the Canaanites, as they were under God’s judgment. Abraham therefore sent his chief servant (possibly Eliezer; see 15:2) on a long journey to Paddan-aram in north-western Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac among Abraham’s relatives there (24:1-9).The... read more
when he saw. Characteristic of Laban. Rebekah showed kindness before she saw. read more
V. The Servant with the Bride's Family"And the damsel ran and told her mother's house according to these words. And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the fountain. And it came to pass when he saw the ring, and the 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, he was standing by the camels at the fountain. And he said, Come in, thou... read more
Genesis 24:31. Thou blessed of the Lord— of Jehovah, in the Hebrew. Hence, it clearly appears, that the knowledge of Jehovah was not confined to Abraham and his immediate family. No appellation could be more beautiful or honourable than this; thou blessed of the Lord! for what can express more esteem than to call a man the favourite of God; or what more love, than to wish him the friendship of the Almighty? read more
"Another striking feature of this story is that after introducing the new characters of Laban and his household, the writer allows the servant again to retell the narrative (Genesis 24:34-39). But as with most repetitions in biblical narrative, the retelling is not a mere repeating. It is rather a reassertion of the central points of the first narrative. . . . As we overhear the servant recount more details, we see that the miracle of God’s provision was even more grand than that suggested in... read more
The Marriage of Isaac and RebekahA charming picture of patriarchal marriage customs. It is very characteristic of the Primitive source.2. Put.. thy hand under my thigh] a form of taking an oath, only mentioned again in Genesis 47:29. ’It is from the thighs that one’s descendants come, so that to take an oath with one hand under the thigh would be equivalent to calling upon these descendants to maintain an oath which has been fulfilled, and to avenge one which has been broken’ (D.). Modern... read more
(31) Come in, thou blessed of the Lord.—This hospitality was in the East almost a matter of course, though Laban’s earnestness may have been increased by the sight of his sister’s golden ornaments. More remarkable is it that Laban addresses the servant as “blessed of Jehovah;” for we learn in Joshua 24:2 that the monotheism of Nahor and his family was by no means pure. Still, neither were they idolaters, and the “other gods” whom they served were probably teraphim, as certainly were the gods of... read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 24:1-67
- The Marriage of Isaac26. קרד qādad, “bow the head.” השׁתחוה shâchâh, “bow the body.”29. לבן lābān, “Laban, white.”In this circumstantial account of the marriage of Isaac, we have a beautiful picture of ancient manners in the East, the living original of which the present customs of that cradle of mankind are a striking copy.Genesis 24:1-9Abraham binds the chief servant of his house to seek a wife for his son Isaac among his kindred. The first movement in this matrimonial arrangement is... read more