(כב) וַיְהִ֗י כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר כִּלּ֤וּ הַגְּמַלִּים֙ לִשְׁתּ֔וֹת וַיִּקַּ֤ח הָאִישׁ֙ נֶ֣זֶם זָהָ֔ב בֶּ֖קַע מִשְׁקָל֑וֹ וּשְׁנֵ֤י צְמִידִים֙ עַל־יָדֶ֔יהָ עֲשָׂרָ֥ה זָהָ֖ב מִשְׁקָלָֽם׃ (כג) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ בַּת־מִ֣י אַ֔תְּ הַגִּ֥ידִי נָ֖א לִ֑י הֲיֵ֧שׁ בֵּית־אָבִ֛יךְ מָק֥וֹם לָ֖נוּ לָלִֽין׃ (כד) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו בַּת־בְּתוּאֵ֖ל אָנֹ֑כִי בֶּן־מִלְכָּ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלְדָ֖ה לְנָחֽוֹר׃ (כה) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו גַּם־תֶּ֥בֶן גַּם־מִסְפּ֖וֹא רַ֣ב עִמָּ֑נוּ גַּם־מָק֖וֹם לָלֽוּן׃ (כו) וַיִּקֹּ֣ד הָאִ֔ישׁ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ לַֽיהוה׃ (כז) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר בָּר֤וּךְ יהוה אֱלֹהֵי֙ אֲדֹנִ֣י אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֲ֠שֶׁ֠ר לֹֽא־עָזַ֥ב חַסְדּ֛וֹ וַאֲמִתּ֖וֹ מֵעִ֣ם אֲדֹנִ֑י אָנֹכִ֗י בַּדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ נָחַ֣נִי יהוה בֵּ֖ית אֲחֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי׃
(22) When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing a half-shekel, and two gold bands for her arms, ten shekels in weight. (23) “Pray tell me,” he said, “whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” (24) She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” (25) And she went on, “There is plenty of straw 32. and feed at home, and also room to spend the night.” (26) The man bowed low in homage to יהוה (27) and said, “Blessed be יהוה, the God of my master Abraham’s [house], who has not withheld steadfast faithfulness from my master. For I have been guided on my errand by יהוה, to the house of my master’s kin.”
The servant gives Rivka jewelry and then asks who she is, only then to learn that she was from Avraham's family. Shouldn't he have waited first to find out who she was before giving expensive jewelry to her?
Rashbam:
It was after the servant asked the woman's identity that he plied her with jewelry, just as he subsequently relates in recounting the events. Here the text presents the stages in reverse order so as not to interrupt the flow of the following conversation by inserting the detail of the ring and the bracelets in the middle.
Rabbi Yosef Bekhor Shor:
As payment for having drawn water for him and his camels, the servant gives Rivka a gold ring. He then asks whose daughter she is.
Malbim:
The commentators are surprised at the servant's behavior at the start of this tale: How could he give this unknown woman expensive gifts before even asking her who her parents were? But this point does not disturb me, because Avraham never specified that the servant was to find a bride from his own family. The only criterion was that the woman hail from his homeland. Thus, any woman from Haran who displayed the character that the servant was watching for would have made a suitable wife for Yitzhak. As such, the servant felt comfortable giving Rivka the jewelry already.
Radak:
The servant readied the jewelry to give to the woman after ascertaining who she was. If he would discover that she is indeed a member of Avraham's family, he would proceed to hand over the items to her.
Questions to consider:
- What justification does Rashbam offer for suggesting that the verses are written out of order?
- Bekhor Shor and Malbim agree that he gave her the gift first but disagree on its significance. Which one makes more sense to you? Why?
- Radak employs a careful reading of the text to suggest that the verses are written in precise order, but that he did not give her the jewelry until he had verified her identity! How does Radak do that? What two words in this verse will be challenging for Radak?