Gen 24:33 And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on....
Gen 24:49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
Gen 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Gen 24:51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
Gen 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
Gen 24:54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
Gen 24:55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
Gen 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
Gen 24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Gen 24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
Gen 24:59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
Had an interesting conversation on Sunday with one of the men at my church. He seemed quite impressed with the idea that Gen 24: 58 must mean 'will you marry this man'. We had a very long and very interesting conversation. When I got home I thought about this conversation, to the extent of waking up at 4 AM. And what came to me at 4 AM was the thought, "The servant ate!"
Gen 24:49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
Gen 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Gen 24:51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
Gen 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
Gen 24:54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
Gen 24:55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
Gen 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
Gen 24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Gen 24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
Gen 24:59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
Had an interesting conversation on Sunday with one of the men at my church. He seemed quite impressed with the idea that Gen 24: 58 must mean 'will you marry this man'. We had a very long and very interesting conversation. When I got home I thought about this conversation, to the extent of waking up at 4 AM. And what came to me at 4 AM was the thought, "The servant ate!"
And so I sent him and others this post, as an email.
Verse 33: 'until I have told my errand'. As we find out later, and this euphemistic speech implies, he did not mean merely 'told my errand' but 'accomplished it' (or find out that he had failed). This is similar to the Biblical language indicating a child should 'listen to his parents'... which by implication means obey.
Verse 49: Here we hear the rest of the implication of verse 33. Speaking to the father and brother he asks them to tell him if they will deal 'kindly and truly'. This will then indicate to him what he needs to do next.
Verse 50 and 51: Without negotiations they agree.
Verse 52: When the servant heard these words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself down to the earth. The LORD had answered him again. The first time he worshiped he gave as a reason 'I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.' Here no reason is given, but I certainly think one is implied.
Verse 53: The servant then gave gifts. First to Rebecca: Gold, silver, and clothes. Also to her brother and her mother he gave precious things. He gave, and they accepted. Again, I believe the implication here is clear. (see Gills commentary below)
Verse 54: He ate. By my reckoning, based on his earlier speech, this indicated that he had accomplished what he had come to do. The LORD had blessed his journey. He was successful. (see Gills commentary below)
Verse 54: He awoke and said 'Send me away'. Not: Can I finish my business, let us ask the girl if she consents.
Verse 55: 'Let her stay... after that she shall go.' 'Shall go.' (see John Gill commentary on the custom of the day).
Verse 56: 'Hinder me not'... Hebrew: Do not delay me. His mission was accomplished, he wanted to return quickly to his master.
Verse 57: 'enquire at her mouth'. (See Gills commentary)
Verse 58: 'Wilt thou go' answer 'I will go'.
Verse 59: I don't know if you remember your Sherlock Holmes here, but there is a dog that didn't bark in verse 59. Remembering verse 27, and verse 52, if verse 58 had been the final penultimate conclusion of his journey; if it had represented the final agreement to the marriage itself, the servant would (based on his past behavior) again bowed himself in worship.
Indeed my contention is that if verse 58 had been the final and most important answer, it would have needed to have preceded both the servants worship of verse 52 (or that worship been repeated), the servants giving of gifts of verse 53, but most particularly (at least as it seemed to me at 4 in the morning) the servants eating and sleeping. This servant had proven time and again that he did not stand on the order of his going. He did not pause or delay in his obedience. If Rebecca's statement of verse 58 had been necessary for the fulfillment of his errand, he would have asked for it in verse 52. He would not have eaten until it had been given.
So verse 59 is, in my view, remarkable for its absence of reaction from the servant. Instead we have a reaction from the mother and brother and her entire family: they sent her away. A reaction consistent with my understanding of the question in Verse 58, and the answer. Question: Will you (right now) go (instead of insisting on your normal period of leavetaking)? Answer: I will (right now) go.
