Gênesis 24

ARC · Chapter 24/50

1E era Abrahão já velho e adiantado em edade, e o Senhor havia abençoado a Abrahão em tudo.

2E disse Abrahão ao seu servo, o mais velho da casa, que tinha o governo sobre tudo o que possuia: Põe agora a tua mão debaixo da minha coxa,

3Para que eu te faça jurar pelo Senhor Deus dos céus e Deus da terra, que não tomarás para meu filho mulher das filhas dos cananeos no meio dos quaes eu habito,

4Mas que irás á minha terra e á minha parentela, e d'ahi tomarás mulher para meu filho Isaac.

5E disse-lhe o servo: Porventura não quererá seguir-me a mulher a esta terra. Farei pois tornar o teu filho á terra d'onde saiste?

6E Abrahão lhe disse: Guarda-te, que não faças lá tornar o meu filho.

7O Senhor, Deus dos céus, que me tomou da casa de meu pae e da terra da minha parentela, e que me fallou, e que me jurou, dizendo: Á tua semente darei esta terra: Elle enviará o seu anjo adiante da tua face, para que tomes mulher de lá para meu filho.

8Se a mulher, porém, não quizer seguir-te, serás livre d'este meu juramento; sómente não faças lá tornar a meu filho.

9Então poz o servo a sua mão debaixo da coxa de Abrahão seu senhor, e jurou-lhe sobre este negocio.

10E o servo tomou dez camelos, dos camelos do seu senhor, e partiu, pois que toda a fazenda de seu senhor estava em sua mão, e levantou-se e partiu para Mesopotamia, para a cidade de Nahor,

11E fez ajoelhar os camelos fóra da cidade, junto a um poço d'agua, pela tarde, ao tempo que as moças sahiam a tirar agua.

12E disse: Ó Senhor, Deus de meu senhor Abrahão! dá-me hoje bom encontro, e faze beneficencia ao meu senhor Abrahão!

13Eis que eu estou em pé junto á fonte d'agua, e as filhas dous varões d'esta cidade saem para tirar agua;

14Seja pois que a donzella, a quem eu disser: Abaixa agora o teu cantaro para que eu beba; e ella disser: Bebe, e tambem darei de beber aos teus camelos; esta seja a quem designaste ao teu servo Isaac, e que eu conheça n'isso que fizeste beneficencia a meu senhor.

15E succedeu que, antes que elle acabasse de fallar, eis que Rebecca, que havia nascido a Bethuel, filho de Milcah, mulher de Nahor, irmão de Abrahão, sahia com o seu cantaro sobre o seu hombro.

16E a donzella era mui formosa á vista, virgem, a quem varão não havia conhecido: e desceu á fonte, e encheu o seu cantaro, e subiu.

17Então o servo correu-lhe ao encontro, e disse: Ora deixa-me beber uma pouca d'agua do teu cantaro.

18E ella disse: Bebe, meu senhor. E apressou-se, e abaixou o seu cantaro sobre a sua mão, e deu-lhe de beber.

19E, acabando ella de lhe dar de beber, disse: Tirarei tambem agua para os teus camelos, até que acabem de beber.

20E apressou-se, e vasou o seu cantaro na pia, e correu outra vez ao poço para tirar agua, e tirou para todos os seus camelos.

21E o varão estava admirado de vel-a, calando-se, para saber se o Senhor havia prosperado a sua jornada, ou não.

22E aconteceu que, acabando os camelos de beber, tomou o varão um pendente de oiro de meio siclo de peso, e duas pulseiras para as suas mãos, do peso de dez siclos de oiro.

23E disse: De quem és filha? faze-m'o saber, peço-te; ha tambem em casa de teu pae logar para nós pousarmos?

24E ella lhe disse: Eu sou a filha de Bethuel, filho de Milcah, o qual ella pariu a Nahor.

25Disse-lhe mais: Tambem temos palha e muito pasto, e logar para passar a noite.

26Então inclinou-se aquelle varão, e adorou ao Senhor,

27E disse: Bemdito seja o Senhor Deus de meu senhor Abrahão, que não retirou a sua beneficencia e a sua verdade de meu senhor: quanto a mim, o Senhor me guiou no caminho á casa dos irmãos de meu senhor.

28E a donzella correu, e fez saber estas coisas na casa de sua mãe.

29E Rebecca tinha um irmão, cujo nome era Labão; e Labão correu ao encontro d'aquelle varão á fonte.

