Commentary - Genesis 24:50-61

Bird's-eye view

This section of Genesis 24 marks the successful culmination of the servant's mission and the formal, covenantal agreement for the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. What began with Abraham's solemn oath concludes here with a family's solemn recognition of God's unmistakable providence. The key players, Laban and Bethuel, acknowledge that the matter is from Yahweh, effectively removing it from the realm of ordinary negotiation. Their consent is not so much a decision they are making as it is a reality they are recognizing. The servant responds with appropriate worship, and the covenant is sealed with gifts, a shared meal, and a formal sending away. Rebekah's own consent is sought, and her resolute answer, "I will go," demonstrates a faith that mirrors Abraham's. The scene closes with a powerful patriarchal blessing, a prophecy that places this marriage squarely in the center of God's redemptive plan to bring forth a seed that will crush the gates of His enemies, a plan that ultimately finds its fulfillment in Christ.

The entire narrative is a masterclass in divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God orchestrates every detail, from the camel at the well to the words from Laban's mouth, yet every human character acts freely and responsibly. The servant prays and acts, Rebekah serves and decides, and the family deliberates and consents. This is how God works in the world. He does not negate our choices; He directs them to His own foreordained and glorious ends. This passage is therefore not simply a quaint story about an ancient arranged marriage; it is a demonstration of God's covenant faithfulness and a beautiful picture of the church, the bride of Christ, being called out from the world to be united with her bridegroom.

Outline

Context In Genesis

This passage is the climax of the longest chapter in Genesis, a chapter entirely devoted to securing a wife for Isaac, the promised seed. Following the death of Sarah (chapter 23) and the great test of Abraham's faith at Moriah (chapter 22), the narrative shifts to ensure the continuation of the covenant line. Abraham, old and faithful, binds his most trusted servant by a solemn oath to find a wife for Isaac from their kinsmen, not from the Canaanites. The servant's prayerful and meticulous execution of this mission in the first part of the chapter has led him to Rebekah, who has fulfilled the signs he requested of God down to the last detail. He has been brought to her family's home and has just finished recounting the entire story, laying out the evidence of God's providential guidance. The verses that follow are the direct response to this testimony, the moment where the human agents must align themselves with the divine will that has been so clearly revealed.

Key Issues

The Matter is From Yahweh

The central declaration of this passage, and indeed the hinge of the entire chapter, is the confession of Laban and Bethuel: "The matter comes from Yahweh." This is not a reluctant admission; it is a statement of fact in the face of overwhelming evidence. The servant has not come with clever arguments or coercive threats. He has simply laid out the sequence of events, a chain of "coincidences" so remarkable that only a fool could deny the hand of God in it. When God's providence is this clear, the only proper human response is submission. They recognize that they are not the primary deal-makers here; they are secondary agents in a transaction orchestrated in heaven. Their conclusion, "so we cannot speak to you bad or good," is an expression of this submission. It means they have no room to negotiate, no basis upon which to either refuse or approve on their own terms. God has already spoken through His actions, and their role is simply to add their "Amen." This is a profound lesson for the people of God. When God makes His will clear, our arguments, our preferences, and our second-guessing must fall silent.

Verse by Verse Commentary

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The matter comes from Yahweh; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.

Laban, who appears to take the lead, and his father Bethuel, give the definitive answer. Their response is a model of theological clarity. They identify the ultimate cause behind the servant's arrival and request: it is from Yahweh. This is the foundation of all true piety, the ability to see the hand of God behind the mundane affairs of life. Because God is the author of this event, their own agency is circumscribed. They cannot add to it or take away from it. To "speak bad or good" would be to presume to sit in judgment on God's own determination. It is a confession of their creaturely limits in the face of the Creator's manifest will. They are not being passive; they are being submissive, which is a very different thing.

51 Behold, Rebekah is before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as Yahweh has spoken.”

The conclusion follows directly from the premise. If the matter is from Yahweh, then the course of action is plain. They formally present Rebekah to the servant. The words "take her and go" are the words of covenantal transfer. Their authority over their daughter and sister is now being relinquished and handed over to the house of Abraham. Notice the final clause: "as Yahweh has spoken." They are not just agreeing to the servant's request; they are aligning their words with God's word, which they have discerned through His providential actions. This is how godly authority works; it does not originate its own will but rather seeks to understand and execute God's will.

52 Now it happened that when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before Yahweh.

The servant's immediate reaction is not to congratulate himself on his negotiating skills or to shake hands with Laban. His first move is downward, in worship. He bows to the ground before Yahweh. This is the second time he has done this in the chapter (see v. 26). His mission is bracketed by prayer and punctuated with worship. He understands that this successful outcome is not his own doing but is an answer to his master's faith and his own prayers. Success in a godly endeavor should never lead to pride, but always to praise. He directs his gratitude to the one who is actually running the show.

