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.
54 67. Abraham’s Servant brings Rebekah to Isaac
55. her brother and her mother ] LXX and Lat. read “her brothers and her mother.”
a few days, at the least ten ] Heb. “days or ten,” or, as we should say, “a week or ten days”; the word “or” meaning “or rather.” LXX , Lat. saltem decem dies. The Syriac Peshitto, “a month in days.” A possible conjecture based on these variations is that of Olshausen, “a month of days, or ten.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 24:55
Abide with us a few days
Delay is dangerous
We shall not have anything more to do with Laban to-night, than to use his desire to retain his good sister Rebekah as an illustration of the way in which this wicked world endeavours to meet the invitations of the gospel, by trying to retain the awakened sinner a little longer in its grasp.
Satans last counsel to his servants seems to have been, Do not openly oppose the gospel; give way to it, but suggest delay.
I. I want to draw your attention, first of all, to THE WORLDS PRETEXT FOR THIS DELAY. I stand knocking to-night at the worlds door, and I say, There is a young heart here I want for Christ; the world replies, All right, you shall have it one of these days, but there is time enough yet. I say of another, Here is a man whose strength and vigour I want for the Saviour. All right, says the world, do not be in such a fever about it; we are all agreed with you; we all think as you do that religion is important, but wait awhile, put it off, take time, tarry a little; there is no cause for all this hurry and this fuss. Then the world says, O stop a little longer; we should like these young people to know something about life. Well, but, base world, what dost thou mean by that? What hast thou to do with life? We, too, want the young people to know something about life: but what is life? Why true life is to be found only in the followers of Christ, in Whom is life. Ah! then, says the world, putting on its best smiles, it is all very well for you to talk, but we do not want our young people to give up all their pleasure. And what hast thou to do with pleasure, thou painted Jezebel? what hast thou to do with happiness, false deluder of souls?
II. Shall I tell you now WHAT IS THE DRIFT OR ALL THIS WAITING? Ten days did not seem too long; but they might have been ten days too late. To be too late for ever; yea, one minute too late is an eternity too late! Remember that if thou hast missed of Christ by but the ticking of a clock, thou hast missed of Christ for ever; so that minutes and ticks of clocks may be invested with a very solemn power, if we come to look at them in that light. But what the world means is just this, Ah! says Madam Bubble, here is a young person impressed–if we laugh at him it will deepen the impression; but we will say to him, Come, come; let the impression go for a little while; this is not the fit time; when you have a more convenient season, you can bring it on again. Moreover, the world says, Well, if they do go at last, yet we will exact from them as long a time of service as we can.
III. Thirdly, having exposed the pretexts of the world, and tried to show its cruel designs, our REAL OBJECT IS TO HAVE OUR HEARERS SAVED, AND TO HAVE THEM SAVED NOW. There were three reasons why Abrahams servant wished Rebekah to go with him at once, and these move me to desire your conversion to-night.
1. First, he desired it for his masters sake. He knew that Isaac was looking forward to the happy day when he should be married to his chosen bride. And oh! the heart of Jesus is longing after sinners.
2. Abrahams servant, too, desired it for his own sake, because he was a faithful steward, and wanted to do his business well. And how we desire your conversion for our sake! It will make us so happy I There is no bliss that can come to the soul of the Christian minister like the bliss of knowing that he has been made the means of bringing some to Christ.
3. But the principal reason that the man wished it was for Rebekahs sake. He knew that Isaac would make a good husband to her. And we know that Jesus Christ will make a blessed husband to your souls. He will enrich you with all the treasure of His grace.
