Young Woman Like Abraham

In Genesis 24, before he dies, an old Abraham has one last worry: finding a wife for Isaac who will keep God’s promise. The last of the ten tests (the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22) is now over. Abraham’s focus is now obvious: Isaac cannot marry a Canaanite woman or move back to Abraham’s original homeland to live there permanently. Abraham calls on his most trusted servant to confirm that Isaac keeps his promise to God.

Jewish tradition calls him Eliezer (see Genesis 15:2), but the text doesn’t give him a name (this story fits with Abraham’s earlier wish to give everything to Eliezer if he didn’t have a son). The Hebrew word עֶבֶד (eved) means more than just “servant.” It also means “slave/servant,” which implies a bond of loyalty and a shared mission. Abraham tells this servant to go to his brother Nahor’s house in Padan Aram (פַּדַּן אֲרָם). Later, Jacob, Isaac’s son, goes back to this “home away from home” when his parents tell him to do so to escape Esau’s anger (Gen 27:42–43; 28:5).

This story is the longest continuous story in the Torah (but don’t worry, this article won’t be). Abraham makes his servant swear to the LORD God:

“You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. Instead, go to my country and my family and find a wife for my son Isaac” (Gen 24:3–4).

The servant naturally says no:

“Suppose the woman doesn’t want to come with me to this land; should I take your son back to the land where you came from?” (Gen. 24:5). Abraham says, “Be careful not to take my son back there!” The Lord, the God of heaven, swore to me, saying, “I will give this land to your children.” But if the woman doesn’t want to go with you, then you don’t have to keep this promise; just don’t take my son back there (Gen 24:6–8).

The Servant’s Prayer for a Sign

The story then skips over the long weeks of travel and shows how the servant tries to figure out what God wants:

“Please help me today, Lord God of my master Abraham, and be kind (חֶסֶד, chesed) to my master Abraham.”

Chesed is one of the hardest Hebrew words to translate. It doesn’t just mean “kindness”; it means “covenantal loyalty” or “steadfast love.” The servant does not pray for random good luck; instead, he asks God to act out of faithful love for Abraham’s covenant line, which means that God is bound by His promises.

“Look, I’m standing by the spring (עֵין, ayin), and the daughters of the men in the city are coming out to draw water. Now let the young woman (נַעֲרָה, na’arah) whom I ask to lower her jar so I can drink and who says, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels too,’ be the one You have chosen for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown chesed to my master” (Gen 24:12–14).

Rebekah’s Radical Hospitality

The servant sees Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham’s older brother Nahor, before he finishes praying. When he asks her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar” (Gen 24:17), she says, “Drink, my lord,” quickly lowers her jar, and gives him a drink. Then she says, “I will also get water for your camels until they are done drinking” (Gen 24:18–19). She quickly pours the contents of her jar into the trough and runs back to the well to get water for all of his camels. The servant chooses the test of radical, proactive hospitality out of all the possible tests, which is crucial. He knows that for this marriage to work, Isaac’s wife needs to be as welcoming as Abraham and Sarah were. The narrative recounts the tale of Abraham and Sarah’s warm reception of three strangers (Gen 18:1–8).

Abraham exceeded the expectations placed upon him for three strangers. Rebekah, a willing helper, does the same, even though the man’s servants could have done it. She not only cares for the stranger, but she also makes sure his camels have water. The Hebrew verb תָּבֹא (tavo, “she comes”) runs through the chapter like a heartbeat. She comes to the well to draw water and to meet the stranger. Rebekah never stops moving. In Genesis, faith is action, and she shows her faith with her feet.

But tavo isn’t the only verb that matters. Rebekah also runs (רָצָה, ratzah) three times consecutively (Gen 24:20, 28, 29). She runs to empty her jar, then back to the well, and then back to her family. The only other person who runs in Genesis is Abraham in chapter 18, who runs to greet three unknown men. Rebekah doesn’t just serve; she runs toward the stranger.

In response, the servant gives her jewelry as a sign of appreciation and asks whose daughter she is and whether her father has room for them to stay the night. Her answer shows great confidence: “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor… We have plenty of straw and feed and room to spend the night” (Gen 24:24–25). This response again demonstrates her commitment to hospitality.

