Abraham loses one family member (a wife), then gains another (a daughter-in-law). He is now old (somewhere between 137 and 175). Isaac is near forty (25:20) and still single. To remedy this situation Abraham sends a servant (Eliezer of chap. 15) to Aram Naharaim (“Syria of the two rivers”) to obtain a bride for Isaac.

Abraham makes two specific requests. The girl must not be a Canaanite. Isaac must not be unequally yoked. But are Mesopotamian girls any less “pagan” than Canaanite girls? Second, Isaac and his bride must return to Canaan. Isaac is not to make Aram Naharaim a home away from home, for God has said to Abraham “to your descendants I will give this land” (24:7 RSV). All this is sealed by an oath (24:9). The servant proposes a test to determine who Isaac’s bride will be by sugge…