Rebekah

Rebekah (Rebecca or Rivkah—רִבְקָה "Captivating", also "Snare") was the wife of the patriarch Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau in the Bible. She was the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother. She was also the sister ofLaban, who later become the father-in-law of Jacob.

Rebekah was instrumental in Jacob's winning, by deception, the blessing of his father Isaac. She also wisely saved Jacob from the wrath of his brother Esau, by advising Jacob to flee to her brother Laban when Esau sought Jacob's death.

Marriage to Isaac

Rebekah's story begins with Abraham's search for a suitable wife for his son Isaac. Living without relatives in Canaan, the aging patriarch sends his trusted servant Eliezer to the town of Nahor in northwest Mesopotamia with this mission. When Eliezer and his traveling companions arrive at the outskirts of town, Eliezer makes his camels kneel beside the well where the young women come to draw water for their families. Then he prays to God;

May it be that when I say to a girl, "Please let down your jar that I may have a drink," and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. (Genesis 24:14).

Rebekah responds perfectly, proving to Eliezer that he has found a bride worthy of Isaac. She also happens to be a member of Abraham's clan, the daughter of his nephew Bethuel. Eliezer gives her rich gifts of jewelry and clothing and asks for hospitality from her family. Rebekah accepts the gifts, allowing Eliezer to place a gold ring in her nose and bracelets on her arms. She then goes to inform her family of his request.

Rebekah's brother Laban welcomes Eliezer and, hearing his story of God's seeming confirmation of Eliezer's prayer, agrees that Rebekah may wed Isaac. Rebekah's family prepares a rich gift to accompany her, but they are not so eager to allow her to depart immediately, insisting that their guest remain a few at least 10 days. Eliezer is anxious to depart, and when Rebekah herself is consulted, she agrees to leave immediately. So her relatives bless her and send her on her way. Their blessing became traditional in Jewish tradition and is still bestowed on brides in religious Jewish weddings today:

Our sister, may you increase

to thousands upon thousands;

may your offspring possess

the gates of their enemies." (Genesis 24:60)

After the long journey back to Canaan—Isaac is then living in the Negev—Rebekah first glimpses him from afar, as he stands in the field praying. She immediately dismounts from her camel and modestly covers her face with a veil. The two immediately take to each other. Isaac, marries her, honoring her by brining her into his mother Sarah's tent. The Bible adds, significantly, that "he loved her." (Gen. 24:67)

Motherhood

Despite Isaac's affection, like several other important biblical women, Rebekah remains infertile for many years. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, Isaac's prayers are answered when she conceives. However, her pregnany is exceeding difficult due to the child(ren) struggling in her womb. She travels to an unspecified place to inquire of God to discover "why this is happening to me." (Gen. 25:21) She is told that she is bearing twins who represent opposing nations, and that "the elder shall serve the younger."

At the birth, the first child to emerge from the womb is ruddy and hairy. He is named Esau, (from the Hebrew word for "rough"). The second child emerges grasping his brother's heel, as if to pull him back and assert his own right to be born first. He is named Jacob (from the Hebrew word for "heel"). As the twins grow up, their differences are apparent. Jacob becomes "a dweller in tents" (a herdsman and also one who follows the family tradition) and Esau becomes "a man of the fields" (probably a farmer) but also an avid hunter who roamed away from the family dwellings. Rebekah favors Jacob, while Isaac's favorite is Esau.

Rebekah in Gerar

When a famine strikes Canaan, Rebekah follows Isaac to the land of Gerar. Isaac fearing he will be killed on Rebekah's account, tells the Philistines who live there that his beautiful Rebekah is actually his sister. Much like her predecessor Sarah, the wife of Abraham, Rebekah acts the part, "for a long time." One day, however, the king, Abimelech, look down through his window and sees Isaac making love to Rebekah. (Genesis 26:8) He chastizes Isaac for his deception, saying, "One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us."

Abimelech then provides Isaac with legal protection so that Rebekah and Isaac may live openly as husband and wife. The couple prospers immensely, and Isaac become rich with herds and slaves. It is not clear whether Esau and Jacob are with them at this point, since they are adults and are not mentioned. Eventually, Isaac becomes so powerful that the Philistine grow dangerously envious, and Abimelech orders the couple to leave. They travel to Beersheba, where they settle and later make a treaty of peace with Abimelech.

At this point, Esau, being 40 years of age, marries. Rebekah and Issac, however, are very displeased with his choice, for he marries two Hittite women instead of following his parents example and marrying within the clan. (Gen. 26:34)

Winning the blessing for Jacob

Nevertheless, when Isaac is old and blind, he decides to bestow his blessing on Esau. He sends Esau out to the field to kill and cook for him a piece of savory game, before blessing him. Rebekah overhears this exchange and, believing that Jacob is more deserving of the blessing, conspires with Jacob abtain the blessing by deception. When Jacob fears Isaac's curse, she declares herself fully responsible for any guilt, saying: "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say."

