The Making of Another Matriarch, Rebekah

After Sarah’s death, Abraham decides to find a wife for his son Isaac from among his kin. So he sends his most trusted servant outside of Canaan to find a suitable mate. In his search, the servant looks for a sign from God, which leads him to Rebekah, a niece of Abraham. The servant follows Rebekah to her house, where he receives permission from her family to take Rebekah to Canaan as a wife for Isaac. However, before the servant can leave with Rebekah, her family makes it clear that he must secure permission from Rebekah herself, which he does. So while Isaac did not get a voice in choosing his mate, Rebekah did! Isaac was not disappointed, however: according to Genesis, “in his love for her, Isaac found solace after the death of his mother Sarah.”

Rebekah remained childless for twenty years before becoming the first woman in the Bible to give birth to twins. The name Rebekah means “a young cow,” which may seem insulting, but was actually a compliment, since a cow was a symbol of fertility. While pregnant, it seemed to Rebekah that a fierce battle was being waged inside her body. She asked the Lord why this was happening, to which He replied, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples are quarreling while still within you; but one shall surpass the other and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23). This takes us back to the sibling rivalries of brothers Cain and Abel, and Ishmael and Isaac.

According to rabbinic tradition, Rebecca did not share this prophecy with her husband Isaac. She named the older, red-headed twin Esau, which means “red,” and the younger she named Jacob, which means “he who grabs for something” since he grabbed Esau's heel at birth and will later grab something even more valuable.

Rebekah, as a mother, had her faults. Scripture tells us that she preferred Jacob over Esau, perhaps because of God’s prophecy. Regardless of why, our modern-day sensibilities are offended by the preferential treatment of one child over another! Isaac, on the other hand, showers attention on Esau. When Isaac is blind and nearing death, he decides to give his firstborn son his deathbed blessing, a special blessing believed to be extremely powerful. Rebekah overhears her husband speaking to Esau and instigates a plan to help Jacob “grab” the birthright blessing, a plan which is successful.

While it may seem unfair, Rebekah, another of our matriarchs in faith, was cooperating in salvation history, in God’s plan for Jacob, who ultimately becomes Israel, the father of a nation.