30E aconteceu que, quando elle viu o pendente, e as pulseiras sobre as mãos de sua irmã, e quando ouviu as palavras de sua irmã Rebecca, que dizia: Assim me fallou aquelle varão; veiu o varão, e eis que estava em pé junto aos camelos á fonte.

31E disse: Entra, bemdito do Senhor, porque estarás fóra? pois eu já preparei a casa, e o logar para os camelos.

32Então veiu aquelle varão á casa, e desataram os camelos, e deram palha e pasto aos camelos, e agua para lavar os pés d'elle e os pés dos varões que estavam com elle.

33Depois pozeram de comer diante d'elle; elle porém disse: Não comerei, até que tenha dito as minhas palavras. E elle disse: Falla.

34Então disse: Eu sou o servo d'Abrahão.

35E o Senhor abençoou muito o meu senhor, de maneira que foi engrandecido, e deu-lhe ovelhas e vaccas, e prata e oiro, e servos e servas, e camelos e jumentos.

36E Sarah, a mulher do meu senhor, pariu um filho a meu senhor depois da sua velhice, e elle deu-lhe tudo quanto tem.

37E meu senhor me fez jurar, dizendo: Não tomarás mulher para meu filho das filhas dos cananeos, em cuja terra habito:

38Irás porém á casa de meu pae, e á minha familia, e tomarás mulher para meu filho.

39Então disse eu ao meu senhor: Porventura não me seguirá a mulher.

40E elle me disse: O Senhor, em cuja presença tenho andado, enviará o seu anjo comtigo, e prosperará o teu caminho, para que tomes mulher para meu filho da minha familia e da casa de meu pae:

41Então serás livre do meu juramento, quando fores á minha familia; e se não t'a derem, livre serás do meu juramento.

42E hoje cheguei á fonte, e disse: Ó Senhor, Deus de meu senhor Abrahão! se tu agora prosperas o meu caminho, no qual eu ando,

43Eis que estou junto á fonte d'agua: seja pois que a donzella que sair para tirar agua e á qual eu disser: Ora dá-me uma pouca d'agua do teu cantaro;

44E ella me disser: Bebe tu tambem, e tambem tirarei agua para os teus camelos; esta seja a mulher que o Senhor designou ao filho de meu senhor.

45E antes que eu acabasse de fallar no meu coração, eis que Rebecca sahia com o seu cantaro sobre o seu hombro, e desceu á fonte, e tirou agua; e eu lhe disse: Ora dá-me de beber.

46E ella se apressou, e abaixou o seu cantaro de sobre si, e disse: Bebe, e tambem darei de beber aos teus camelos; e bebi, e ella deu tambem de beber aos camelos.

47Então lhe perguntei, e disse: De quem és filha? E ella disse: Filha de Bethuel, filho de Nahor, que lhe pariu Milcah. Então eu puz o pendente no seu rosto, e as pulseiras sobre as suas mãos;

48E inclinando-me adorei ao Senhor, e bemdisse ao Senhor, Deus do meu senhor Abrahão, que me havia encaminhado pelo caminho da verdade, para tomar a filha do irmão de meu senhor para seu filho.

49Agora pois, se vós haveis de fazer beneficencia e verdade a meu senhor, fazei-m'o saber; e se não tambem m'o fazei saber, para que eu olhe á mão direita, ou á esquerda.

50Então responderam Labão e Bethuel, e disseram: Do Senhor procedeu este negocio; não podemos fallar-te mal ou bem.

51Eis que, Rebecca está diante da tua face; toma-a, e vae-te; seja a mulher do filho de teu senhor, como tem dito o Senhor.

52E aconteceu que, o servo de Abrahão, ouvindo as suas palavras, inclinou-se á terra diante do Senhor,

53E tirou o servo vasos de prata e vasos de oiro, e vestidos, e deu-os a Rebecca; tambem deu coisas preciosas a seu irmão e a sua mãe.

54Então comeram e beberam, elle e os varões que com elle estavam, e passaram a noite. E levantaram-se pela manhã, e disse: Deixae-me ir a meu senhor.

55Então disseram seu irmão e sua mãe: Fique a donzella comnosco alguns dias, ou pelo menos dez dias, depois irá.

56Elle porém lhes disse: Não me detenhaes, pois o Senhor tem prosperado o meu caminho; deixae-me partir, que eu volte a meu senhor.

