Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Abraham makes his servant swear an oath to seek a wife for Isaac from Haran; the servant brings Rebecca, and Isaac takes the one brought to him.
Vulgate Text: Genesis 24:1-67
1. Now Abraham was old and advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in all things. 2. And he said to the elder servant of his house, who had charge of all that he possessed: Put your hand under my thigh, 3. that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4. but that you will go to my own land and kindred, and there take a wife for my son Isaac. 5. The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me to this land, must I bring your son back to the place from which you departed? 6. And Abraham said: Take care that you never bring my son back there. 7. The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me and swore to me, saying: To your seed I will give this land -- He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8. But if the woman will not follow you, you will not be bound by the oath; only do not bring my son back there. 9. So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 10. And he took ten camels from the flock of his master and departed, carrying with him some of all his master's goods, and he set out and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 11. And when he had made the camels kneel down outside the town, near a well of water in the evening, at the time when women usually go out to draw water, he said: 12. O Lord God of my master Abraham, meet me today, I pray, and show mercy to my master Abraham. 13. Behold, I stand near the spring of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water. 14. Therefore the girl to whom I shall say: Lower your jar that I may drink; and she shall answer: Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink: let her be the one whom You have prepared for Your servant Isaac; and by this I shall know that You have shown mercy to my lord. 15. He had not yet finished speaking within himself, and behold, Rebecca was coming out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Milcah, wife of Nachor, Abraham's brother, carrying a jar on her shoulder. 16. A very beautiful girl, a most lovely virgin, unknown to any man: she had gone down to the spring, filled her jar, and was returning. 17. The servant ran to meet her and said: Give me a little water to drink from your jar. 18. She answered: Drink, my lord; and quickly she lowered the jar upon her arm and gave him a drink. 19. And when he had drunk, she added: I will also draw water for your camels, until they have all drunk. 20. And pouring the jar into the troughs, she ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all the camels. 21. But he was watching her in silence, wishing to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. 22. After the camels had drunk, the man brought out golden earrings weighing two shekels, and bracelets of the same number weighing ten shekels. 23. And he said to her: Whose daughter are you? Tell me: is there room in your father's house to stay? 24. She answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nachor. 25. And she added, saying: We also have plenty of straw and hay, and a spacious place to stay. 26. The man bowed down and worshipped the Lord, 27. saying: Blessed be the Lord God of my lord Abraham, who has not taken away His mercy and His truth from my lord, and has led me by a straight path to the house of my lord's brother. 28. So the girl ran and announced in her mother's house all that she had heard. 29. Now Rebecca had a brother named Laban, who hurried out to the man where the spring was. 30. When he had seen the earrings and bracelets on his sister's hands, and had heard all the words of her account: This man spoke thus to me: he came to the man who was standing by the camels near the spring of water, 31. and said to him: Come in, blessed of the Lord: why do you stand outside? I have prepared a house and a place for the camels. 32. And he brought him into the lodging, unsaddled the camels, and gave straw and hay, and water for washing his feet and the feet of the men who had come with him. 33. And bread was set before him. But he said: I will not eat until I have spoken my message. He answered: Speak. 34. And he said: I am Abraham's servant. 35. And the Lord has blessed my lord greatly, and he has become great: and He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, servants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. 36. And Sarah, my lord's wife, bore my lord a son in her old age, and he has given him all that he had. 37. And my lord made me swear, saying: You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; 38. but you shall go to my father's house, and from my kindred you shall take a wife for my son. 39. And I answered my lord: What if the woman will not come with me? 40. The Lord, he said, in whose sight I walk, will send His angel with you, and will direct your way: and you shall take a wife for my son from my kindred, and from my father's house. 41. You shall be free from my curse, when you come to my relatives and they do not give her to you. 42. So I came today to the spring of water and said: O Lord God of my lord Abraham, if You have directed my journey on which I now walk, 43. behold, I stand by the spring of water, and the virgin who comes out to draw water, and hears from me: Give me a little water to drink from your jar; 44. and she says to me: Both you drink, and I will draw for your camels: let her be the woman whom the Lord has prepared for the son of my lord. 45. And while I was turning these things over silently within myself, Rebecca appeared, coming with a jar which she carried on her shoulder; she went down to the spring and drew water. And I said to her: Give me a little to drink. 46. And she quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said to me: Both you drink, and I will give your camels a drink. I drank, and she watered the camels. 