She commands him to bring her two goats from the flock, and she then cooks them in the way Isaac likes. To protect Jacob from being discovered, Rebekah lays goatskins on his arms and neck to simulate Esau's hairy skin, and dresses Jacob in Esau's clothes. Jacob then goes in to his father and succeeds in receiving his blessing.

When Esau returns and the plot is uncovered, Isaac nevertheless refuses to withdraw his blessing from Esau. Because Isaac had previously purchased Esau's birthright from him, Esau feels not only cheated but virtually disinherited. He vows in his heart to kill Jacob. Rebekah prophetically perceives his murderous intentions and orders Jacob to travel to her brother Laban's house until Esau's anger subsides. She also influences Isaac to cooperated in this plan, by telling him that she despairs of Jacob's marrying a non-Hebrew girl as Esau did. (Gen 27:46)

Death and burial

File:Cave of the Patriarchs.jpg

The Tomb of the Patriarchs, traditions resting place of Rebekah and several other ancient Jewish ancestors.

Rebekah's death is not recorded in the Bible. She is not present, and may already be dead when Jacob returns 21 years later, a very wealthy man, to reconcile with Esau. However Deborah, Rebekah's, dies and is buried at a place that Jacob calls Alon Bachot (Weekping Oak) near Bethel. (Genesis 35:8) On the other hand Jacob and Esau are both present at the burial of Isaac. Some believe she simply died while Jacob was in exile in Haran, during a period in which the narrative does not deal with events back in Canaan. Genesis 49:30 states that her remains were (eventually) buried at the Cave of Machpelah near Mamre, along with several other patriarchs and matriarchs. A cave traditionally identified as the Tomb of the Patriarchs still exists in the West Bank town of Hebron.

Rabbinical views

Rabbinical tradition adds much to the biblical record of Rebekah, although, as is often the case, the rabbis often differ from one another. As to the age of Rebekah at the time of her marriage to Isaac, a traditiion exists that Abraham was informed of Rebekah's birth around the time of the of his intended sacrifice of Isaac. Some affirm that this would make her only three years old at the time of her marriage to Isaac. (Seder 'Olam Rabbah 1; Gen. R. (57:1). Other rabbis, however, insist she was 14 years old at her marriage. (This number is found in alternative manuscripts of the Seder 'Olam Rabbah) The Sefer ha-Yashar gives Rebekah's age at her marriage as 10 years.

Rebekah joined Isaac's prayers to God for a child, which were often while both of them lay prostrated on the ground facing each each other. The scripture refers to Isaac's prayer alone being answered (Gen. 25:21), because his entire family was righteous, Rebekah's was wicked (Yeb. 64a; Gen. R. 63:5). evil Bethuel, Rebekah's father, even trieed to poison Eliezer when he sought to procure Rebekah as Isaac's wife.

During her difficult pregnancy, Rebekah went from door to door, asking the women whether they had ever experienced anything like the tumult in her own womb. Rabbi Eleazar ben Simcon declares her answer came directly from God. Rabbi Hama ben Hanina says that God spoke through an angel, and Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat opines that the answer was delivered through Shem, the son of Noah, into whose scholarly house Rebekah had come to inquire. (Gen. R. 63: 6-8). Another tradition declares that Rebekah originally should have bron 12 sons—the fathers of the 12 trives—to Isaac, but after the birth of Esau she became barren again (Pesik. 3:23b; Gen. R. 63:6-7).

Rebekah was a prophetess, and this is why she knew that Esau intended to slay Jacob. (Sotah 13a; Gen. R. 62:9).

Several sources put Rebekah age at 133 years when she died. (Sifre, Deut. 357; Midr. Tadshe; Sefer ha-Yashar: section "Wayishlah") Some say her death occurred while Jacob was on his way back to his parents' home from Haran. Some authorities declare that Esau was present at her burial, and the ceremony was performed at night out of shame that a wicked son such as Esau attended her coffin. (Pesil. 50:c. Midr. Agadah on Gen. 50c.). However, according to the Book of Jubilees (31:8-11, 48), Jacob found his mother alive when he returned home. She journeyed with him to Bethel and died at the age of 155, five years before Isaac's death.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Bloom, Harold. The Book of J. Grove Press, 2005. ISBN 0802141919

• Fischbein, Jessie. Infertility in the Bible: How The Matriarchs Changed Their Fate; How You Can Too. Devora Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1932687347

• Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211

• Midrash Rabbah and other ancient rabbinical commentaries.

External Links

• The TNL approved namelisting for the name Rebekah

• Hirsch, Emil G. and M. Seligsohn, 1901-1906. Rebekah. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 6, 2007.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Rebekah  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Rebekah"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.