57E disseram: Chamemos a donzella, e perguntemos-lh'o.

58E chamaram a Rebecca, e disseram-lhe: Irás tu com este varão? Ella respondeu: Irei.

59Então despediram a Rebecca sua irmã, e sua ama, e o servo de Abrahão, e seus varões

60E abençoaram a Rebecca, e disseram-lhe: O nossa irmã, sejas tu em milhares de milhares, e que a tua semente possua a porta de seus aborrecedores!

61E Rebecca se levantou com as suas moças, e subiram sobre os camelos, e seguiram o varão: e tomou aquelle servo a Rebecca, e partiu.

62Ora Isaac vinha d'onde se vem do poço de Lahai-roi; porque habitava na terra do sul.

63E Isaac saira a orar no campo, sobre a tarde: e levantou os seus olhos, e olhou, e eis que os camelos vinham.

64Rebecca tambem levantou seus olhos, e viu a Isaac, e lançou-se do camelo.

65E disse ao servo: Quem é aquelle varão que vem pelo campo ao nosso encontro? E o servo disse: Este é meu senhor. Então tomou ella o véu, e cobriu-se.

66E o servo contou a Isaac todas as coisas que fizera.

67E Isaac trouxe-a para a tenda de sua mãe Sarah, e tomou a Rebecca, e foi-lhe por mulher, e amou-a. Assim Isaac foi consolado depois da morte de sua mãe.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Abraham sends his most trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac among his relatives in Mesopotamia; the servant prays to God for a sign, meets Rebekah at the well, and she agrees to go and marry Isaac.

Explanation

This long, detailed chapter is a beautiful illustration of divine providence at work through careful human decisions. Abraham's servant does not act passively, waiting for an isolated miracle: he plans, prays specifically, and observes Rebekah's character closely through her actions (her generous willingness to give water not only to the servant but also to his ten camels, an exhausting task). Rebekah, for her part, shows courage and readiness by agreeing to leave her family to marry a man she had never seen, trusting in God's guidance. The retelling of the story within the chapter itself (the servant recounts everything again to Rebekah's family) emphasizes the certainty that this encounter was no coincidence, but an answer to prayer. The message for today is that seeking God's will involves both sincere prayer and practical discernment of circumstances.

