Rebekah
Wife of Isaac, Mother of Jacob and Esau
The willing bride for Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau — chosen at the well by God's providence.
Genesis 24 records one of Scripture's most beautiful providences: Abraham's servant prays for a sign at a well, and Rebekah arrives, waters his camels, and says, 'I will go' (24:58 KJV). She became Isaac's wife and bore the twins Esau and Jacob — a pregnancy God Himself interpreted (25:23).
Her Story
Sent by her family with a blessing — 'be thou the mother of thousands of millions' (Genesis 24:60) — Rebekah loved Isaac and consoled him after Sarah's death. Barren for twenty years, she conceived after Isaac's prayer. The struggling twins in her womb prompted God's prophecy that the elder would serve the younger. Rebekah later acted on that word with Jacob's deception of Isaac — a moral failure that secured the covenant blessing but cost her: she sent Jacob to Padan-aram and never saw him again. She was buried with the patriarchs at Machpelah.
What Scripture Teaches
- 1Chosen at the well through providential prayer (Genesis 24)
- 2Willingly left family with the words 'I will go' (24:58)
- 3Barren twenty years before conceiving Jacob and Esau (25:21)
- 4Received the divine word 'the elder shall serve the younger' (25:23)
- 5Conspired in Jacob's deception of Isaac (Genesis 27)
- 6Buried at Machpelah with Sarah, Abraham, Isaac (Genesis 49:31)
Key KJV Scriptures
"And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go."
"And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger."
"And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger."
Why It Matters
Rebekah's story is providence and paradox — God guides through a stranger's prayer, then accomplishes His electing purpose despite human scheming. Paul builds his doctrine of election (Romans 9) on the word spoken to her.
Application for Today
Trust the word God speaks more than the methods you devise to secure it. Rebekah was right about the prophecy and wrong about the plan — and paid for the shortcut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Rebekah right to help Jacob deceive Isaac?
She held the right word from God but used wrong means. Scripture records the deception without commending it; the consequences — twenty years of separation from her favourite son — show the cost of acting in the flesh on a promise from God.
How did Abraham's servant find Rebekah?
Genesis 24:12-21 — he prayed at the well of Nahor that the right woman would offer water to him and his camels. Rebekah did exactly that, and the servant 'wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous.'
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