Isaac's Marriage To Rebekah
Sarah had been laid in the tomb. Abraham, whom 'YAHWEH had blessed in every way', was now an old man well on in years, and Yitschaq, the patriarch's son, would soon, in the nature of things, be called upon to assume the shepherd's crook as head of the clan. But Yitschaq, the only son on whom was founded every hope for the continuance of the line, had not yet chosen a wife.Abraham made up his mind: Yitschaq must have a wife. And he must not marry one of the daughters of the Canaanites, with their idolatrous religion and its bloodthirsty and licentious rites. He should have a pure bred Aramean, one of the nomads belonging to the tribes of shepherds living on the Mesopotamian steppes, or, and this would be nearer to hand, on the vast green plains of the Upper Euphrates round Haran, the great pastoral centre. In short, one of the kinsfolk of the Hebrews. Of course, these tribes, too, were worshippers of false gods, but mutual understanding was easier with them. So the patriarch called to him his eldest and most trusted servant, his steward, traditionally supposed to be Eliezer, and said to him: 'Place your hand under my thigh 8, I would have you swear by YAHWEH, Sovereign of heaven and Sovereign of earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live. Instead go to my own land and my own kinfolk to choose a wife for my son Yitschaq.'
Now implicit in this order was a danger. Both Abraham and Eliezer were aware of it. According to Babylonian law, in fact, the girl who was chosen was obliged to accept the husband given to her by her father. On the other hand, she was free to refuse to join her husband's clan; in that case it was for the husband to come and join his father-in-law's clan.
Abraham's delegate, who had no wish to find himself in difficulties, asked for fuller instructions: 'What if the woman does not want to come with me to this country? Must I take your son back to the country from which you came?' Abraham's answer was clear: in no case must Yitschaq return to the land of his fathers. 'YAHWEH, Sovereign Ruler of heaven and Sovereign Ruler of earth, took me from my father's home, and from the land of my kinsfolk, and he swore to me that he would give this country [Canaan] to my descendants. He will now send his malak ahead of you, so that you may choose a wife for my son there.' In conclusion, Abraham gave a final warning: 'Do not take my son back there.' The reason for this is quite clear: for the clan of YAHWEH's adherents to return among the tribes which though kinsfolk of Abraham's were still plunged in their idolatrous beliefs, would amount, quite simply, to the failure of YAHWEH's plan and the abrupt halting of the spiritual progress of the Chosen People.
Thereupon, with a troop of ten camels taken from those belonging to his master, Eliezer started on his journey taking 'something of the best of all his master owned' (in other words, some ingots of gold and silver, and a few jewels -all this to provide the dowry, or, in plain words, the purchase price of the girl). EIiezer set out straight for Aram-Naharaiim 'and the town of Nahor' the Scriptures tells us.
At the Oak of Mamre they were well aware that the clan of Nahor, Abraham's brother, was grazing his flocks in the pleasant valleys of the Upper Euphrates and that the family was very prosperous. It is even very probable that the existence of Rebekah, Nahor's daughter or granddaughter 9, was not unknown in Abraham's family, and this despite the distance separating these two groups of shepherds.
Eliezer arrived outside Haran
Eliezer arrived outside Haran and halted his party at the gates of the city. In the evening, at the time when women go down to draw water, he made the camels kneel near the well. Abraham's slave entrusted the matter to YAHWEH: 'YAHWEH of my master Abraham,' he prayed, 'be with me today, and show your kindness to my master Abraham.' In all simplicity the patriarch's servant asked a sign of YAHWEH. 'Here I stand by the spring,' he went on, 'as the young women from the town come out to draw water. To one of the girls I will say: Please tilt your pitcher and let me drink. If she answers, "Drink, and I will water your camels too," may she be the one you have chosen for your servant Yitschaq; by this I shall know you have shown your kindness to my master' (Bereshith 24:12-14).
The Scriptural account states that he had not finished speaking when Rebekah came out to draw water from the well; she was very beautiful and a virgin. Eliezer went straight up to her and asked her to give him water. She replied, 'Drink, my Master,' and quickly lowered her pitcher on her arm and gave him a drink. Then she offered to draw water for his camels also. Quickly she emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran again to the well and drew water for all the camels. Eliezer considered her in silence, wondering whether YAHWEH had or had not brought him to the end of his quest.
The animals had finished drinking. Eliezer now took a gold ring weighing half a shekel and put it through Rebekah's nostrils. This was the nezem (for the nose), an open ring, attached to the cartilage separating the nostrils, and worn by women from the right nostril. Then on her wrist he placed two golden bracelets, each weighing ten shekels. Then Eliezer questioned her: 'Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room at your father's house for us to spend the night?' Her answer was unexpected: 'I am the daughter of Bethuel the son whom Milcah bore to Nahor.' Thus Eliezer found himself among the descendants of Terah and could not have chosen better. Rebekah went on: 'We have plenty of straw and fodder, and room to lodge.' And the Scriptures adds: Then the man bowed down and worshipped YAHWEH saying, 'Blessed be YAHWEH, Sovereign Ruler of my master Abraham, for HE has not stopped showing kindness and goodness to my master. YAHWEH has guided my steps to the house of my master's brother.'
