the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Rebekah
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or As the wife of Isaac, Rebekah had an important part in God’s development of a people for himself according to the promise he gave to Abraham (Genesis 22:15-18; Genesis 24:3-4; Genesis 24:67). Isaac and Rebekah were without children for twenty years, but then Rebekah gave birth to twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25:20-26). Though God had told her that the covenant would be fulfilled through the younger son rather than the older (Genesis 25:23; Romans 9:10-13), she had no right to work out a scheme to deceive Isaac. She was determined that nothing would prevent Jacob from receiving the blessing (Genesis 27:6-29).
When Esau plotted to kill Jacob, Rebekah thought out another scheme, this time to protect Jacob. She decided to send him north to her brother in Paddan-aram. Again she deceived Isaac, this time by persuading him that the reason Jacob should go north was to find a wife among her people (Genesis 27:41-46; Genesis 28:1-5).
There is no record that Rebekah ever saw her favourite son again. Upon her death, she was buried in the burial ground that Abraham had bought for his family (Genesis 49:31).
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Rebekah'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/r/rebekah.html. 2004.
