Genesis 24:53

53 And the servant brought forth jewels[a] of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

Genesis 24:53 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 24:53

And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of
gold
Ornaments for women, which he had brought along with him for presents, and which were a proof of the riches of his master, and of his generosity and liberality, who had furnished him with such a profusion of rich things to bestow on the person that should be got for his son's wife: and raiment, and gave [them] to Rebekah;
costly suits of clothes such as in those times were given to persons at their marriage, or in order to it; and which custom still continues among the Arabs, who, as Dr. Shaw says F16, have the marriage contract previously made between the parents, wherein is express mention made not only of the "saddock", as they call that particular sum which the bridegroom settles on the bride; but of the several changes of raiment, and the quantity of jewels, and the number of slaves that the bride is to be attended with when she first waits upon her husband; a gold and silver "sarmah", he says F17, which is a thin flexible plate of gold or silver, of a triangular shape, artfully cut through and engraven in imitation of lace; one or two sets of earrings bracelets and shekels, a gold chain to hang over their breasts, with half a dozen vests, some of brocades, others of rich silk, were usually the wedding clothes of a lady of fashion. And so in Barbary, the man buys his bride a suit of apparel, earrings, bracelets, a chest and gives the father a considerable sum of money, according to the qualities and circumstances of the parties F18: and he gave also to her brother, and to her mother, precious things;
things of worth and value, which were part of the good things he brought with him from Abraham, ( Genesis 24:10 ) ; the word being sometimes used for fruit, Jarchi interprets it of various kinds of the fruits F19 of the land of Israel; but it is not likely that these should be carried by him on so long a journey; much better Aben Ezra understands by them honourable and costly raiment; and it is observed by some F20, that the word in general signifies everything valuable and excellent, as gold, silver no mention being made of her father, only of her brother Laban, and of her mother, seems to confirm the notion of Josephus that he was dead; or however he concerned himself no further in this affair than to give his consent to the marriage, and left everything else to his wife and son to take care of, and therefore the presents are only made to them.


FOOTNOTES:

F16 Travels, p. 239.
F17 Ib. No. 9. p. 229.
F18 Ockley's Account of Southwest Barbary, c. 6. p. 76.
F19 So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed. fol. 76. 1. Aruch in voce (dgm) .
F20 Ib.

Genesis 24:53 In-Context

51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.

Footnotes 1

The King James Version is in the public domain.