(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“They sent away Rebekah, their sister, with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. They blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.” Rebekah arose with her ladies. They rode on the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebekah, and went his way.”
(Genesis 24:59-61)
Rebekah’s nurse was named Deborah (Genesis 35:8), but more than just the one woman went with her into her new life. She would not be abandoned and alone no matter what she met with at the end of her journey.
This was a tremendous blessing over Rebekah. It certainly came true. Isaac was the seed of promise and his descendants – Abraham’s descendants – would definitely be counted in the tens of ten thousands. They would be victorious over their enemies time and time again as they walked in covenant with Yahweh.
The servant wanted to complete his mission as soon as possible, and with Rebekah being willing, he left immediately on his return journey to his master.
The sage Ibn Ezra writes: ‘AND HER NURSE. In former days. AND THEY RODE UPON THE CAMELS. That the servant brought with him. The meaning of And the servant took Rebekah, and went his way is that he took Rebekah under his personal care until Isaac came up toward them and did not experience any hardship in caring for her.’
The sage Ramban writes: ‘AND REBEKAH AROSE, AND HER MAIDS. Scripture relates that after they gave permission for Rebekah and her nurse to go, as well as for Abraham’s servant and his men, Rebekah rose and called her maids. And they rode upon the camels, and followed the man because he led them on the way. AND THE SERVANT TOOK REBEKAH, AND WENT HIS WAY. The purpose of this is to tell of his zealousness for after having left the city with all the women following him, the servant took Rebekah to him and did not part from her in order to guard her against any mishap along the way. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that it means that he walked with Rebekah and never felt the weariness of the journey until Isaac came and met him.’
The sage Rav Hirsch writes: ‘V. 59. אחתם. Bethuel still keeps significantly in the background, Laban, the brother, rules the house, so that it is not so much a daughter as a sister who is leaving. What a contrast to the home of Abraham, where Isaac, a son forty years old leaves the most sacred occasion, on which the future of his whole life depends, entirely to his father’s arrangements and keeps himself in the background. מנקתה her wet-nurse. Here, too, we see a closer relationship. Really it was the mother’s pride to nurse her baby herself as we know of Sarah. Where this was not the case the baby was not suckled merely for payment, but the woman who had fed her at her breast remained for her whole life attached to her. V. 60. These words in the mouth of people of the type of Laban and his mother are only understandable, if we take it that they knew of the destiny foretold of Rebecca, that she would become the ancestress of a great nation, and also of the destiny of that nation. That this expected future of the house of Abraham was well-known, we have already seen in the visit of Abimelech after the birth of Isaac (see above XXI,22). V. 61. ויקה העבד. Rebecca and her attendants rode, but Eliezer led Rebecca’s camel and went on foot.’
The Torah: A Women’s Commentary writes: ‘her nurse. [Heb. menekta (her wet nurse)]“may you become thousands of myriads.” Jews traditionally use this first part of the blessing in the bedeken ceremony before a wedding, when the groom places the veil upon the bride’s face.. From Exodus 2—where Moses’ mother is hired to nurse him for Pharaoh’s daughter—we learn that wet nurses were sometimes paid (see at Exodus 2:910). Carol Meyers points out that most Israelite women (and their ancestors) probably nursed their own children, except perhaps for women in elite classes (Exodus, 2005, p. 41).’
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