Bible Strands
Genesis 24:15
Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate aftermath of Abraham’s servant praying at the well for a sign regarding Isaac’s wife. Rebekah arrives at that exact moment with her water jar, and the text identifies her as the daughter of Bethuel, grandson of Milcah, wife of Nahor.
The words — The Hebrew טֶרֶם (terem) and כִּלָּה (killah) literally mean “not yet” and “finished,” marking the precise temporal overlap of prayer and arrival. וְהִנֵּה (ve-hinnēh) translates as “and behold,” functioning as a narrative pivot that signals the sudden appearance of the requested sign.
The thread — The servant repeats this sequence in Genesis 24:45 to confirm the prayer’s answer. Rebekah’s familial line is anchored in Genesis 11:29, while Isaiah 65:24 employs parallel phrasing to describe divine responsiveness.
Why it lands — The text states that the requested sign occurs before the prayer concludes, then supplies Rebekah’s genealogy to verify her identity. It requires the reader to note how the narrative timing and lineage data function together to validate the servant’s mission.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
Cross-references
- Genesis 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
- Genesis 24:45 And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
- Isaiah 65:24 Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
- Psalms 65:2 O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You.
- Daniel 9:20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain—
- Genesis 22:20 Some time later, Abraham was told, “Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:
- Exodus 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.
- Psalms 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
- Psalms 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.
- Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,