Fun facts

  • The custom of seeking wives within one's own family clan (endogamy), rather than among the Canaanites, reflected real concerns about preserving the family's faith and religious customs, avoiding assimilation into the idolatrous practices of neighboring peoples.
  • Giving ten thirsty camels a drink, as Rebekah offered to do, is a physically exhausting task — a single camel can drink dozens of liters of water at once — making her gesture of hospitality an even more remarkable sign of kindness and willingness to serve.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Gênesis 24:1Opens the chapter with Abraham already quite old, blessed by God in everything — the backdrop that drives his concern to arrange a wife for Isaac before he dies.
  2. Gênesis 24:2Abraham asks the servant to put “thy hand under my thigh” before swearing. It was an old and solemn way of sealing an oath, tied to the idea of offspring; today it would be like placing a hand on an important document to reinforce that the promise cannot be broken.
  3. Gênesis 24:3Abraham requires the servant to swear not to choose a Canaanite wife for Isaac — the same concern about keeping the family line separate from the local peoples that appears elsewhere in the family’s story.
  4. Gênesis 24:4Abraham requires the servant to seek a wife for Isaac “unto my country, and to my kindred,” forbidding marriage with women from Canaan. Marrying within one’s own clan was common at the time to preserve family alliances and shared faith — it is not about prejudice against a place, it is about keeping ties with the family of origin.
  5. Gênesis 24:5The servant raises a practical doubt: what if the chosen woman does not want to leave her own land to marry someone she has never seen?
  6. Gênesis 24:6Abraham answers firmly: whatever happens, Isaac must not go back to the family’s land of origin — he must keep living in the promised land.
  7. Gênesis 24:7Abraham trusts that the same God who took him from his own land will send an angel to guide the servant to the right woman — the same faith that has guided the whole journey since chapter 12.
  8. Gênesis 24:8Abraham releases the servant from the oath only in this specific case: if the woman refuses to come, he will not be at fault — but he repeats that Isaac must not be taken back.
  9. Gênesis 24:9The servant makes the requested oath, repeating the same gesture described at the start of the chapter — the hand under Abraham’s thigh, sealing the commitment.
  10. Gênesis 24:10The servant sets out with ten camels loaded with goods, traveling to the city of Nahor, in Mesopotamia — the same region the family had originally come from.
  11. Gênesis 24:11The servant arrives near a well in the late afternoon, right at the time when the women of the city usually went out to draw water — a strategic hour for finding candidates.
  12. Gênesis 24:12The servant prays asking God to make the mission succeed quickly, showing kindness to his master Abraham through the success of this search.
  13. Gênesis 24:13The servant describes his own situation in prayer: standing by the spring, waiting for the young women of the city to come out to draw water.
  14. Gênesis 24:14The servant proposes a specific sign to identify the right woman: that she offer water not only to him, but also to the camels, without him having to ask for it.
  15. Gênesis 24:15Before the servant even finishes praying, Rebekah appears — granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor —, a coincidence so quick it already suggests the prayer was heard.
  16. Gênesis 24:16The text describes Rebekah as beautiful and a virgin, details that reinforce that she was a suitable candidate to become Isaac’s wife.
  17. Gênesis 24:17The servant runs to her and asks for a little water — the first step of the test he had asked God for in verse 14.
  18. Gênesis 24:18Rebekah answers the request quickly, giving the servant a drink without hesitation — the first positive sign of the test.
  19. Gênesis 24:19Without the servant needing to ask, Rebekah offers to give water to the camels too — completing exactly the sign he had asked God for.
  20. Gênesis 24:20Rebekah runs to the well again and again to bring enough water for all the camels — hard work, since camels drink a great deal after a long journey.
  21. Gênesis 24:21The servant watches everything in silence, trying to understand whether this was truly the answer God had given to his prayer.
  22. Gênesis 24:22The servant gives Rebekah “a golden earring of half a shekel weight” and “bracelets... of ten shekels weight of gold” as soon as she shows herself helpful — shekel here is a unit of metal weight, not a coin. These gold gifts function almost like a silent marriage proposal, even before he knows who her family is.
  23. Gênesis 24:23The servant asks Rebekah whose daughter she is and whether there is room in her family’s house to host him — the next practical steps once the sign is confirmed.
  24. Gênesis 24:24Rebekah identifies herself as the daughter of Bethuel, granddaughter of Nahor — exactly the lineage the servant expected to find, directly linked to Abraham’s family.
  25. Gênesis 24:25Rebekah confirms there is straw, feed, and room to spend the night — a hospitable answer that also reinforces the positive sign already received.
  26. Gênesis 24:26The servant bows and worships God right there, in the middle of the road, recognizing the quick answer to his own prayer.
  27. Gênesis 24:27The servant gives thanks specifically for having been guided to the house of Abraham’s relatives — the mission’s success is credited to God’s faithfulness, not to luck.
  28. Gênesis 24:28Rebekah runs to tell her own family everything that happened — news of the servant’s arrival spreads quickly through the household.
  29. Gênesis 24:29Introduces Laban, Rebekah’s brother, who runs to meet the servant as soon as he hears the news — he will play an important role in the negotiations for the rest of the chapter.
  30. Gênesis 24:30Laban had already seen the gold gifts given to Rebekah and heard her account, which makes him even more eager to welcome the visitor.