IV. Now, lastly, WE BELIEVE THAT THIS DESIRE OF OURS IS A VERY REASONABLE ONE, and we think we can prove it without the necessity of entering upon a long argument. It is a snowy day, and some boys have put a few bricks together; they have made a sort of square box of them, and have set one up on edge on a piece of stick, and have scattered under it a few crumbs. Here comes a robin, and he picks up a crumb or two, and while he is picking, down comes the brick! I did not wait long, says the robin, but I am caught! I did not wait long, but I cannot get out! I did not wait long, but I have lost my liberty! I did not wait long, but it may be I shall lose my life! Ah! little robin, thou shalt be a preacher to some here. They have gone a little into sin, and they are inclined to-night to wait a little while. Take care that this is not your song one of these days, I did not wait long, but the devil caught me in his trap! I did not wait long, but I waited too long! I did not wait long, but I lost my soul for ever! God grant that this may not be your lot. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 55. Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten] The original is very abrupt and obscure, because we are not acquainted with the precise meaning of the form of speech which is here used; yamim o asor DAYS or TEN, probably meaning a year or ten months, as the margin reads it, or a week or ten days. This latter is the most likely sense, as there would be no propriety after having given their consent that she should go, in detaining her for a year or ten months. In matters of simple phraseology, or in those which concern peculiar customs, the Septuagint translation, especially in the Pentateuch, where it is most accurate and pure, may be considered a legitimate judge; this translation renders the words , about ten days. Houbigant contends strongly that instead of the words yamim o asor, days or ten, we should read chodesh yamim, a month of days, i.e., a full month; without which emendation he asserts, locus explicari non possit, “the passage cannot be explained.” This emendation is supported by the Syriac version, which reads here [Arabic] yerach yomin, a month of days, or a full month. The reader may adopt the Syriac or the Septuagint, as he judges best.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Others thus, a year, or at the least ten months, the word days being put for a year, as elsewhere. But it is very improbable that they would demand or expect such a thing from this man, whom they saw bent so much upon expedition.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And her brother and her mother said,…. Here her brother Laban is set before his mother, as above before his father, being the chief speaker and the principal manager of business:
let the damsel abide with us [a few] days, at the least ten; which was but a reasonable request; and if no more time is intended, it is much the servant should object, and not readily agree to it; but in the margin it is, “a full year” or “ten months”; and so Onkelos and Jonathan, and other Jewish writers u, who say it was customary for a virgin to have twelve months allowed her to furnish herself with ornaments; and therefore if a full year could not be admitted of, it is requested that at least ten months would be granted: this by many is thought to be unreasonable, that a servant should be desired to stay so long from his master, and especially it would not be asked, when it was perceived he was in such haste to be gone directly; but when it is observed that it was the usual custom of those times for virgins espoused to continue in their father’s house a considerable time before the marriage was consummated, and that Rebekah was going into a distant country, and very likely she and her friends would never see each other, the motion will not appear so very extravagant:
after that she shall go; when that time is elapsed, but cannot think of it before.
u Bereshit Rabba, sect. 60. fol. 53. 2. Jarchi, Ben Gersom & Ben Melech in loc.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(55) A few days, at the least ten.Heb., days or a decade, which Onkelos, Saadja, Rashi, and others translate as in the margin: a year or ten months. But while this rendering has high Jewish authority for it, yet more probably decade was the name for the third part of a month. It would be curious thus to find that the family of Terah, either with or instead of weeks, measured time by periods of ten days, as was certainly the custom of the Egyptians at one period of their history.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us for some days, or ten. After that she shall go”.’
To just have accepted the steward’s haste would have been impolite, and there was a natural reluctance on the part of Laban and his mother to lose their sister and daughter so quickly. After all, up to the previous day there had been no thought of her going. So they suggest a short period prior to their departure, but assure him that this does not imply reluctance on their part.
“For days or ten” (literally). This probably signifies ‘for two or three days or even ten days’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 24:55 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.
Ver. 55. Let the damsel abide with us. ] Men promise in baste; perform by leisure.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
ten. Seven days = a week, but ten or a decad (1/3 of a month) sometimes reckoned as a longer, but strictly defined period. Compare Exo 12:3. Lev 16:29.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a few days: or, a full year, or ten months, Gen 4:3, Lev 25:29, Jdg 14:8
Reciprocal: Gen 24:28 – of Gen 24:29 – General Gen 24:50 – Laban Gen 40:4 – a season
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 24:55. Let her abide a few days, at least ten The words in the Hebrew here, , are rather equivocal, and may be rendered, as in the margin, a full year, or ten months, the word translated days being sometimes put for a year. And if we may credit Jewish writers, it was customary for a virgin to have twelve months allowed her to furnish herself with ornaments. But it is very improbable that Rebekahs friends should desire or expect such a thing from this man, considering how anxious he was to return immediately.