Genesis 22.20-24-Transition to Isaac and Rebekah's Family Background
Thursday March 23, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 22:20-24-Transition to Isaac and Rebekah’s Family Background
Lesson # 121
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 22:20.
This evening we will study Genesis 22:20-24, which records the transition from Abraham to Isaac by presenting the family background of Rebekah who became Isaac’s wife.
We have just completed a study of Genesis 22:1-19, which is the climax in the life of Abraham and Sarah’s walk of faith.
Beginning with Genesis 22:20, we have the preparation for the succession of the patriarchs, namely, Isaac succeeding Abraham and Rebekah succeeding Sarah.
Genesis 22:20 also begins the third and final section of the sixth book in Genesis.
Genesis is divided into eleven sections containing a prologue and ten books.
Genesis 1:1-2:3 contains the prologue and is the first section in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 2:4-4:26 is the first book in Genesis providing the account of the line of the heavens and the earth-transition.
Genesis 5:1-6:8 is the second book giving the account of Adam’s line.
Genesis 6:9-9:29 is the third book presenting the account of Noah’s line.
Genesis 10:1-11:9 is the fourth book providing the account of the line of Noah’s sons.
Genesis 11:10-26 is the fifth book containing the account of Shem’s line.
Genesis 11:27-25:11 is the sixth book presenting the account of Terah’s line.
Genesis 25:1-11 is the seventh book providing the account of Ishmael’s line.
Genesis 25:19-35:29 is the eighth book giving the account of Isaac’s line.
Genesis 36:1-37:1 is the ninth book containing the account of Esau’s line.
Genesis 37:2-50:26 is the tenth book presenting the account of Jacob’s line.
Therefore, we can see from this outline that we are currently involved in a study of the sixth book of Genesis.
This sixth book has three sections: (1) Introduction (11:27b-32) (2) Main body (12:1-22:19) (3) Transition to the next section of the book of Genesis and generation (22:20-25:11).
Therefore, Genesis 22:20 begins the third section of the sixth book, which can be divided upon into five scenes: (1) Genesis 22:20-24 containing the genealogy of Nahor, including Rebekah. (2) Genesis 23:1-20, which provides the account of the death of Sarah and Abraham securing real estate in the land of Canaan. (3) Genesis 24:1-67 recording Abraham securing a bride for the son of promise Isaac. (4) Genesis 25:1-6 containing the genealogy of Abraham through Keturah. (5) Genesis 25:7-11, which records the death of Abraham.
This third and final section of the sixth book in Genesis prepares the reader for a shift from Abraham’s leadership to Isaac’s and from Sarah to Rebekah.
Genesis 23-24 relate Sarah’s death and Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah whereas Genesis 25:1-6 we have the dismissal of Abraham’s other children, leaving Isaac the sole heir and Genesis 25:7-11 records the death of Abraham.
Genesis 22:20-24 presents the genealogy of Nahor, including Rebekah, which is a “segmented” genealogy of twelve sons whose purpose is to establish the family relationship between Rebekah and Abraham’s family.
Genesis 22:20, “Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, ‘Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor.’”
Genesis 22:21, “Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram.”
Genesis 22:22, “and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.”
Genesis 22:23, “Bethuel became the father of Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.”
Genesis 22:24, “His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.”
This genealogy is divided into two units: (1) Presentation of the eight sons of Nahor’s wife Milcah (22:20-23). (2) Presentation of the four sons by his concubine Reumah (22:24).
Nahor, like Ishmael and Jacob, had twelve sons-eight by his wife, and four by a concubine.
Since most of the names are otherwise known as those of tribes or localities, the list of Nahor’s twelve sons actually represents a league of tribes linked to one another by a consciousness of kinship or by confederation.
Such tribal federations were common throughout the ancient Semitic world.
The number twelve recalls the corresponding organization of the tribes of Ishmael, as mentioned in Genesis 17:20 and 25:12-16 and the twelve tribes of Israel.
The division of wife and concubine reflects relationships within the confederation itself.
The “wife” tribes were more influential constituting the original core of the league whereas the “concubine” tribes would then have been later affiliates, subordinates who were absorbed into the confederation of tribes.
The genealogy in Genesis 22:20-24 completes the details of the descendants of Nahor and Milcah setting the stage for the introduction of Rebekah into the family line of the patriarchs (24:1-67; cf. 25:20).
Genesis 22:20, “Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, ‘Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor.’”
