1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and YHVH had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh,
3 and I will make you swear by YHVH, God of the Heavens and God of the Earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell,
4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
The progenitor of the house of Abraham (primitive faith) is Spirit. Abraham desired to perpetuate the spiritual trend of consciousness. The "servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had" (representing the personal Ego that rules over the body or "house" consciousness), obeyed every injunction of his. Spiritual light comes through the activity of pioneering faith. Abraham realized that through his struggles for a higher state of consciousness (Haran), his soul had become rooted and grounded in the fundamental principles of Truth. He wanted to make certain that Joy would not be united to the physical urges of the body. Instead he desired his happy, joyous thoughts (Isaac) to unite with a feminine soul force that had sprung from the original root of Spirit (his own kindred). Abraham (progressive faith) then requires his obedient servant (the personal Ego ruling over the materialistic consciousness) to take an oath or affirm, with his hand (power) on Abraham's thigh, that this shall be accomplished.
5 The servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?"
6 Abraham said to him, "See to it that you do not take my son back there.
7 YHVH, God of the Heavens, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your descendants I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there."
9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
Yarek, the Hebrew word translated "thigh," comes from a little used root and is sometimes used euphemistically to designate the genitals. This oath was not taken on the thigh but on the genital organs, a practice not particular to the Hebrews, but known to many other primitive people. Such a custom hints at phallicism or the worship of the physical source of life. As our courts impress on the witness the sacredness of his oath by having him raise the right hand while making it, so these people used the source of physical life to enforce the sanctity of an oath.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
The state of consciousness represented by Mesopotamia lies close to the spiritual, at least close enough to be open to the divine urge for light and higher attainment ("country between," "middle region," "middle land"). Nahor denotes the arousing of a more lofty desire in man through the activity of Faith (Abraham). These greater aspirations pierce the darkness of materialism and aid in bringing about a new trend of thought ("eager," "piercing," "slaying").
11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
12 And he said, "O YHVH, God of my Lord Abraham, grant me success today, I pray thee, and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
14 Let the maiden to whom I shall say, 'Pray let down your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink, and I will water your camels' --let her be the one whom thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. By this I shall know that thou hast shown steadfast love to my master."
15 Before he had done speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jar upon her shoulder.
Bethuel, father of Rebekah, represents conscious unity with Spirit. Milcah, mother of Rebekah, represents wisdom and good judgment through the intuitive or feminine nature. Rebekah means "tying firmly," "knotted cord," "beauty that ensnares." Rebekah represents the soul's natural delight in beauty. This essence of the soul is continually going forth and making contact with the harmonious and the beautiful.
16 The maiden was very fair to look upon, a virgin, whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, and filled her jar, and came up.
17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, "Pray give me a little water to drink from your jar."
18 She said, "Drink, my Lord"; and she quickly let down her jar upon her hand, and gave him a drink.
19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw for your camels also, until they have done drinking."
20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.
21 The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether YHVH had prospered his journey or not.
22 When the camels had done drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels,
23 and said, "Tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father's house for us to lodge in?"
Abraham's servant adorned Rebekah with rings and bracelets of gold, which appealed to her love of the beautiful. This no doubt influenced her in her decision to make the journey to the house of Abraham. Metaphysically, Rebekah's taking this step represents an esthetic feminine force within the soul penetrating down into the deeper levels of consciousness and there making union with life and substance.
24 She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."
25 She added, "We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in."
26 The man bowed his head and worshiped YHVH,
27 and said, "Blessed be YHVH, the God of my Lord Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my Lord. As for me, YHVH has led me in the way to the house of my Lord’s kinsmen."
28 Then the maiden ran and told her mother's household about these things.
29 Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to the spring.
30 When he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he heard the words of Rebekah, his sister, "Thus the man spoke to me," he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
31 He said, "Come in, O blessed of YHVH; why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."
32 So the man came into the house; and Laban ungirded the camels, and gave him straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
33 Then food was set before him to eat; but he said, "I will not eat until I have told my errand." He said, "Speak on."
34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant.
35 YHVH has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and asses.
36 And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.
37 My master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;
38 but you shall go to my father's house and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.'
39 I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'