Laban’s Entrance and Retelling the Story

As a young woman, she invites a stranger to spend the night and rest, even though she is unmarried. Then she tells her brother Laban (לָבָן) and her mother Milcah about the dream. Laban runs out when he sees the expensive gifts on his sister. This foreshadows the greedy person who will later harm Rebekah’s son Jacob (Gen 29–31). The Hebrew terms נַעֲרָה (na’arah – used in Genesis 24:14, 16, 55, 57) emphasizes youth, maidenhood, and a marriageable young woman; בְּתוּלָה (betulah – 24:16) emphasizes virginity paired with na’arah; and עַלְמָה (almah – 24:43) emphasizes a young woman of childbearing age.

Abraham’s servant tells the whole story again and how his prayer to the LORD turned out to be a true sign from above in choosing Rebekah for Isaac. The brother and mother (the father may have been sick or dead) show their support. When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he fell to the ground in front of the LORD. The servant also gave Rebekah silver and gold items, clothes, and other valuable things. He also gave her brother and mother valuable things.

Then he and the men who were with him ate, drank, and slept there. He asked them to send him to his master when they woke up (Gen. 24:52–54). Laban wants Rebekah to stay for ten more days before she leaves. But Abraham’s servant insists that they leave the next day. This could be because Abraham is about to die and the servant wants to bring back good news: he has found a bride for Isaac who is willing to live with him in Canaan but is not a Canaanite herself.

Rebekah’s Independent “Yes”

In response, they say, “We will call the young woman and ask her פִּיהָ (piha, ‘her mouth’)” (Gen 24:57). The Hebrew phrase “ask her mouth” (שָׁאַל אֶת־פִּיהָ, sha’al et piha) is not common; it literally means “inquire of her mouth.” It stresses that Rebekah’s verbal agreement is not just a formality; her own words shape her fate. In a culture that is very patriarchal, the story stops to honor her independent “yes.”

Thereafter, they call Rebekah and ask her, “Will you go with this man?” She says, “אֵלֵךְ (elekh, ‘I will go’)” (Gen 24:58). This “elekh” comes from the same root as “lech l’cha” (לֶךְ־לְךָ, “go forth”) in God’s call to Abraham in Genesis 12:1. The verbal echo is intentional: Rebekah’s answer is a direct response to Abraham’s call. Abraham left his father’s house for an unknown land (lech l’cha). Now, Rebekah leaves hers, not because God spoke directly from heaven, but because she sees God’s hand in the prayer and testimony of a stranger. Her elekh is just as much an act of faith as Abraham’s, and that is precisely what proves that she is the right wife for Isaac, Abraham’s son. They send their sister Rebekah and her nurse away with Abraham’s servant and his men (Gen 24:59).

Rebekkah and Christ

This “I will go” echoes not only Abraham’s call but also a greater journey yet to come. For just as Rebekah left her father’s house to be united with the promised son of Abraham, so the eternal Son would one day leave His Father’s glory to be united with His bride on earth. In the fullness of time, the Father sent not a servant but His own Son, Jesus, to seek a people for His name from every nation—not by coercion, but by the Spirit’s gentle drawing. And where Rebekah said elekh (“I will go”), Christ said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God” (Heb 10:7). He ran toward our thirst, offering not merely water for camels but living water for sin-weary souls. On the cross, the true suffering Servant poured Himself out (Is 53), and at the empty tomb, He ran ahead to Galilee to greet His own. Even every act of hospitality in Genesis 24 is a shadow of the gospel: the Father prepares a Son, the Spirit guides a servant-prayer, and the Bride in faith answers, “Come.” And because Christ said elekh from heaven to earth, every believer can now say elekh to the wedding feast of the Lamb that will take place in heaven.

Conclusion

The ancient challenge is not out of date. Its relevance is undisputed. Hospitality is the essence of covenant faithfulness—the Spirit’s sign of a heart that wants to be with God. You don’t need a camel or a bronze ring; you just need to be able to see the thirsty stranger at your door. A cup of water, a table pulled close, and a weary person offered rest.

So, go to your well. When you would rather walk, run. Say the wild “yes” that Rebekah said—אֵלֵךְ (elekh – I will go!)—not because you know where the way leads, but because the Promise goes with those who are brave enough to welcome it. In every outstretched hand, heaven leans down. And every brave departure starts a new Genesis.