The statement “after these things” refers to the preceding events recorded in Genesis 22:1-19.
According to Genesis 11:27, Abraham had two brothers, namely, Nahor and Haran.
The proper noun “Nahor” (rw)jn*) (Hebrew: nachor pronounced naw-khore) is sometimes spelled “Nachor” and means, “snorting.”
“Nahor” was named after his grandfather (see Genesis 11:25) and this is the only instance in all the genealogies of Genesis 5, 10 and 11 that we see someone being named after an ancestor indicating that Abraham and Nahor’s family were a close knit one.
Genesis 11:31-32 records that Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans with Abraham and did not take Nahor indicating that he remained in Ur of the Chaldeans but later proceeded to the area around Haran and established a city there.
Haran died at a young age in Ur of the Chaldeans in the presence of his father Terah according to Genesis 11:28.
Nahor founded a city, which is mentioned in Genesis 24:10 and is known in cuneiform sources as “Nakhur” and this city was situated in the upper Euphrates region in the Balikh Valley, near the city of Haran.
The derivation of all these tribes from Nahor implies that the city was the original center of the confederation.
So when Abraham gets word about the children of his brother Nahor, this information was sent all the way from the city of Nahor, about a seven hundred mile journey north-northeast of Beersheba.
This was a great distance in the days of Abraham and prevented all contact between Abraham and his brother Nahor.
Evidently, a traveler in a caravan train brought news to Abraham regarding his brother.
This was no coincidence that this traveler ran into Abraham with information regarding his brother Nahor after so many years of having no contact with him.
The Lord providentially saw to it that this traveler who is unknown to us ran into Abraham with this information regarding his brother since Rebekah who would eventually marry Abraham’s son Isaac, was the granddaughter of Nahor according to Genesis 22:20-23.
What appears to take place by chance from the human perspective is from the divine perspective a part of an orchestrated plan by God from eternity past.
This encounter between Abraham and this unnamed traveler is the outworking of the divine decree, which took place in eternity past before anything was ever created and is God’s eternal and immutable will.
This outworking of the divine decree is called the “providence of God.”
The doctrine of providence expresses the fact that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God Who reveals the purpose of providence through the work of Christ on the Cross.
Isaiah 46:9-10, “Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’”
Isaiah 46:11, “Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.”
The name of Nahor’s wife is “Milcah” (hK*l=m!) (Hebrew: milkah pronounced mil-kaw), which means, “queen” and she was Lot’s sister according to Genesis 11:27-29 and therefore, we see that “Milcah” was both wife and niece to “Nahor.”
The eight sons of Nahor through Milcah are distinguished from the four through Reumah by the statement in Genesis 22:20, “Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor,” which emphasizes the prominence of the eight.
The names of Milcah's children are specially recorded since it was only with this, the pure, legitimate, Aramaean branch of their family that the Hebrew patriarchs sanctioned intermarriages on the part of their sons.
Genesis 22:21, “Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram.”
The name of the firstborn of Nahor and Milcah is “Uz” (JWu) (Hebrew: `uts pronounced: oots) whose name means, “wooded,” and whose descendants apparently settled in the Arabian Desert, west from Babylon and adjacent to the Edomites of Mount Seir.
The land of Uz was the country in which Job lived (Job 1:1).
The second son of Nahor and Milcah is “Buz” (zWB) (Hebrew: buz pronounced: booz) whose name means, “contempt” and whose descendants settled in Northern Arabia according to Jeremiah 25:23.
The third son of Nahor and Milcah is “Kemuel” (la@Wmq() (Hebrew: qomu’el pronounced: kem-oo-ale) whose name means, “congregation of God.”
It appears that by adding “father of Aram” Moses was distinguishing this Kemuel from a leader in Ephraim (Nm. 34:24) or from the father of a leader in Levi (1 Chron. 27:17).
Kemuel’s son Aram, grandson of Nahor, should also be distinguished from Aram son of Shem (Gen. 10:22-23; 1 Chron. 1:17) and Aram, descendant of Asher (1 Chron. 7:34).
The name “Aram” (sr*a() (Hebrew: ‘aram pronounced arawm) means, “exalted” and is frequently translated “Syrian” or “Syria” and is used to speak specifically of the Aramean people who were a leading branch of Semitic people living in Mesopotamia and northern Syria (2 Sam. 8:5-6; 1 Kgs. 20:20-21).