47. And I questioned her and said: Whose daughter are you? She answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, son of Nachor, whom Milcah bore to him. So I hung the earrings to adorn her face, and placed the bracelets on her hands. 48. And bowing down, I worshipped the Lord, blessing the Lord God of my lord Abraham, who had led me by a straight path to take the daughter of my lord's brother for his son. 49. Therefore, if you will show mercy and truth to my lord, tell me; but if something else pleases you, tell me that also, so that I may go to the right or to the left. 50. Laban and Bathuel answered: The matter has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you anything beyond what He has decreed. 51. Behold, Rebecca is before you; take her and depart, and let her be the wife of your lord's son, as the Lord has spoken. 52. When Abraham's servant heard this, he fell to the ground and worshipped the Lord. 53. And bringing out silver and golden vessels, and garments, he gave them to Rebecca as gifts; he also offered presents to her brothers and mother. 54. A banquet was prepared, and eating and drinking together, they stayed there. Rising in the morning, the servant said: Let me go, that I may return to my lord. 55. Her brothers and mother answered: Let the girl stay with us at least ten days, and after that she will depart. 56. Do not detain me, he said, because the Lord has directed my way; let me go that I may proceed to my lord. 57. And they said: Let us call the girl and ask her own will. 58. And when she had been called and came, they asked: Do you wish to go with this man? She said: I will go. 59. So they sent her away, with her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his companions, 60. wishing prosperity to their sister and saying: You are our sister; may you increase to thousands upon thousands, and may your seed possess the gates of its enemies. 61. So Rebecca and her maidens, mounting the camels, followed the man, who hurried back to his lord. 62. Now at that time Isaac was walking along the road that leads to the well whose name is the Well of the Living and Seeing; for he dwelt in the southern land. 63. And he had gone out to meditate in the field, as the day was declining; and when he raised his eyes, he saw camels coming from afar. 64. Rebecca also, having caught sight of Isaac, dismounted from the camel, 65. and said to the servant: Who is that man coming through the field to meet us? He said: He is my master. And she quickly took her cloak and covered herself. 66. The servant then told Isaac all that he had done. 67. He brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother, and took her as his wife; and he loved her so much that it tempered the grief that had befallen him from his mother's death.
Verse 1: Now Abraham Was Old
Abraham was 140 years old when he sent his servant to seek Rebecca as a wife for Isaac; for Isaac married Rebecca in the 40th year of his age (as is clear from the next chapter, verse 20), which was Abraham's 140th year: for Isaac was born in Abraham's hundredth year; therefore Abraham's age exceeds Isaac's age by one hundred years. So says St. Augustine.
Verse 2: Place Your Hand Under My Thigh
His eldest servant -- his steward Eliezer, about whom see chapter 15, verse 2.
Place your hand under my thigh -- that is to say: While I am seated, place your hand under my hip, and by this rite and ceremony swear to me that you will not take a Canaanite wife for my son. Literally, this was the rite of those swearing by the thigh, because the thigh is the cause and symbol of generation and life. By holding the thigh, therefore, those swearing called God to witness as the author of life, in whose hand our salvation rests, as if to say: If I swear rightly and truly, and fulfill what I have sworn, may God grant me a long and happy life, which is signified by the thigh; but if I deceive and perjure myself, may I perish and have no share in the life that has proceeded from the thigh.
So says Martin de Roa, book IV of Singularia, chapter 4.
The Hebrews think that this ceremony of placing the hand under the thigh was a solemn practice among the Jews in swearing oaths, on account of the significance and reverence of the sacrament of circumcision, which was performed on the member near the thigh. But this seems to be false: for only Abraham and Jacob used this ceremony to adjure their people; all others in Scripture are recorded as having sworn with their hand raised on high (as is also done today).
Note therefore that by the thigh or hip, the genital parts, which are between the thighs, are also tacitly understood and included. For thus the sons of Jacob are said to have come forth from his thigh, that is, from his generative parts, Genesis 46:26 and elsewhere.
Therefore by this symbol and ceremony of placing the hand under the thigh, Abraham signifies that Isaac had already been born from his thigh, and that from the same, through Isaac, a great posterity would be born, indeed Christ, his blessed seed, promised to him by God. So that this posterity, and Christ, might be born from him through Isaac, for this reason he here seeks a faithful wife for Isaac, and adjures his servant, so that he might seek such a wife for him, by the thigh, as if by the origin of his offspring; likewise by the thigh, that is, by Christ, who was to be born from his thigh, he adjures him, that is, binds him and compels him to swear. For the first person who used this form of adjuration was Abraham; his grandson Jacob then followed him in chapter 47, verse 29. So say St. Jerome, Theodoret, Augustine (Sermon 75), Ambrose (book 1 of On Abraham, final chapter), Prosper (Part 1, Predictions, chapter 7), and St. Gregory, who says thus: "He commanded the hand to be placed under the thigh, because through that member His flesh was to descend, who would be the son of Abraham by His humanity, and his Lord by His divinity, as if to say: Touch my son, and swear by my God. Whence he commanded the hand to be placed not upon the thigh, but under it; because from there He was to descend, who would be a man indeed, but would come as one above men."
