I'm going to keep this post short, as my bed is calling to me.
Abraham wants a wife for his son Isaac, but not just any wife, a wife who comes from the land and clan of his relatives. Abraham's servant swears to go out and accomplish this task. As we learn through the servant's actions, back in the Biblical days oaths were sworn by putting your hand underneath the thigh of the person you were swearing to. Thankfully this gesture eventually evolved into the hand shake, then the high five, and finally, the fist pump.
The servant arrives at Nahor (Abraham's hood from back in the day). He stands near a spring and asks the Lord to help him find the right girl. The servant prays that when he asks a girl to give him water, if she answers yes and offers to water his camels as well, she'll be the one he takes back to Isaac. A beautiful girl named Rebekah comes out and passes the test. The servant explains to her and her family the situation, she agrees to go back with him.
They return to Canaan where Rebekah and Isaac are married at once.
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In a strange coincidence, while researching this Bible chapter I stumbled across a series of books called "Women of Genesis" written by Orson Scott Card. One book is devoted entirely to Rebekah. The coincidence is that I just finished reading Ender's Game for the first time and am now reading Speaker of the Dead.
Card is a Mormon, which explains his motivation to write about the Bible. Maybe I should give these books a shot when I'm done with Speaker.
