… Sarah does not appear in ch. 24. Searching right back along the tale, the newest source will be in order to the father exactly who, early in the latest part, believed he had been next to death. It’s likely ergo your concluding sentence went: ‘Therefore Isaac is actually comfortable adopting the death of his dad.’…
Gunkel’s solution is perhaps not enough, although not. Their disagreement one “if slave relates to Isaac, Isaac says to your one to their dad has died on interim,” ignores the truth that new slave refers to Isaac since the “his grasp” through to the a few got a chance to speak (v. 65), where point, new servant lack identified one to Abraham had died. Also, the latest notice from the Isaac finding comfort to own his mom’s dying connects naturally in order to Sarah passing (ch. 23), which means there is no valid reason in order to emend the verse to “dad.”
A great Fragment regarding Customs
I suggest one to to begin with it actually was Isaac, presumably on his own initiative, exactly who directs out-of their slave to track down your a partner. Ergo, in the event that slave output with Rebecca, he gifts her straight to Isaac.
As i argue within my “Isaac in advance of He had been Abraham’s Young man” (TheTorah 2020), Abraham had previously been a separate patriarch, which offered alone since “father” of the nation
A publisher modified the bulk of the new narrative (vv. 1–52), that to start with worried about Isaac just, to present Abraham due to the fact individual who maintained his young man and install to possess his relationship just before his passing. Ergo, the person identifies “his master Abraham” (vv. twelve, 27, 42, 48) that’s named “Abraham’s servant” (vv. 34, 52), and far of your dialogue means the latest slave trying to find a beneficial wife to your master’s son.
A beneficial fragment of the earliest version of this new narrative is actually maintained out-of v. 53, and therefore describes the fresh new servant’s current to help you Rebecca’s cousin and mother, till the avoid of the story, with only some article glosses (vv. 59, and you can 67a).
Right here, brand new servant is actually labeled only given that “the brand new slave” or “the guy” (vv. 53, 58, 61, 65 [twice], 66), which will exactly as easily be a reference to Isaac’s slave. Even more significantly, starting with verse 54, we discover “new slave” talking with Rebecca’s mommy and you will brother in the “my learn” (vv. 54, 56) in lieu of “my master Abraham” (such as vv. twelve, twenty seven, 35–37, 39, 42, 48):
?????? ??:?? ????????? ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ????? ?????????? ????????? ????????? ???????????? ????? ????????? ???????????. ??:?? ??????????? ???????????? ???? ????????????? ?????? ?????? ??????????? ??????????? ???????? ????????? ??????????? ????????. ??:?? ????????? ??????? ??? ?????????? ????? ???????? ????????? ????????? ???????????? ????????? ????????.
Gen The fresh new servant introduced objects out-of silver and gold, and you will clothes, and you will provided them to Rebecca; and he gave presents to their particular aunt and her mom. Then and men with your ate and you may ingested, and so they spent the evening. When they emerged next early morning, the guy told you, “Provide myself exit to visit my learn.”… The guy said to them, “Do not delay myself, since YHWH makes my errand winning. Offer me log off that we could go on my learn.”
From here up until verse 65, brand new servant appears to be dealing with Isaac when he says “my personal grasp;” this will be obvious when he explains so you can Rebecca exactly who the guy handling all of them try.
Why are the storyline reworked to really make the step toward is why and never Isaac’s? To begin with, the Abraham and Isaac tales have been separate lifestyle, and were not linked: Isaac wasn’t Abraham’s young man. Meanwhile, Isaac and his awesome young man Jacob-the father of Israel-belonged so you’re able to a simultaneous, independent italiensk heta kvinnor, federal tradition.