  31. Gênesis 24:31Laban invites the servant in, calling him “blessed of the Lord” — already showing goodwill before even hearing the full details of the proposal.
  32. Gênesis 24:32The household welcomes the servant with all the expected hospitality: the camels are cared for, and water is offered to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him.
  33. Gênesis 24:33Before eating, the servant insists on telling the reason for the visit first — he puts Abraham’s mission ahead of everything else, even the hospitality offered.
  34. Gênesis 24:34The servant finally introduces himself formally to the family: he is Abraham’s servant, making clear on whose behalf he is speaking.
  35. Gênesis 24:35The servant describes Abraham’s wealth as a direct blessing from God — flocks, silver, gold, servants, and camels —, an argument to show that Isaac is a good match.
  36. Gênesis 24:36The servant tells them Isaac was born when Abraham and Sarah were already old, and that he is the one who will inherit everything — reinforcing how important it is to find him the right wife.
  37. Gênesis 24:37Repeats the oath Abraham required of him: not to choose a wife from among the daughters of the Canaanites, but to seek one from Abraham’s own family.
  38. Gênesis 24:38Repeats the second part of the instruction: to go to the family and household of Abraham’s father to find the right wife for Isaac.
  39. Gênesis 24:39The servant repeats the same doubt he had already raised with Abraham: what if the chosen woman does not want to come with him?
  40. Gênesis 24:40Repeats Abraham’s answer: the Lord would send an angel to ensure the success of the journey, within his own family.
  41. Gênesis 24:41Repeats the condition for release from the oath: if the family refuses to give the woman, the servant would be free of the commitment.
  42. Gênesis 24:42The servant tells Rebekah’s family the same prayer he had already made at the well, asking for a clear sign from God.
  43. Gênesis 24:43Repeats the specific sign he had asked for: that the young woman give him water when he asked.
  44. Gênesis 24:44Repeats the second part of the sign: that she also offer to give water to the camels, without him asking for it.
  45. Gênesis 24:45The servant tells how Rebekah appeared exactly while he was still praying, and how he asked her for water — the same account of the encounter, now told in the first person to her family.
  46. Gênesis 24:46Repeats how Rebekah responded promptly, giving water to him and to the camels — fulfilling the sign requested in the prayer.
  47. Gênesis 24:47The servant tells how he asked her origin and confirmed she was from Abraham’s family before giving her the gold gifts.
  48. Gênesis 24:48The servant finishes the account by explaining that he bowed and worshiped God as soon as he confirmed he had found the right woman for Isaac.
  49. Gênesis 24:49The servant asks the family for a direct answer: whether they will deal loyally with Abraham and grant Rebekah, or whether he should look elsewhere.
  50. Gênesis 24:50Laban and Bethuel answer by acknowledging that this whole encounter came from the Lord — in light of that, they say they have no argument against the proposal.
  51. Gênesis 24:51The family formally agrees to give Rebekah in marriage to Isaac, closing the negotiation with a positive answer.
  52. Gênesis 24:52On hearing the favorable answer, the servant bows down in worship to God once more — the third time in the chapter that he reacts this way to a sign of success.
  53. Gênesis 24:53The servant gives Rebekah “jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment,” besides “precious things” to her brother and mother. This is the payment the groom’s family gave to the bride’s family — the opposite of the European dowry, which usually comes from her family to his.
  54. Gênesis 24:54With the deal closed, everyone eats, drinks, and spends the night — only the next morning does the servant already ask to leave and head back, without wasting time.
  55. Gênesis 24:55Rebekah’s family asks that she stay a few more days before leaving, a natural request from people saying goodbye to a daughter and sister.
  56. Gênesis 24:56The servant insists on leaving right away, arguing that God had already blessed his journey and that he saw no reason to delay the return.
  57. Gênesis 24:57Faced with the servant’s insistence, the family decides to ask Rebekah herself directly what she wants to do.
  58. Gênesis 24:58Before deciding whether Rebekah will go marry a man she has never seen, the family calls her and asks directly, “Wilt thou go with this man?” Even in a marriage arranged from a distance, the text records that the final word on whether to go was hers alone.
  59. Gênesis 24:59The family sends Rebekah off, sending her nurse along with her — someone she trusted to accompany her into this new life far from home.
  60. Gênesis 24:60The family blesses Rebekah, wishing her a numerous and victorious offspring — a blessing that echoes similar promises already made to Abraham.
  61. Gênesis 24:61Rebekah sets out with her maidens, riding on camels, following Abraham’s servant toward the land where Isaac lived.
  62. Gênesis 24:62The text shifts its focus to Isaac, who lived in the south, near the same well where Hagar had met God in chapter 16.
  63. Gênesis 24:63Isaac is out in the field, meditating at evening, when he sees the camels approaching in the distance — the first sign of Rebekah’s arrival.
  64. Gênesis 24:64Rebekah also sees Isaac from a distance and gets down from her camel — a gesture of respect as she approaches her future husband.
  65. Gênesis 24:65On seeing Isaac from a distance, Rebekah “took a vail, and covered herself.” Covering one’s face before the future husband ahead of the wedding was a custom of modesty, a sign of decorum at this first meeting between the two.
  66. Gênesis 24:66The servant tells Isaac everything that happened on the journey — the full account of the mission, from the encounter at the well to the return with Rebekah.
  67. Gênesis 24:67Isaac brings Rebekah into the tent that had been his mother Sarah’s, and takes her as his wife — the marriage brings him comfort after the loss of his mother, told in the previous chapter.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.