Verse 3: That I May Adjure You
That I may adjure you -- that is, I will bind you by your oath, I will make you swear. So the Hebrew says. For Abraham compels his servant to swear to him by this ceremony. Whence the servant actually swore to him by this rite, as is clear from verse 9. Therefore "to adjure" here does not mean to call upon someone by sacred things, but to compel him to take an oath, and by this oath to bind him to promise or do something.
Verse 4: Not from the Daughters of the Canaanites
That you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites (because the Canaanites were impious and idolaters), but you shall go to my land and my kindred -- not to Chaldea, but to Mesopotamia, namely to Haran, to the house of my brother Nachor, as is clear from verse 10; for to Haran Abraham had migrated with his father and all his kindred, chapter 12, verse 1. For although the house of Nachor, following the custom of the nation with which it dwelt, worshipped idols, as is clear from chapter 31, verse 30; nevertheless they knew and preserved something of the worship of the one God, and thus worshipped the God of heaven alongside their idols, as is clear here in verse 31. And this household was well-mannered, as is evident from what follows.
Tropologically, how much the marriages of unbelievers, heretics, and the impious are to be avoided, see in St. Chrysostom and Ambrose, book 1 of On Abraham, final chapter: "Often," says Ambrose, "the allurement of a woman has deceived even the strongest husbands, and has made them depart from their religion. Therefore religion is sought first in marriage. Learn then what is sought in a wife: Abraham did not seek gold, nor silver, nor possessions, but the grace of a good character." Allegorically, the same author says in the same place:
"Where should the wife of Isaac, that is of Christ -- namely the Church -- be found, except in Mesopotamia? There she is surrounded by two rivers, the washing of grace and the tears of repentance. The Tigris guards her, that is, prudence; and the Euphrates, that is, justice and fruitful illumination, separating her from the barbarian nations."
Verse 6: Take Care That You Never Take My Son Back There
"Take back" means "promise to bring back," as if to say: If the girl whom you seek in Haran does not wish to come here to me and Isaac, but wishes Isaac to come there to her, do not consent, and do not promise her the marriage of my son; because God willed that I and my people should depart from Mesopotamia forever, and come to this land which He promised to me and mine.
Verse 7: He Himself Will Send His Angel
Behold, the ancient Hebrews believed that guardian angels were given to men by God, to guard, lead, teach, and direct them. Similar is Tobit chapter 5, verse 5. Scaliger thinks that the word "angel" comes from the Persian angar, meaning courier or messenger, with r changed to l, just as Beliar is said instead of Belial; for thus also the Hebrews from the Persian angar call a letter carried by couriers or angari, iggeret, as if ingeret.
Verse 9: He Swore to Him
He swore that he would faithfully carry out the words and commands of his lord Abraham.
Verse 10: To the City of Nachor
That is, to Haran, in which was the house of Nachor, distant from Beersheba, where Abraham was then staying, a journey of seven or eight days. So says Abulensis.
Verse 12: Make It Happen
In Hebrew hacre, that is, cause to meet me, namely that which I seek, that is, such a girl as Abraham desires as a wife for Isaac. The Septuagint translates: Make my encounter prosperous.
Let Christians learn here to seek spouses for themselves and their children, not so much by the arrangement of men as of God; and let them regard not so much wealth, beauty, and lineage, as upbringing and good and fitting character. Thus Pulcheria procured for her brother, the Emperor Theodosius, Eudoxia as a wife, who was poor but well-educated and well-mannered. But because many do otherwise, we see so many contentious and unhappy marriages. Rightly therefore the Wise Man says in Proverbs 19:14: "Houses and riches are given by parents; but a prudent wife is properly from the Lord." Thus Rebecca for Isaac, Ruth for Boaz, Sarah for Tobias -- wives given by God -- had a peaceful, fruitful, and happy marriage. For, as the Wise Man says in Proverbs 18:22: "He who finds a good wife finds a good thing, and will draw delight from the Lord." For a good, diligent, and prudent wife is a rare bird on earth.
Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:29: "I have found one man out of a thousand, but a woman among them all I have not found." Hence Cato said that a woman is a necessary evil. Do you wish to know how great an evil a bad woman is? Hear Sirach 25:17: "All malice is the wickedness of a woman;" and verse 22: "There is no head more wicked than the head of a serpent, and there is no anger above the anger of a woman: it would be more agreeable to dwell with a lion and a dragon than to live with a wicked woman;" and verse 31: "A wicked woman is a wound to the heart." God therefore gives bad wives to fornicators, adulterers, and other impious men as punishment for sin; and this is the greatest and most lasting plague, for it endures throughout the whole life.