Gill: Verse 53: and raiment, and gave [them] to Rebekah; costly suits of clothes such as in those times were given to persons at their marriage, or in order to it; and which custom still continues among the Arabs, who, as Dr. Shaw says {p}, have the marriage contract previously made between the parents, wherein is express mention made not only of the "saddock", as they call that particular sum which the bridegroom settles on the bride; but of the several changes of raiment, and the quantity of jewels, and the number of slaves that the bride is to be attended with when she first waits upon her husband; a gold and silver "sarmah", he says {q}, which is a thin flexible plate of gold or silver, of a triangular shape, artfully cut through and engraven in imitation of lace; one or two sets of earrings bracelets and shekels, a gold chain to hang over their breasts, with half a dozen vests, some of brocades, others of rich silk, were usually the wedding clothes of a lady of fashion. And so in Barbary, the man buys his bride a suit of apparel, earrings, bracelets, a chest, &c. and gives the father a considerable sum of money, according to the qualities and circumstances of the parties {r}:
Gill:Ver. 54. 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:
Gill Verse 55: 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 intended, it is much the servant should object, and not readily agree to it; but in the margin it is, "a full year" or "ten months"; and so Onkelos and Jonathan, and other Jewish writers {u}, who say it was customary for a virgin to have twelve months allowed her to furnish herself with ornaments; and therefore if a full year could not be admitted of, it is requested that at least ten months would be granted: this by many is thought to be unreasonable, that a servant should be desired to stay so long from his master, and especially it would not be asked, when it was perceived he was in such haste to be gone directly; but when it is observed that it was the usual custom of those times for virgins espoused to continue in their father's house a considerable time before the marriage was consummated, and that Rebekah was going into a distant country, and very likely she and her friends would never see each other, the motion will not appear so very extravagant:
Gill Verse 56: 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:
Gill Verse 57: and inquire at her mouth; what she says to it, whether willing to go directly or not; the matter in question was referred to her, and left to her decision.
Gill Verse 58: 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 the presents, but about taking the journey immediately:
and she said, I will go; the note of Jarchi is,
"of myself, and even if you are not willing,''
which seems to make her answer rude, as well as resolute; but it must be interpreted consistent with her decent and modest behaviour, and as expressive of her agreeing to go with the man directly, having no manner of objection on her mind to it; but on the contrary found a strong inclination to it, and was determined on it; and perhaps was under a divine impulse, which strongly wrought upon her, and caused her to be so willing to leave her own people, and her father's house.
Verse 33: 'until I have told my errand'. As we find out later, and this euphemistic speech implies, he did not mean merely 'told my errand' but 'accomplished it' (or find out that he had failed). This is similar to the Biblical language indicating a child should 'listen to his parents'... which by implication means obey.
Verse 49: Here we hear the rest of the implication of verse 33. Speaking to the father and brother he asks them to tell him if they will deal 'kindly and truly'. This will then indicate to him what he needs to do next.
Verse 50 and 51: Without negotiations they agree.
Verse 52: When the servant heard these words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself down to the earth. The LORD had answered him again. The first time he worshiped he gave as a reason 'I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.' Here no reason is given, but I certainly think one is implied.
Verse 53: The servant then gave gifts. First to Rebecca: Gold, silver, and clothes. Also to her brother and her mother he gave precious things. He gave, and they accepted. Again, I believe the implication here is clear. (see Gills commentary below)
Verse 54: He ate. By my reckoning, based on his earlier speech, this indicated that he had accomplished what he had come to do. The LORD had blessed his journey. He was successful. (see Gills commentary below)
Verse 54: He awoke and said 'Send me away'. Not: Can I finish my business, let us ask the girl if she consents.
Verse 55: 'Let her stay... after that she shall go.' 'Shall go.' (see John Gill commentary on the custom of the day).
Verse 56: 'Hinder me not'... Hebrew: Do not delay me. His mission was accomplished, he wanted to return quickly to his master.