Isaac and Jacob both took Aramean wives (Gen. 25:20; 28:5) and in fact, Jacob is called the “wandering Aramean” in Deuteronomy 26:5.
Genesis 22:22, “and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.”
The fourth son of Nahor and Milcah listed in Genesis 22:22 is “Chesed” (dc#K#) (Hebrew: kesedh pronounced keh-sed) whose name means, “increase” and whose ancestors are the “Chaldeans” who lived in or near Ur in southern Mesopotamia, now modern Iraq, which was Abraham’s home town.
The fifth son of Nahor and Milcah listed in Genesis 22:22 is “Hazo” (ozj&) (Hebrew: chazo pronounced: khaz-o) whose name means, “vision” and is the ancestor of the region of northern Arabia known from Assyrian sources as “Hazu.”
The sixth son of Nahor and Milcah is “Pildash” (vD*l+P!) (Hebrew: pildash pronounced: pil-dawsh) whose name means, “flame of fire.”
The seventh son is “Jidlaph” ([d^y*) (Hebrew: yidhlaph pronounced: yid-lawf) whose name means, “weeping.”
“Pildash” and “Jidlaph” are unknown to us at this time.
The eighth and final son of Nahor and Milcah is “Bethuel” (la@WjB+) (Hebrew: bethu’el pronounced: beth-oo-ale) whose name means, “dweller in God.”
In Genesis 28:5 he is called the “Syrian” and is the father of Rebekah (see Genesis 24:50) who eventually marries Isaac.
Even though “Bethuel” is Rebekah’s father, he is overshadowed by Laban according to Genesis 24:50.
Genesis 22:23, “Bethuel became the father of Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.”
Now, in Genesis 22:23 we have the focus of this segmented genealogy recorded in Genesis 22:20-24, which is “Rebekah.”
The mention of “Rebekah” in this short genealogy sticks out since she is the only female descendant of Nahor that is listed among the twelve males indicating that she was a dominating personality.
The name “Rebekah” (hq*b+r!) (Hebrew: rivqah pronounced: riv-kaw) whose name is related to the Akkadian rabaku, “to be soft or springy,” thus her name means, “soft, supple.”
“Rebekah” was a sister to Laban and a second cousin to Isaac whose father of course is Abraham.
Genesis 22:24, “His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.”
The name “Reumah” (hm*War=) (Hebrew: re’umah, pronounced reh-oo-mah) means, “elevated.”
“Reumah” was Nahor’s “concubine” (vg#l#P!) (Hebrew: pileghesh pronounced: pee-leh-ghesh), which refers to the fact that she was a second-class wife, acquired without payment of bride-money and possessing fewer legal rights (see Genesis 30:4; Judges 19:1-4).
Having a concubine was often a sign of wealth and was recognized as a status symbol.
The following men had concubines: (1) Nahor (Gen. 22:24) (2) Abraham (Gen. 25:6) (3) Jacob (Gen. 35:22) (4) Eliphaz (Gen. 36:12) (5) Saul (2 Sam. 3:7) (6) David (2 Sam. 5:13; 15:16; 16:21) Solomon (1 Kings 11:3).
As we saw in our study of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar in Genesis 16, men and their wives sought concubines when the wife could not bear children.
In these situations, wives presented their maidservants to their own husbands.
As Genesis 22:24 records, children of a concubine were not viewed as illegitimate but were considered part of the family.
Three of Reumah sons, Tebah, Tahash, and Maacah appear to be connected to kingdoms or towns in the area today called Lebanon or Syria.
The first child of Nahor and Reumah is “Tebah” (jb^f#) (Hebrew: tevach pronounced: the-vakh) whose name means, “slaughter.”
The second son of Nahor and Reumah is “Gaham” (sj^G^) (Hebrew: gacham pronounced: gah-kahm) whose name means, “burning, flame.”
The third son is “Tahash” (vj^T^) (Hebrew: tachash pronounced: takh-ash) whose name means, “dugong,” which is an aquatic mammal, having a fish-like body, flipperlike forelimbs, no hind limbs and a rounded paddlelike tail.
The fourth and final son of the concubine is “Maacah” (hk*u&m^) (Hebrew: ma`akhah pronounced: mah-ak-aw) whose name means, “pressure.”
“Maacah” was forefather of the region of “Maacah,” which was located in the Northern Trans-Jordan, near Mount Hermon in Syria.