Bible Commentaries
Go deeper in Scripture
Browse trusted public-domain commentary alongside DiscipleDeck Bible study. References inside each commentary open Bible previews in place.
27,299 commentary entries
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:12-14
And he said,—commencing his search for the maiden by prayer, as he closes it with thanksgiving (Genesis 24:26)—a beautiful example of piety and of the fruits of Abraham's care for the souls of his household, Genesis 18:…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:15
And it came to pass (not certainly by accident, but by Divine arrangement), before he had done speaking, that,—his prayer was answered (cf. Isaiah 65:24; Daniel 9:20, Daniel 9:21). From Genesis 24:45 it appears that the…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:16
And the damsel was very fair to look upon. Literally, good of countenance, like Sarah (Genesis 12:11) and Rachel (Genesis 29:17; cf. Genesis 26:7 of Rebekah). A virgin. Bethulah, i.e. one separated and secluded from int…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:17-19
And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher (a request which was at once complied with). And she said, Drink (and with the utmost politeness), my lord (and with ch…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:20
And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough (or gutter made of stone, with which wells were usually provided, and which were filled with water when animals required to drink), and ran again unto the well to…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:21
And the man wondering at her—gazing with attention on her (LXX; Vulgate, Gesenius, Furst); amazed and astonished at her (Rosenmüller, Delitzsch, Keil, Lange, Calvin)—held his peace, to wit—i.e. that he might know—silenc…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:21
Eliezer, or a wife-seeker. "And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his way prosperous or not." "The man" spoken of was probably the Eliezer of Damascus mentioned in Genesis 15:2. H…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:22-27
And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking,—"If it is remembered that camels, though endowed in an almost marvelous degree with the power of enduring thirst, drink, when an opportunity offers, an enormous quan…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:28
And the damsel— הַגַּעַרָ (vide on Genesis 24:16)—ran (leaving the venerable stranger in the act of devotion), and told them of her mother's house—a true touch of nature. With womanly instinct, discerning the possibilit…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:29-60
A bride for the heir.-3. Eliezer and Laban, or proposals for the bride. I. THE HOSPITABLE BROTHER. 1. The eager invitation. "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord!" 2. The kindly reception. II. THE AGED WOOER. 1. Impatient.…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:29-60
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:29
And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. "White," whose character has been considerably traduced, the Biblical narrative not representing him as "a monster of moral depravity," but rather as actuated by genero…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:30
And it cams to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands (vide Genesis 24:22), and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man (…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:30
Laban's eye of greed. "And when he saw the bracelets," &c. One thing moved Laban to offer hospitality to a stranger—the vision of gold on his sister's form. I. COVETOUSNESS MAKES A MAN CALCULATING WHEN APPEARING TO BE G…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:31
And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord. בְּרוּךְ יהֹוָה (cf. Genesis 26:29; Numbers 24:9); the usual form being לַיַהוָֹה (vide Genesis 14:19; Ruth 2:20; 1 Samuel 15:13). Though Laban was an idolater (Genesis 31…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:31
Laban, the solicitous host. "Wherefore standest thou without?" The character of Laban has been well explained by Blunt in his ' Coincidences.' It is one of consistent greed. He was sincere in inviting Eliezer because he…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:32
And the man came into the house: and he (i.e. Laban) ungirded his (literally, the) camels, and gave straw—cut up by threshing for fodder (cf. Job 21:18; Isaiah 11:7; Isaiah 65:25)—and provender for the camels, and water…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:33
And there was set—appositus est (Vulgate); i.e. if the first word be taken, as in the Keri, as the hophal of שׂוּם; but if the Kethib be preferred, then וַיַּישֶׂם is the fur. Kal of יָשַׂם, signifying, "and he set;" πα…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:34-49
Availing himself of the privilege thus accorded, the faithful ambassador recounted the story of his master's prosperity, and of the birth of Isaac when Sarah his mother was old (literally, after her old age); of the oat…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:50-52
Then Laban and Bethuel (vide on Genesis 24:29) answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord:—Jehovah (vide on Genesis 24:31)—we cannot speak unto thee bad or good—i.e. they could not demur to a proposal so clea…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:55
And her brother and her mother—Laban as usual (Genesis 24:50) having the first place; probably because of the prominence which from this time he assumes in the theocratic history—said, Let the damsel abide with us a few…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:56-60
Still urging his suit for permission to depart, Laban and the mother of Rebekah proposed that the maiden should be left to decide a matter so important for her by her own inclinations. When consulted she expressed her r…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:61
And Rebekah arose, and her damsels,—probably a company, at least two, though Laban afterwards only gave each of his daughters one (Genesis 29:24, Genesis 29:29)—and they rode upon camels (most likely those which Abraham…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 24:61-67
EXPOSITION