Biblical Profile: Rebekah

Rebekah

Genesis 24 describes the mission of Abraham’s servant to find a wife for Isaac. At Abraham’s command, he went to Haran in Aram-naharaim (northwest Mesopotamia), to Abraham’s relatives, because Abraham did not want Isaac to marry a local Canaanite. The servant prayed that the young woman God had selected to be Isaac’s wife would answer his request for a drink by immediately giving it and watering his camels as well (24:12-14). This would not only serve to confirm God’s will in the matter but would also demonstrate her character, hospitality, and work ethic.

God decisively answered his prayer with Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel (22:23; 25:20), the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor (24:24).

When Abraham’s servant described how God had led him (24:34-49), Rebekah’s family recognized it as God’s hand, but they were reluctant to let her go immediately (24:50-56). Rebekah, however, demonstrated faith in God’s plan; she was willing to leave her family without delay to marry Isaac (24:57-58). Rebekah’s faith was richly rewarded; the blessing her family gave her in parting (24:59-60) came true when she bore to Isaac the next generation of God’s chosen line.

Rebekah bore twins, Esau and Jacob (25:20-26). She preferred Jacob, the younger son, who God had told her would be the stronger one and the leader of the two (25:23). Rebekah helped Jacob seize the blessing of the firstborn by deceiving Isaac (27:1-40). Afterward, she arranged for Jacob to be sent to Haran to get away from his brother’s resulting anger (27:41–28:5). Rebekah’s deceptive scheme created a lasting schism in the family, and she apparently never saw her favorite son again. She was, however, buried with Isaac in the family burial site (49:31), and she fulfilled God’s plan as the mother of Jacob, the founding father of Israel.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 22:23; Gen 24:12-67; 25:20-28; 26:7-8, 35; 27:5-17, 42-46; 29:12; 35:8; 49:31; Rom 9:10-13