Isaac and Rebekah: Narrative 'nesting' in Genesis 24
Stephen Moore
It is a remarkable thing about the book of Genesis that it tells universal history by means of particulars – the small details.
"And before he had finished speaking, out came Rebekah – who had been borne to Bethuel son of Milcah the wife of Nahor the brother of Abraham – and her water jar was upon her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. And she went down to the well and filled her water jar and came up. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, ‘Let me gulp a little water from your water jar’, and she said ‘Drink, my lord’ then hastily brought her water jar down onto her hand and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink she said, ‘For your camels too I will draw water until they’ve finished drinking" (Genesis 24v15-19).