On the contrary, "Blessed is the husband of a good woman. A valiant woman delights her husband, and will fill the years of his life with peace. A good wife is a good portion; she will be given to a man who fears God as a reward for his good deeds" (Sirach 26:1-3). A memorable example of this is found in Sophronius, or rather John Moschus in the Spiritual Meadow, chapter 250, concerning a certain nobleman of Constantinople who, distributing his goods to the poor, when dying left Jesus Christ as the guardian of his son. For Christ, on account of the father's almsgiving, procured for the son a wealthy and virtuous wife, with whom he led a holy and joyful life. Truly therefore Sirach says (26:16): "The grace of a diligent woman will delight her husband, and will fatten his bones; her discipline is a gift of God; grace upon grace is a holy and modest woman; as the rising sun upon the world in the heights of God, so is the beauty of a good woman an ornament of her house."
Verse 13: Behold, I Stand
Here the servant asks God to reveal to him the future wife of Isaac by a certain sign designated by himself; he was moved and prompted by God to designate this sign; whence he also employed it with a certain hope of divine providence, help, and direction, according to what he knew God had promised Abraham, and Abraham had told him, saying: "God will send His angel before you." Whence he also asked for this sign to be shown to him, prefacing it with a humble prayer. Finally, the outcome which followed, so prosperous, declared that this sign was from God; otherwise this servant would have been tempting God with a rash omen and divination.
Similar was the omen of Jonathan, which he took by God's prompting from the words of the Philistines about attacking them, and following it he defeated them: "If they say, come up to us, let us go up; because the Lord has delivered them into our hands -- this will be our sign" (1 Kings 14:10). Likewise Gideon took an omen of victory from the dream of a Midianite (Judges 7:13).
Similar was the omen of Clovis, who, moving his camp against the Goths, sent gifts to Tours to St. Martin, instructing his envoys: "When entering the temple, observe what may give a conjecture of the future outcome from the war we are preparing." They obeyed, and coming to the church, they heard the monks chanting that verse of David: "You have girded me with strength for battle." Having received this happy omen, they returned to the king and reported it; and the event declared that it was not vain but divine. The witness is Fulgosius, book 1, chapter 3.
On the contrary, superstitious was the omen of Nebuchadnezzar, which he took not by God's prompting but by his own or the devil's instinct, when he was in doubt whether he should attack the Ammonites or the Jews. For taking two arrows, on one he inscribed the name Rabbath (which was Petra of Arabia, the capital of the Ammonites), and on the other the name Jerusalem; then he mixed them together. Presently he drew one out blindly, and seeing Jerusalem inscribed on it, he immediately marched against it (Ezekiel 21:21).
Similar was the omen of the Philistines, who from the course and gait of the cows carrying the Ark of the Lord, conjectured whether the plague inflicted on them was from God or had occurred by chance (1 Kings 6:7). For more on sacred and lawful omens, and profane, unlawful, and superstitious ones, see Pererius here.
Note: This sign which the servant established was fitting; for it was a sign of a good wife and of an affable, hospitable, provident, and diligent character. So say St. Chrysostom, Theodoret, and Rupert.
Spring -- that is, a well, as is clear from verses 11 and 20; for in Scripture, a spring and a well are the same thing.
Verse 14: Let Her Be the One
Let her be the one whom You have prepared as a wife for Isaac, as if to say: I beseech You, Lord, that the one whom You will to be Isaac's wife, let her alone do and say the things which I here request; so that from these deeds and words of hers I may know that she is the one, and no other.
Verse 15: And Behold Rebecca Was Coming Out
Note here the mirror of virgins in Rebecca: for first, she does not sit idle as most do, but laboriously carries her jar and draws water; second, when she has drawn the water, she returns and does not linger long in public; and although she saw Abraham's servant, she does not curiously stare at him or address him; third, when the servant asks her for a drink, she immediately stops, offers it, speaks kindly, calls him lord; she offers more than he had asked; she is not burdened to serve a stranger, while our women nowadays are sometimes so difficult that they hardly deign to speak to people, especially foreigners, as if they were none of their concern; fourth, although she heard he was Abraham's servant, she herself does not bring him into the house -- for that would have been unseemly for a maiden; she runs home and reports to her mother; fifth, she does not curiously inquire why this servant has come or what he wants, for a maiden should not be inquisitive; sixth, she obeys her parents, and when she sees them consent that she should go to Isaac, although it was hard for her to leave her parents and homeland, she does not object; seventh, she is not soft but manly: for she mounts a camel and undertakes a long journey; eighth, when she saw Isaac, she immediately dismounted from the camel and covered herself: whence her modesty and reverence toward her betrothed is evident.
Verse 21: He Was Watching Her in Silence
Admiring not only her beauty, but her attentiveness, diligence, kindness, and generosity, and examining whether she conducted herself in all things accordingly, and was such a person as would be worthy of Isaac, and would answer his own and Abraham's wishes.
