(כ) בן ארבעים שנה שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּשֶׁבָּא אַבְרָהָם מֵהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה, נִתְבַּשֵֹּר שֶׁנוֹלְדָה רִבְקָה, וְיִצְחָק הָיָה בֶּן ל"ז שָׁנָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי בוֹ בַפֶּרֶק מֵתָה שָֹרָה, וּמִשֶּׁנּוֹלַד יִצְחָק עַד הָעֲקֵידָה שֶׁמֵּתָה שָֹרָה, ל"ז שָׁנָה הָיוּ, – כִּי בַת צ’ הָיְתָה כְּשֶׁנּוֹלַד יִצְחָק, וּבַת קכ"ז כְּשֶׁמֵּתָה – שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָֹרָה וְגוֹ’ הֲרֵי לְיִצְחָק ל"ז שָׁנִים, וּבוֹ בַפֶּרֶק נוֹלְדָה רִבְקָה; הִמְתִּין לָהּ עַד שֶׁתְּהֵא רְאוּיָה לְבִיאָה ג’ שָׁנִים וּנְשָׂאָהּ:
(כא) בת בתואל מפדן ארם אחות לבן וְכִי עֲדַיִין לֹא נִכְתַּב, שֶׁהִיא בַת בְּתוּאֵל וַאֲחוֹת לָבָן וּמִפַּדַּן אֲרָם? אֶלָּא לְהַגִּיד שִׁבְחָהּ, שֶׁהָיְתָה בַּת רָשָׁע וַאֲחוֹת רָשָׁע וּמְקוֹמָהּ אַנְשֵׁי רֶשַׁע וְלֹא לָמְדָה מִמַּעֲשֵׂיהֶם:
(כב) מפדן ארם עַל שֵׁם שֶׁשְּׁנֵי אֲרָם הָיוּ, אֲרָם נַהֲרַיִם וַאֲרַם צוֹבָה, קוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ פַּדַּן, לְשׁוֹן צֶמֶד בָּקָר, תַּרְגּוּם פַּדַּן תּוֹרִין; וְיֵּשׁ פּוֹתְרִין פַּדַּן אֲרָם כְּמוֹ שְֹדֵה אֲרָם, שֶׁבִּלְשׁוֹן יִשְׁמָעֵאל קוֹרִין לְשָׂדֶה פַּדַּן:
(20) בן ארבעים שנה FORTY YEARS OLD — For when Abraham came from Mount Moriah he received the news that Rebecca was born (22:20). Isaac was then thirty-seven years old, because at that time Sarah died and from the birth of Isaac until the Binding — when Sarah died — there were 37 years since she was 90 years old when Isaac was born and 127 when she died, as it is said, (23:1) “And the life of Sarah was [one hundred and twenty seven years]” — thus Isaac was then 37 years old. At that period Rebecca was born and he waited until she was fit for marriage — 3 years — and then married her (Seder Olam).
(21) בת בתואל מפדן ארם אחות לבן THE DAUGHTER OF BETHUEL THE SYRIAN OF PADAN-ARAM, THE SISTER TO LABAN —Has it not already been written that she was the daughter of Bethuel and sister of Laban of Padanaram? But we are told these facts once more to proclaim her praise — she was the daughter of a wicked man, sister of a wicked man, and her native place was one of wicked people, and yet she did not learn from their doings (Genesis Rabbah 63).
(22) מפדן ארם FROM PADAN-ARAM — Because there were two Arams — Aram-Naharaim (Mesopotamia) and Aram-Zoba — it is called Padan-aram, (Padan meaning pair). It has the same meaning as צמד in the phrase צמד בקר (Samuel 11:7) which we know signifies a pair of oxen and which is translated in the Targum by פדן תורין a Padan of oxen, so that we see that Padan means a pair. Some, however, explain Padan-aram to be the same as (Hosea 12:13) “the field (country) of Aram”, because in the Arabic language a field is called Padan.
Tifferet Tzion: Since God knew that the Jewish people would be spread out among the nations when in exile, and typically one is influenced by his surrounding culture, He wanted our matriarchs and patriarchs to be among evil people and withstand their influence. In this way, their descendants will have the strength to hold onto their religion even in exile, since “the acts of the ancestors are a sign for their descendents."