53 The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

Worship is followed by action. The covenant is now sealed with gifts. These are not a bride price in the crass sense of buying a wife. They are the tangible tokens of the covenant being established. The gifts to Rebekah, articles of precious metals and fine clothing, signify her new status and the wealth of the household she is about to enter. She is being adorned as a bride for the son of a great prince. The gifts to her brother and mother are gifts of honor, acknowledging their role and their loss, and cementing the goodwill between the two families. Covenants in the ancient world were not abstract; they were ratified with tangible signs, meals, and oaths, and we see that pattern here.

54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. And then they arose in the morning, and he said, “Send me away to my master.”

The covenant meal follows the giving of gifts. Eating and drinking together was a sign of peace, fellowship, and agreement. The deal is done. But the servant, having accomplished his mission, is a man possessed of a holy urgency. After one night's rest, he is ready to go. His loyalty is to his master, Abraham, who is waiting anxiously for news. He is not there for a vacation; he is on the king's business, and the king's business requires haste.

55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, or even ten; afterward she will go.”

The family, understandably, hesitates. Their request is a natural one. They want a little more time to say their goodbyes. The phrase "a few days, or even ten" is a colloquialism for a short period of time. This is the first and only moment of friction in the negotiation. It represents the pull of the old life, the natural affections of family, against the call to a new life and a new covenant. It is a tender and very human moment.

56 And he said to them, “Do not delay me, since Yahweh has made my way successful. Send me away that I may go to my master.”

The servant's response is firm but respectful. He does not deny their love for Rebekah, but he recenters the conversation on the ultimate reality: "Yahweh has made my way successful." To delay now would be to hinder the very thing God has so clearly blessed. His success is the reason for his urgency, not a reason for leisurely celebration. He is a man under authority, and his desire is to report back to his master. This is a picture of the faithful minister of the gospel, whose success in winning souls does not lead him to settle down, but spurs him on to complete the work given to him by his Master.

57-58 And they said, “We will call the young woman and ask about her wishes.” Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”

Faced with an impasse, the family does something remarkable. They consult Rebekah. This is not to say she has absolute veto power over the covenantal arrangement made by the men, but her willingness is considered essential. Her consent is the final piece of the puzzle. The question is direct: "Will you go with this man?" Her answer is equally direct, resolute, and faith-filled: "I will go." In this simple declaration, she is leaving her country, her kindred, and her father's house, just as Abraham did. She is entrusting her entire future to a man she has never met, on the basis of the testimony she has heard about the God of Abraham. It is a magnificent act of faith.

59 Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men.

With her consent given, the departure happens immediately. They send her away, not just as their sister, but with her nurse, Deborah (cf. Gen 35:8). This is a touching detail, showing their care for her. The nurse would have been a lifelong companion and a source of comfort and continuity for Rebekah as she journeyed to a strange new land. The sending is now complete and official.

60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your seed possess The gate of those who hate him.”

As she leaves, her family pronounces a formal blessing over her. This is not just a sentimental "goodbye and good luck." This is a prophetic prayer, a patriarchal blessing that echoes the promises God gave to Abraham. They bless her with extraordinary fruitfulness, that she would become the mother of countless descendants ("thousands of ten thousands"). And they bless her with victory, that her seed, her offspring, would "possess the gate of those who hate him." To possess the gate of a city was to conquer it. This is a military blessing. They are prophesying that through this marriage, a lineage will come that will have dominion over its enemies. This promise ultimately points to that great son of Abraham and Isaac, the Lord Jesus Christ, who through His death and resurrection crushed the gates of hell and secured victory over all His enemies.

61 Then Rebekah arose with her young women, and they mounted the camels and went after the man. So the servant took Rebekah and went.

The action is swift and decisive. Rebekah and her attendants mount the camels and follow the servant. The story of the search is over. The journey of the bride begins. The servant has successfully executed his commission. He "took Rebekah and went," bringing the chosen bride to the promised son.

Application

This passage is rich with application for us. First, we must learn to see and submit to the providence of God. Like Laban and Bethuel, we must come to the place where we can say of the circumstances in our lives, "This is from the Lord." When God's will is clear, our duty is not to argue but to align. This requires a heart that is attentive to His working and a spirit that is humble enough to obey.

Second, we see the nature of a godly calling. Like Rebekah, the church is called to leave her old life and her old allegiances behind. She is called to go to a bridegroom she has not yet seen, based on the faithful testimony of His servants. Our response must be the same as hers: a resolute and faith-filled, "I will go." This is the heart of conversion, a willingness to forsake all and follow the call.

Third, the urgency of the servant should characterize our own Christian service. We are on the Lord's business. We have a master in heaven who is waiting for us to complete our tasks. There is no time for leisurely delay when the mission is successful and the Master is waiting. We should be driven by a holy impatience to see the work of the kingdom accomplished.

Finally, the blessing given to Rebekah is a blessing that belongs to the Church. We are part of that seed which possesses the gates of its enemies. Through our union with Christ, we are on the winning side of history. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church that Christ is building. This ancient story is our story. It is a story of a sovereign God faithfully gathering a bride for His Son, a bride who will be fruitful and victorious for His glory.