Verse 22: Golden Earrings Weighing Two Shekels
Note: This servant gave to each of Rebecca's ears one earring, that is, two in total, so that each weighed half a shekel, or one drachma, as the Septuagint, Hebrew, and Chaldean have it, and consequently both together weighed one shekel, or two drachmas.
You will ask: How then does our translator render it as two shekels? I answer: Our translator understands smaller shekels, that is, half-shekels. For a half shekel is sometimes called a shekel, just as among us the real is both larger and smaller (or halved); for the larger is 10 stuivers, the smaller 5 stuivers. See what was said at the end of the book On Weights and Measures.
Verse 27: He Has Not Taken Away His Mercy and Truth
That is to say: God has been merciful and truthful toward my master Abraham: merciful in promising, truthful in fulfilling His promises; as I now see that God has mercifully and truthfully directed my journey to the relatives of Abraham, and to Rebecca, that I might take her as a wife for Isaac.
Verse 28: To Her Mother's House
Because in the house of the ancient Hebrews there were separate dwellings and quarters for men and for women. For the mother lived separately with the girls in the women's quarters, as Nicolaus Serarius teaches in his commentary on Esther, chapter 2, page 469. Moreover, men at that time had multiple wives, who lived separately to keep peace. So say Cajetan and Thomas Anglicus. To these women's quarters Rebecca ran, showing the earrings she had received from Abraham's servant.
Note: Rebecca displays her gifts to her mother; for it is commonly said: No woman who receives gifts is a good woman -- understand this to mean, if she receives them secretly and without the counsel or consent of her family.
Verse 29: Rebecca Had a Brother Named Laban
Just as Rebecca was a mirror for virgins, so Laban was for heads of households. For first, when he had heard his sister's words, he immediately goes out to invite the man, not waiting to be asked; second, he addresses him kindly and piously: "Come in," he says, "blessed of the Lord;" third, he brings in not only him but also those who were with him, not at all fearing the magnitude of the expense; fourth, Laban himself unsaddled the camels, brought water for washing feet, prepared the table, etc. See here how great was the hospitality of the ancients. Fifth, when he had heard how the matter had taken place, he did not object, but concluded: "The matter has come from the Lord," by which he attributed this affair not to chance or fortune, but to divine ordination; sixth, he and his parent Bathuel do not force the girl, but inquire her will; seventh, when they see the servant hastening, they do not detain her, but allow her to depart, and they add her nurse, so that she might have someone to care for and instruct her; eighth, he wishes his sister well.
Verse 30: And When He Had Seen
After he had seen and heard. This is a Hebraism, which Vatablus clearly explains by translating thus: for he had seen the earrings and had heard the words of Rebecca.
Verse 31: Come In, Blessed of the Lord
That is, blessed by the Lord, who are in God's grace, whom God favors and prospers, and we pray and wish that He may continue to favor and prosper you.
I have prepared a house -- I have had a house prepared, I have commanded the servants to prepare lodging for you.
Verse 35: The Lord Has Blessed My Lord Greatly
He has remarkably enriched him.
Verse 36: And Has Given Him All Things
He had resolved to give; he had destined to give him all things, as his only-begotten son; for Abraham had not yet divested himself of the possession of his goods, nor had he yet transferred them to Isaac. The word "gave" therefore signifies an act not completed, but begun and intended, just as the word "I have prepared" in verse 31.
Verse 40: In Whose Sight I Walk
Whom I regard as present, and revere, and worship. Thus Enoch walked in the sight of God, or before God and with God (chapter 5, verse 22), and Noah (chapter 6, verse 9): see what was said there. As if to say: Because I worship God thus, in return God will send His angel, so that through you He may direct and prosper me and my affairs.
Verse 41: You Will Be Free from My Curse
You will be released from your imprecatory oath, and consequently from the curse and punishment which you invoked upon yourself when swearing, in the event that you should violate it, saying according to custom: "May God do this to me and add more," if I do not carry out the commands of Abraham my master.
Verse 47: I Hung the Earrings
I hung -- I gave her to hang them; this is clear from verse 30.
Verse 49: If You Will Show Mercy and Truth
Note: By these two words Scripture encompasses every duty of virtue: for everything is either unowed and freely given, and this is mercy; or it is commanded and owed, whether from justice, or piety, or some other virtue, and it is called truth. Here therefore truth is the piety which Rebecca's parents owed to their kinsman, indeed their uncle Abraham. So says Oleaster.
Cajetan says otherwise: Truth, he says, here means verification, as if to say: If you wish to verify, and to show to be true and bring about so many signs of the divine will, by which God has shown that He wills Rebecca to be given to Isaac.