Rebekah ran at once to her mother and her brother and told of the stranger who was soon to arrive. 10 Laban hastened out to Eliezer, who remained standing by the well with his camels. 'Why stay out here,' he inquired, 'when I have cleared the house and made room for the camels?' And so Eliezer was conducted to the house. 11 Although Laban possessed a considerable staff of slaves, he made a point of himself unloading the camels and providing them with straw and fodder. The animals had to be attended to first. After this he brought water for the travelers to wash their feet, and invited Eliezer to a meal. But Abraham's servant refused politely, at least for the moment, to eat anything before the whole of his story was told. In truly eastern fashion he recounted all Abraham's adventures as a wandering shepherd; he stated in detail the immense resources of his master, flocks and herds, silver and gold, men slaves and women slaves, camels and donkeys'. He related the belated birth of Yitschaq, described the set apart mission with which he had been charged, and expressed his wonder that directly on arrival he encountered at the well at the city gates the daughter of my master's brother. He concluded: 'Now tell me whether you are prepared to show kindness and goodness to my master; if not say so, and I shall know what to do.
The answer came at once; it was favourable to Eliezer's request. Thereupon he unpacked and brought out silver and gold ornaments and clothes which he gave to Rebekah; these were gifts for her betrothal to Yitschaq. In addition, he gave rich presents to her brother and to her mother; this was the traditional and obligatory payment made to the parents of the future wife. The. Babylonian code fixed this payment (the "price', in fact, of the girl) at fifty shekels of gold. Devarim mentions the same sum. By the acceptance of this sum by the parents, the woman, whose consent had been asked by no one, from that instant belonged to the future husband, Yitschaq.
The next day when the household was up Eliezer asked permission to leave with Rebekah and return to the far distant camp at Hebron. Rebekah was called and questioned by her brother Laban: 'Do you want to leave with this man?' 'I do,' she replied. Accordingly they let their sister Rebekah go, with her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men.
At the time of the patriarchs it appears that marriage was not marked by any special ceremony. There was merely the blessing given by the head of the clan when the bride to be left her own people to found a new family. After this the small party under Eliezer's leadership set out on the way back.
The Hebrew camp was temporarily established in the Negeb at
the well of Lahai Roi (Bereshith 24: 6-26). Now one evening as night fell
Yitschaq was walking to the north of the camp, anxious, probably, about
Eliezer's mission and the arrival of the party. Suddenly on the horizon he saw
the line of camels. Rebekah, too, must have been watching for the tents to come
into sight. From afar off she noticed the solitary walker. At once she jumped
from the camel and in curiosity, and probably with some anxiety also, inquired
of Eliezer: 'Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?' He
replied, 'That is my master.' Hurriedly, Rebekah covered her face with
the traditional veil which, as was customary, she was to wear until her wedding
night. Yitschaq led Rebekah into his tent and made her his wife; and he loved
her.
Rebekah may have looked like this
8 Touching the genital organs was meant to make the oath inviolable.
9 There are here two apparently contradictory traditions. According to certain passages of Chapter 24 Rebekah is the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah (verses 15, 24 and 47) Elsewhere (24: 48; 29: 5) she is described as the daughter of Nahor. The lack of precision of the Hebrew vocabulary in genealogical matters hardly needs emphasizing. It may have been noticed in passages quoted previously in this book that Abraham calls his nephew Lot his brother.
10 Nahor, Abraham's brother, and father (or grandfather) of Rebekah, does not appear in any of the following scenes. We shall probably be right in regarding him as already dead at the time when Eliezer arrived with his ten camels at Haran. Then there is Bethuel whom certain verses mention as Rebekah's father. In fact, Bethuel is mentioned a little further on. But Scriptural scholars, including the Dominicans of the Ecole Biblique, think that Bethuel was added at a later date. On the one hand he crops up very incidentally; on the other, it is Laban, Rebekah's brother, who in all the following negotiations appears as the head of the family. He acts as 'patriarch' in treating of his sister's marriage and seems to possess full powers to carry out these delicate negotiations, a power which was jealously reserved, according to the law of these shepherds, to the head of the clan.
11 This is an example of the family of a chieftain, the owner of large flocks and employing shepherds and slaves, dwelling within a city (Haran). This was one of the stages towards settling permanently in one place; the same thing applies to Lot at Sodom. On the other hand, Abraham and the patriarchs, his descendants, always remained faithful to camp life in a tent.
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