Introduction
“Narrative time” (the time the narrator takes to describe each event) and “narrated time” (the length of time events are said to have taken) usually differ greatly in the Old Testament (see 2 Sam 13:23 and 38). An event on which the narrator dwells for a long time is generally significant. Thus in Gen 24, the meeting between Abraham’s servant and Rebekah is told twice, and in full, to emphasize that God’s hand can be seen in this event (see vv. 27 and 48).
24:1
Coming immediately after the extended negotiations for a burying place, this verse effectively restates the promises of the covenant and their fulfillment. The death of Sarah does not prevent Abraham from being blessed in all things. The atmosphere of blessing is reinforced by our learning nothing of Sarah's actual burial, another subtle reminder of the scriptural rejection of death as a focal point for life in the covenant.
24:2
It is possible that the oath is sworn on the genitals of Abraham, which would then be understood to be binding even if Abraham should die. None of this can be confirmed, however, because the text offers no explanation and no parallels have been found in the ancient Near East.
24:4
In the ancient world it was common to restrict or at least prefer marriage within the social group, a practice called endogamy. Endogamy is particularly significant in social contexts that emphasize inheritance. In this way the lineage is isolated for purposes of social status and property ownership. Though in our modern context endogamy has a religious context related to orthodoxy, in the ancient world this was not the case because in large measure the wife simply adopted the gods and religious practices of the family into which she was marrying. In Israel the concerns are ethnic because the land was promised to Abraham and his family and he is avoiding assimilation with the people in the land. At this point in history, no one else shares Abraham's beliefs or worships "the God of Abraham" (at least as far as we know)-certainly Laban and his family do not, so this is not a matter of "marrying within the faith."
Of course, today for Christians to marry only other Christians is a kind of spiritual endogamy, and keeps the inheritance in the fame family.
24:10
Camels: In Gen 24, camels are mentioned 18× (one third of the total occurrence in the OT), where they have a significant role in the flow of the narrative.
Camels are infrequently mentioned in the patriarchal narratives (here): (1) when describing the enormous wealth of Abraham (Gen 12:16) and of Jacob (Gen 30:43; 31:17, 34; 32:7, 15), (2) in describing the Midianite caravan that bought Joseph and transported him to Egypt, and (3) 16 times in this chapter (Gen 24:10–11, 14, 19–20, 22, 30–32, 35, 44, 46, 61, 63–64). Here they are mentioned both to emphasize how wealthy Abraham was and because the trip is a long one. Shorter distance transport was accomplished with donkey caravans.
The Magi probably used camels to travel from their distant points of origin to Jerusalem in search of the newborn king of the Jews (Matthew 2), although Matthew says nothing about their steeds. For references to camels in the NT see here.
The sizable convoy—ten camels—is indispensable to the progress of the story. It is designed to make a deep impression on the girl and her family of Yahweh's blessing on Abraham and his unmarried heir, to serve as the instrument for testing her character, and to have the practical purpose of providing the means of bringing the many heavy gifts to Rebekah's family and homeward transportation for the bride and her entourage.
24:14
When this procedure is used, it is typical that a highly irregular occurrence designates "yes" and the normal turn of events designates "no" with the expectation that God will thereby communicate his answer. Here the question is whether the girl whom the servant approaches is the chosen mate for Isaac. The designated indicator of a "yes" answer is if the girl offers to do far beyond what human nature or the conventions of hospitality would dictate, specifically, to water all his camels when he asked only for a drink for himself. Such an unusual offer would serve as evidence that deity was overriding all natural instinct and social etiquette. For similar mechanistic oracles, see the dewy fleece in Judges 6:36-40 and the Philistines returning the ark in 1 Samuel 6:7-12.
24:19
If the servant's camels had gone several days without water, they could potentially drink up to twenty-five gallons each. Given the standard size of the vessels used to draw water, this would mean that Rebekah would have to draw eight to ten jars for each camel, thus requiring nearly a hundred trips from the well-several hours of work. Since it is already almost evening when the scene opens (24: 11), it is sensible to conclude that the camels may have been watered more recently and would have required considerably less water than that. But Rebekah would not have known the current needs of the camels so the offer remains impressive and extraordinary.
24:53
Marriage customs included an exchange of wealth between the families with several purposes. The marriage price indicated here is given from the groom's family to the bride's family. This transfer is part of the socioeconomic system of provision and should not be thought of as purchase of chattel. In ancient Mesopotamian sources, one form of bride-wealth was made up primarily of foodstuffs presented just before the wedding feast. A less common form sometimes included precious objects and is presented when the agreement is made between the families. The latter is more likely represented here.
The transfer often took place in two parts: a small "down payment" offered as surety that the wedding would take place, with the remainder changing hands shortly before the wedding. These two stages are approximated in 24:22 and 24:53. In texts of the mid-second millennium before Christ, bride prices averaged thirty to forty shekels of silver. At times, this property was "rolled over" into the dowry (and therefore referred to as an "indirect dowry"), which is the other transfer associated with marriage. The dowry was given by the bride's family to the bride (a transaction from father to daughter, not between families per se) and represented her inheritance from the family since she typically did not inherit land. Moveable property and valuables were common dowry items. Its function was to provide for the support of the woman should the husband die, desert her, or divorce her. At times, part of the dowry remained the personal property of the wife, but whatever its disposition, it could not be sold [by her husband] without her consent. In like manner, however, she was not free to dispose of it. [In many ways, it was like a trust set up by her parents for her to use and pass on to her children.] If it were not used to support her at some stage in life, it would become part of the inheritance of her children. The dowry of Rebekah is not detailed; her [slave] nurse (24:59) may have been part of it (Walton); but she and Leah later claim Laban never gave them their dowries.
24:57
Until a woman conceived and bore a child to her new family, her status within the family was tenuous, and the proximity of her father's family would have been a strong motivator for her husband not to mistreat her or discard her.
Compare the situation of Tamar, the wife of Judah's son Perez, in Gen 38.
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