That I may go to the right or to the left. -- This is a Hebraism, as if to say: So that I may know which way I must go, what I must do; whether I should remain here or proceed elsewhere: for he could have sought a wife for Isaac from the other sons of Nachor (for he had eleven, as is clear from chapter 22:21), and he would have done so if he had been refused in the case of Rebecca.
Verse 50: Laban and Bathuel Answered
Laban was Rebecca's brother, and consequently Bathuel's son, but he appears to have been managing the household while his father was growing old; whence here he frequently speaks on behalf of his father and arranges Rebecca's marriage with Isaac. Wisely St. Ambrose says: Rebecca, he says, "awaits the judgment of her parents; for it is not becoming of virginal modesty to choose a husband." Whence also Andromache in Euripides: "My father will take charge of my betrothal; for this is not my affair."
The matter has come from the Lord -- this business is being conducted by divine will; it is God's will that we give Rebecca to Isaac.
Verse 51: As the Lord Has Spoken
Not by voice, but by a sign, by which He showed His will in verse 14. So says St. Augustine, Question 67.
Verse 52: Boy, That Is, Servant
Boy -- that is, servant.
Verse 57: Let Us Ask Her Own Will
Not about the marriage with Isaac, for Rebecca is gathered to have already consented to this from verses 51, 53, 54, and 55; but about the sudden departure from her parents and the journey to Canaan to Isaac. So says St. Ambrose.
Allegorically, St. Ambrose says: Rebecca represents the Church called from paganism by Christ to marriage: "She, when called, made no delay, and was therefore more acceptable to the Lord; because the Jewish people, who had been called to the supper, were not worthy to come; but the assembly of the Gentiles, as soon as it saw itself being summoned, ran to meet Him. When she rode on a camel, she came to her husband, because the people of the nations, rough with a kind of bestial deformity of merits, who had no beauty of their own form, were about to receive the faith and understanding of the Church."
Verse 62: By the Way to the Well of the Living and Seeing
Through the desert, namely of Shur, in which, since it was nearby, Isaac used to walk alone to meditate. For solitude is most suitable for prayer, as well as for speculation and contemplation.
The pagans knew this. Plato, having returned to Athens after a long journey abroad, withdrew to a suburban place, shady with trees, which was called the Academy after its owner Academus, and there he philosophized and established a school. Cicero often withdrew from business and the city to the countryside, and there philosophized. He himself testifies to this in book 3 of On Duties. Poets of old used to retire to remote mountains, and there in the solitary retreat they composed their songs. Thus Hesiod sings that he learned poetry from the Muses, but on Mount Helicon while pasturing lambs, indicating that solitude is an awakener of genius; indeed "poems seek the seclusion and leisure of the writer." Euripides wrote his tragedies on the island of Salamis, in a dark and dreadful cave, which Aulus Gellius writes that he saw. Horace says he cannot compose poems in Rome.
Among the faithful, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist, Jerome, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and very many others withdrew to the desert, and there devoted themselves to wisdom and contemplation; and this after the example of Christ, who at night would withdraw to the mountains to pray, as on Tabor at the transfiguration, and to the garden at the time of His passion.
We saw here the autograph manuscript of Thomas a Kempis's Imitation of Christ, at the beginning of which this saying was read: "In all things I have sought rest, and have not found it" -- dan in een hoecxken met een boecxken, that is, "except gradually, sitting in a corner with a little book." This is what that great hermit Arsenius used to say: "I cannot dwell at the same time with God and with men."
To the well -- about which see chapter 16, verse 14, and the next chapter, verse 11.
In the southern land -- of Canaan, namely not far from Beersheba.
For "he was walking," in the Hebrew it is "he was coming from coming," as the French say, venait d'arriver (had just arrived).
Verse 63: To Meditate
The Septuagint translates adoleschesai, that is, to exercise himself, namely to perform the spiritual exercise of meditation; for adoleschein means to be intent upon something with great zeal and skill, says Procopius, and it is the activity of the soul thinking and meditating most eagerly with delight, says St. Augustine. Therefore Isaac was here meditating on natural things, such as the motions and courses of the stars, and their Author and Mover, God. So say the Hebrews, Lyranus, and Tostatus.
Rather, Isaac was meditating on heavenly and divine things. So St. Ambrose, in his book On Isaac, chapter 1: "For it is the mark of a wise man," he says, "to separate himself from the pleasures of the flesh, to elevate the soul, and to withdraw it from the body. For this is what it means to know oneself as a human being." St. Ambrose continues throughout the entire book, describing under the type of Isaac the progress of the holy soul which aspires to a spiritual marriage with Christ. Hence the Chaldean translates it as: he had gone out to pray. From this Alcuin teaches that Isaac was here a type of Christ, who withdrew to a mountain in the evening and at night to pray. Incorrectly Aquila and Symmachus translate: Isaac went out to converse in the field, that is, with his rustic workers and laborers.