Verse 57: 'enquire at her mouth'. (See Gills commentary)
Verse 58: 'Wilt thou go' answer 'I will go'.
Verse 59: I don't know if you remember your Sherlock Holmes here, but there is a dog that didn't bark in verse 59. Remembering verse 27, and verse 52, if verse 58 had been the final penultimate conclusion of his journey; if it had represented the final agreement to the marriage itself, the servant would (based on his past behavior) again bowed himself in worship.
Indeed my contention is that if verse 58 had been the final and most important answer, it would have needed to have preceded both the servants worship of verse 52 (or that worship been repeated), the servants giving of gifts of verse 53, but most particularly (at least as it seemed to me at 4 in the morning) the servants eating and sleeping. This servant had proven time and again that he did not stand on the order of his going. He did not pause or delay in his obedience. If Rebecca's statement of verse 58 had been necessary for the fulfillment of his errand, he would have asked for it in verse 52. He would not have eaten until it had been given.
So verse 59 is, in my view, remarkable for its absence of reaction from the servant. Instead we have a reaction from the mother and brother and her entire family: they sent her away. A reaction consistent with my understanding of the question in Verse 58, and the answer. Question: Will you (right now) go (instead of insisting on your normal period of leavetaking)? Answer: I will (right now) go.
Gill: Verse 53: and raiment, and gave [them] to Rebekah; costly suits of clothes such as in those times were given to persons at their marriage, or in order to it; and which custom still continues among the Arabs, who, as Dr. Shaw says {p}, have the marriage contract previously made between the parents, wherein is express mention made not only of the "saddock", as they call that particular sum which the bridegroom settles on the bride; but of the several changes of raiment, and the quantity of jewels, and the number of slaves that the bride is to be attended with when she first waits upon her husband; a gold and silver "sarmah", he says {q}, which is a thin flexible plate of gold or silver, of a triangular shape, artfully cut through and engraven in imitation of lace; one or two sets of earrings bracelets and shekels, a gold chain to hang over their breasts, with half a dozen vests, some of brocades, others of rich silk, were usually the wedding clothes of a lady of fashion. And so in Barbary, the man buys his bride a suit of apparel, earrings, bracelets, a chest, &c. and gives the father a considerable sum of money, according to the qualities and circumstances of the parties {r}:
Gill:Ver. 54. 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:
Gill Verse 55: 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 intended, it is much the servant should object, and not readily agree to it; but in the margin it is, "a full year" or "ten months"; and so Onkelos and Jonathan, and other Jewish writers {u}, who say it was customary for a virgin to have twelve months allowed her to furnish herself with ornaments; and therefore if a full year could not be admitted of, it is requested that at least ten months would be granted: this by many is thought to be unreasonable, that a servant should be desired to stay so long from his master, and especially it would not be asked, when it was perceived he was in such haste to be gone directly; but when it is observed that it was the usual custom of those times for virgins espoused to continue in their father's house a considerable time before the marriage was consummated, and that Rebekah was going into a distant country, and very likely she and her friends would never see each other, the motion will not appear so very extravagant:
Gill Verse 56: 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:
Gill Verse 57: and inquire at her mouth; what she says to it, whether willing to go directly or not; the matter in question was referred to her, and left to her decision.
Gill Verse 58: 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 the presents, but about taking the journey immediately:
and she said, I will go; the note of Jarchi is,
"of myself, and even if you are not willing,''
which seems to make her answer rude, as well as resolute; but it must be interpreted consistent with her decent and modest behaviour, and as expressive of her agreeing to go with the man directly, having no manner of objection on her mind to it; but on the contrary found a strong inclination to it, and was determined on it; and perhaps was under a divine impulse, which strongly wrought upon her, and caused her to be so willing to leave her own people, and her father's house.
. I have only skimmed it. As always he writes with excellent use of metaphor, and powerful emotive language. As always he has studied the Scriptures wisely and found important Biblical principles, in this case concerning the role of husband and father.
