The Geneva Bible Translation Notes, [1599], at sacred-texts.com
Genesis Chapter 24
And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, (a) Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
(a) Which ceremony declared, the servants obedience towards his master, and the master's power over the servant.
And I will make thee (b) swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
(b) This shows that an oath may be required in a lawful cause.
But thou shalt go unto my (c) country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
(c) He did not want his son to marry out of the godly family: for the problems that come from marrying the ungodly are set forth in various places throughout the scriptures.
And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son (d) thither again.
(d) Lest he should love the inheritance promised.
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master [were] in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the (e) city of Nahor.
(e) That is, to Charran.
And he said, O (f) LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
(f) He grounds his prayer on God's promise made to his master.
(g) And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: [let the same be] she [that] thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
(g) The servant moved by God's spirit sought assurance by a sign, as to whether or not God would prosper his journey.
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, (h) Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
(h) God gives success to all things that are done for the glory of his name and according to his word.
And the damsel [was] very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she (i) went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
(i) Here is declared that God hears the prayers of his own, and grants their requests.
And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden (k) earring of (l) half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten [shekels] weight of gold;
(k) God permitted many things both in apparel and other things which are now forbidden especially when they do not suit our humble estate.
(l) The golden shekel is meant here, not silver.
And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy (m) and his truth: I [being] in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
(m) He does not boast in his good fortune (as the wicked do) but acknowledges that God has dealt mercifully with this matter in keeping his promise.
And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, (n) he stood by the camels at the well.
(n) For he waited on God's hand, who heard his prayer.
And the man came into the house: and (o) he ungirded his (p) camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that [were] with him.
(o) That is, Laban.
(p) The gentle entertainment of strangers practised by the godly fathers.
And there was set [meat] before him to eat: but he said, I (q) will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.
(q) The faithfulness that servants owe to their masters, causes them to prefer their masters business before their own needs.
And the LORD hath (r) blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
(r) To bless signifies here to enrich, or increase with substance as the text in the same verse declares.
And my master made me swear, saying, (s) Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell:
(s) The Canaanites were cursed, and therefore the godly could not join with them in marriage.
But thou shalt go unto my (t) father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son.
(t) Meaning among his relatives, as in (Gen 24:40).
Then shalt thou be clear from [this] (u) my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee [one], thou shalt be clear from my oath.
(u) Which by my authority I caused you to make.
And before I had done speaking in mine (x) heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew [water]: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
(x) Signifying that this prayer was not spoken by the mouth, but only in his heart.
(y) And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son.
(y) He shows our duty when we have received any benefit from the Lord.
And now if ye will deal (z) kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the (a) right hand, or to the left.
(z) If you will freely and faithfully give your daughter to my master's son.
(a) That is, that I may look elsewhere.
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, (b) The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
(b) As soon as they perceived that it was God's ordinance they yielded.
And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at (c) her mouth.
(c) This shows that parents do not have the authority to marry their children without the consent of both parties.
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou [art] our sister, be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the (d) gate of those which hate them.
(d) That is, let them be victorious over their enemies: a blessing that is fully accomplished through Jesus Christ.
And Isaac went out to (e) meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels [were] coming.
(e) This was the habit of the godly fathers to meditate on God's promises, and to pray for the accomplishment of it. The custom was that the bride was brought to her husband, her head covered, a token of humbleness and purity.