"The life of a wise man is meditation;" and: "For a learned man, to think is to live." So Carneades was nourished, as it were, by his thoughts. Hence the wise man marvels at nothing, while children are astonished at everything; for to the former all things are foreseen and premeditated, to the latter nothing is.
Verse 64: Rebecca Descended from the Camel
Rebecca likewise, having caught sight of Isaac, descended -- suspecting, of course, what was indeed the case, that this was Isaac her husband -- she let herself down from the camel to the ground, out of respect to be shown to her bridegroom.
Secondly and better, we shall say that this is a hysteron-proteron; for it seems that Rebecca first asked the servant who that man was who was coming to meet them, and that he replied it was Isaac; and only then did Rebecca leap down from the camel to the ground.
Verse 65: The Mantle and the Bridal Veil
The mantle -- so that with it, as with a bridal veil, for the sake of modesty and shame, the new bride might cover and veil herself before her bridegroom. See what was said at chapter 20, verse 16.
Behold here the modesty of the new bride Rebecca. "Consider," says St. Chrysostom in Homily 48, "how nowhere are there those superfluous and useless things, nowhere the diabolical pomp, nowhere cymbals and flutes and dances and those satanic banquets and jests full of every obscenity; but all is dignity, all is wisdom, all is goodness," etc. And St. Ambrose says: Rebecca, seeing Isaac, "descended and began to cover her head with a mantle, teaching that modesty ought to precede marriage. For from this very act marriages (nuptiae) got their name, because out of a sense of modesty the young women would veil themselves (obnuberent). Learn therefore, O virgins, how to preserve your modesty, lest you go forth with uncovered head before strangers, since Rebecca, already betrothed, did not think it proper to look upon her designated husband with uncovered head."
Verse 67: Into the Tent of Sarah
Three years after the death of Sarah, Isaac married Rebecca, as is clear from what was said at verse 1 of this chapter; from this it is evident that wives lived apart from their husbands, as I said at verse 28.
Nannius notes on Canticles 3 that the bride was formerly led into the tent or chamber of her mother-in-law, to signify that the new bride would be the future mother of the household, from whom the thread of children, succession, and family would be drawn out and propagated; and that she would hold the same honor and rank among the household members as the bridegroom's mother had held. Therefore the bride herself, that her love might be more firm, in turn promises that she will do the same, saying in Canticles 3:4: "I will bring him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me," as if to say: The bridegroom will have me in place of his mother, and will bring me into her chamber and place. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife;" in turn I, the bride, will have him in place of my parents, and I will bring him into the place of my mother, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
Allegory of the Entire Chapter
Allegorically, Abraham signifies God the Father, Isaac represents Christ, Rebecca the Church -- indeed, any faithful soul -- and the servant of Abraham represents the Apostles. Consider what these four persons did in this chapter, and you will see what God the Father has done for our salvation, what Christ has done, what the Apostles have done, and what we must do.
Abraham Is God the Father: Six Analogies
First, therefore, just as Abraham had an only son to whom he gave all that he had, so also did God the Father.
Second, Abraham does not want his son to be alone, but plans to give him a wife so that he might beget children: so God the Father wills that Christ be joined to the Church, and says to Him: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance," etc.
Third, Abraham is the first to mention the marriage, he himself sends the servant who would not otherwise have gone; he himself causes the wife to be summoned, who would not otherwise have come of her own accord: so God is the author and beginning of our salvation, otherwise we would never have come to Christ. He Himself sent the Prophets and Apostles to call us.
Fourth, Abraham carried this out not by himself, but through his eldest and most faithful servant: so also God entrusts His sheep and His bride to the most faithful shepherds. Hence He says to Peter three times: "Do you love Me more than these? Feed My sheep."
Fifth, Abraham binds the servant with an oath: so God imposes the duty of preaching upon preachers under severe penalty: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" says St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 9, and in Ezekiel 3, God requires the blood of those who perish from the hand of the watchmen.
Sixth, Abraham desires a wife for his son, but one who is of the same blood, endowed with the same character as Isaac: so God wills to have a holy Church, one that brings honor, not shame, to His Son. "Be holy," He says, "because I am holy."
Isaac Is Christ: Eight Analogies
In Isaac we see what Christ did at the time of His betrothal.
First, Isaac had gone out into the field, Christ into the world.
Second, Isaac went out in the evening: Christ came in the last age of the world.
Third, Isaac then dwelt in the southern region: Christ, coming from the cold north, which signifies judgment, turned Himself toward the south of mercy.
