A Wife for Isaac (Gen 24:1-25:19)

Now that Sarah is dead, and Abraham is no spring chicken, Isaac needs a wife to ensure that the lineage continues.  So Abraham gets one of his servants to swear an oath to go find Isaac a wife from Abraham's own people. By the way, back in those pre-Bible days, they swore oaths by laying a hand on each others testicles. What exciting oaths those must have been! So the servant swears that he will, and even has a get out of jail free card if he finds a good wife and she won't willingly come back. The servant (who remains nameless) takes a bunch of camels and gifts, and he goes. When he gets to the well near Nahor, it's around the time when women come to draw water for their houses.  He prays to God for success, which he wishes to happen specifically.  The servant wants to find Isaac a helpful, submissive sounding kind of wife, apparently.  He says that the first lady to draw him, and his camels, some water when he exclaims his thirst shall be Isaac's wife.  While he's still praying, up comes Rebekah. And that's exactly what happens.  She gets him and all of his camels some water, running merrily back and forth between them and the well.  He then gives her a big gold nose ring and some bracelets, and asks what family she belongs to and if he can meet the family.  Good for the servant, she's one of Abraham's kindred. So they go back to her place, and Rebekah's brother Laban comes out, greets the servant as a guest, and the servant tells the whole story to him. In the retelling though, the servant takes a little feminism away from Abraham and says that marrying Isaac is not up to Rebekah, but her family. I guess a little ego stroking in a super patriarchal society as a means to an end is forgivable...  Anyways, Laban and his father Bethuel agree that Rebekah should go.  The servant stays the night, and in the morning they finally ask Rebekah what she wants.  The menfolk are in luck! She, her nurse, and her maids get on the extra camels the servant brought, and head off to their new home.  Rebekah and Isaac meet, get married, and "Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" (Gen 24:67).

Then we get to hear a tiny, footnote-like blurb about Abraham's second wife, Keturah, and their kids. We also find out that while he gave gifts to his non-legitimate children (a.k.a. everyone but Isaac), only Isaac inherits everything once Abraham dies, which he does at 175 years old.  Thus ends the reign of Abraham.

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