- verses
- 30
- first named
- Genesis 22:23
- last named
- Romans 9:12
- period
- the Patriarchs
- tribe
- Early Patriarch
Description
Who was Rebekah?
Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother (Gen.22.23). She became the wife of Isaac after a servant of Abraham was sent to find a suitable bride for him (Genesis 24). Rebekah was a beautiful woman and was chosen by God to be Isaac's wife (Gen.24.15-67). She was barren for many years, but Isaac prayed for her, and she conceived twins (Gen.25.21). During her pregnancy, the Lord revealed to Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and that the older would serve the younger (Gen.25.23). Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Israel (or 'Jacob') (Gen.25.24-26). She favored Jacob over Esau and helped him deceive Isaac into giving him the firstborn's blessing (Genesis 27). This led to a conflict between the brothers, and Jacob had to flee to escape Esau's anger (Gen.27.41-45). Rebekah's deception had consequences for the family, but God's plan for Jacob prevailed. Rebekah's nurse, Deborah, died and was buried near Bethel (Gen.35.8). Rebekah died and was buried in the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah were also buried (Gen.49.31). In the New Testament, Paul uses Rebekah's story to illustrate God's sovereignty in election (Rom.9.10-12).
Relations
Direct connections
Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.
The 10 best-attested of 14 are drawn. All 14 are listed below.
Child of
Mother of
- EsauregistryGenesis 28:5
- IsraelregistryGenesis 27:11Genesis 27:17Genesis 28:5
Sibling of
- LabanregistryGenesis 28:5Genesis 24:29
Spouse of
Took part in
Stands in the same events as
Places
Where this happens
The places the claims about this person reach, drawn where the gazetteer locates them. A point is where a row puts them and never where tradition does; no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.
Read it
Where to read it
Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 30, across 2 books. The name is written 31 times in them.
Onward
Where this page goes
Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.
Where they appear
Chapter by chapter
Atlas's reading of each chapter this person appears in, in canonical order. One line per chapter, and each leads to the whole of it.
- Genesis 24Rebekah gives the servant water, waters all his camels, and leaves her household to become Isaac’s wife.
- Genesis 25Rebekah conceives after Isaac’s prayer, questions the struggle within her, and bears the twins Esau and Jacob.
- Genesis 26Rebekah was presented as Isaac’s sister, revealed as his wife by Abimelech’s fortunate glance, and grieved by Esau’s marriages.
- Genesis 27Rebekah overheard Isaac, dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes and goat skins, prepared the meal, and sent Jacob toward Laban.
- Genesis 28Rebekah was named as Jacob and Esau’s mother in the account of Jacob’s departure.
- Romans 9Rebekah’s children are conceived by Isaac, and before the twins are born she is told that the older will serve the younger.
Sources