Rebekah probably means “capturing (by beauty)”.
In pursuit of a wife for his son Isaac, Abraham sent his trusted servant to the area where Abraham’s family lived outside of Canaan. The faithful servant prayed in his heart to God for direction in finding the wife for Isaac, and he soon encountered the beautiful Rebekah at the well of the city of Nahor.
After hearing about Abraham and Isaac’s blessings, their wealth, and family history, Rebekah’s family recognized the God’s will in the marriage invitation and released her to travel to Canaan. Isaac and Rebekah quickly married, but they did not have children for 20 years until Isaac prayed that Rebekah would conceive.
God answered their prayers with a twins in the womb, and God revealed to Rebekah that from her sons would come two nations and that the older would serve the younger. Rebekah was instrumental in seeing that her younger son Jacob received the primary blessings from Isaac. When Rebekah died she was buried in the cave at Machpelah, in the family tomb.
Key verses: Genesis 24; 25:21-24; 27:5-17; 49:31