Fourth, Isaac was walking near the well of the Living and Seeing One. The Living and Seeing One is God, for to His eyes all things are naked and open. The fountain of this Living and Seeing One is Sacred Scripture. The way to the fountain is the humility of the Passion; along this way Christ walked in His earthly sojourn, now fulfilling this Scripture, now that one, until having fulfilled all things He said "It is finished."
Fifth, Isaac went to meet his bride as she approached: and Christ meets all who come to Him through grace, as is evident in the case of Zacchaeus and the prodigal son.
Sixth, Isaac received Rebecca as a wife, not as a servant: so also Christ received the Church.
Seventh, Isaac brought Rebecca into the tent of his mother Sarah: Christ brought the Church of the Gentiles into the place of the Synagogue of the Jews, from whom He was descended.
Eighth, Isaac so loved Rebecca that he tempered his grief over his mother's death: so also Christ, seeing the city, wept over it; but having gained the Church of the Gentiles, He tempered His grief.
The Servant Is the Apostles: Thirteen Analogies
In the servant of Abraham the office of the Apostles and preachers is described.
First, the servant went out at his master's command to seek a bride, not knowing which one or what kind, but he entrusted the outcome and success of the matter to the Lord: so the Apostles went forth and preached everywhere, not knowing who would believe. They scattered the seed and entrusted the fruit to the Lord.
Second, the servant took with him some of all his master's goods, with which to adorn the maiden: so the Apostles did not come empty-handed, but brought great gifts -- namely grace, peace, miracles, holiness of life and character, etc.
Third, the servant of Abraham stands at the well and deliberates which maiden should be chosen: so the Apostles did not cast pearls before swine, but preached to those from whom they hoped for greater fruit; nor did they baptize or reconcile the obstinate and unworthy, but the penitent and properly disposed.
Fourth, the servant does not go unless sent: so also the true Apostles, for of false ones it is said: "They were running, and I did not send them."
Fifth, the servant prays before undertaking the task: so also the Apostles, for preaching without prior prayer bears no fruit.
Sixth, as soon as the servant performed his duty, he found the virgin he was seeking: so also God cooperated with the Apostles, so that among whatever nations they went, they found people who would receive them and believe.
Seventh, the servant asks for a drink from the virgin; the thirst of the Apostles is the desire for the salvation of souls: those who hear their words and fulfill them in deed give them drink.
Eighth, the servant, seeing the virgin act according to his prayer, gave thanks to God: so also Paul everywhere gave thanks to God for the conversion of the Gentiles.
Ninth, the servant gives the bride ornaments for her ears and hands: the Apostles adorn the Church, so that she has her ears adorned through faith, and her hands through good works. The Pharisees only adorned the hands, that is, they only taught the works of the Law. Simon and the heretics only adorn the ears, that is, they only preach faith, which comes by hearing: but in truth neither alone suffices.
Tenth, the servant gives greater gifts to the virgin who consents to the marriage: so also greater gifts of the Holy Spirit are provided to the faithful.
Eleventh, the servant, once the business is concluded, promptly returns, because he attends only to his master's affairs: so did the Apostles, and so shall all preachers do.
Twelfth, the servant leads the virgin from her father's house to the house of Abraham: so also the Apostles led souls from paganism to the Church.
Thirteenth, the servant does not bring the bride for himself, but for his master: so also Paul did, saying: "I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."
Rebecca Is the Faithful Soul: Ten Analogies
Rebecca displays the character of the Church and the faithful soul.
First, Rebecca in Hebrew means the same as fattened, enriched: because she has Isaac as her husband, that is, laughter -- namely Christ, who is the joy of the soul.
Second, Rebecca was a virgin: and Christ wills to have a virgin as His bride, pure from all love of the flesh and the world; see what was said at 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 2.
Third, Rebecca is found at labor: Christ does not want to have idle ones.
Fourth, Rebecca showed charity to the servant of Abraham: and Christ demands charity from the faithful soul.
Fifth, Rebecca offers the servant of Abraham hospitality and food: so the faithful ought to do for preachers.
Sixth, Rebecca, leaving all things behind, follows the servant of Abraham: so does the faithful soul.
Seventh, Rebecca brings her attendant maidens with her: so also the faithful person brings his household.
Eighth, Rebecca, approaching Isaac, descended from the camel: so the faithful person humbles himself when drawing near to Christ, and with shame and repentance abandons whatever was crooked and proud.
Ninth, Rebecca, seeing Isaac, immediately covered herself: so the faithful person, the more he comes to know Christ, the more he blushes at his past life, as in Romans 6: "What fruit did you have then from those things of which you are now ashamed?"
Tenth, Rebecca remains forever with Isaac and does not return to her father's house: so the faithful person who perseveres with Christ to the end will be saved. So St. Gregory, book 35 of the Moralia, chapter 17; Eucherius, book 2 on Genesis, chapter 40; Ferus and others.