The Sons of Nahor and the Family Connection of Rebekah (Genesis 22:20-24).
The incident at Mount Moriah was the climax of Abraham's life. All that remains is the closing down of his life. The stress in Genesis 22:20 to Genesis 24:67 is the new beginnings in Isaac, the chosen heir.
This family record is the introduction to Genesis 24. It is explaining the knowledge of a daughter that persuaded Abraham to send his steward to Nahor's family to find a wife for Isaac. It was thus included in the original covenant record which included Genesis 24. It may be that the contract detailed in Genesis 23 was also incorporated in that covenant record at the time. This would explain why it divides Genesis 22:20-24 from the passage it introduces.
Alternatively Genesis 23 may have been placed within the latter by the editor. It is possible that this happened while Joseph was in authority in Egypt, when it would have been likely that the life history and background of so important a man would be set down in writing from the written records available. Alternately it may have been done later by Moses himself from the covenant records. In either case it was done because the editor knew that the news of the existence of Rebekah reached Abraham before the death of Sarah, and that Sarah died before Isaac married Rebekah. We will consider why it was introduced shortly.
It is clear that many years have passed since the previous incident, silent years because there was no revelation from Yahweh. It is not the history of Abraham that is written down, but the history of Yahweh in His dealings with Abraham.
This introduction of a tablet with a genealogy was a regular feature of such ancient tablets.
‘And so it was after these things that Abraham was told, saying, “Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor. Uz, his firstborn, and Buz, his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram.'
It was quite natural that news would come through to Abraham about his brother's family. It may have been because he himself sent a messenger to enquire whether there was a suitable wife for his son there, or because Nahor kept in contact with his elder brother who was thus aware of family affairs. The former is very likely and would explain why full details of the family genealogy were sent to Abraham.
As we have previously been told, Milcah was the daughter of Haran, who had died young, and was married to Nahor (11:29). She was clearly fruitful and bore him eight sons listed in this passage. The names are typical of the period and are attested either elsewhere in the Old Testament or in cuneiform sources. For Uz compare 10:23 where an Uz is a descendant of an earlier Aram, also 36:28. Job lived in ‘the land of Uz' (Job 1:1). For Buz compare 1 Chronicles 5:14; Job 32:2; Job 32:6; Jeremiah 25:23. For Kemuel compare Numbers 34:24; 1 Chronicles 27:17. Aram is well associated with the area in which they dwelt.
‘And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah. These eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.'
For Bethuel compare 1 Chronicles 4:30. Bethuel is the father of Rebekah.
‘And Bethuel begat Rebekah. These eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. And his concubine Reumah, she also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.'
The four sons of Reumah are mentioned to bring the number of sons to twelve. It is constantly apparent that twelve is depicted as the ideal inter-tribal make up. Compare Ishmael -Genesis 25:13-16 - and the twelve tribes of Israel. (The number of the tribes of Israel are maintained at twelve even though the constituents change).
Thus the family pedigree is carefully laid out in preparation for the account of the obtaining of a bride for Isaac. The family associations of Rebekah are made clear. Rebekah is the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor who rules over an established tribal association.
In Genesis 29:5 Laban, Rebekah's brother, is called ‘the son of Nahor'. But this is to connect him directly with the Patriarch of the tribal association. It was quite common for a man to be called ‘the son of' his grandfather when that grandfather was very distinguished. In the same way Rebekah is later described as residing in ‘the house of his master's (Abraham's) brother' (Genesis 24:24). The continual stress is on Rebekah's relationship with Nahor. It must be made apparent that she is a suitable wife for Isaac.