Genesis 24:45

Gen 24:45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew [water]: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

Ver. 45. With her pitcher on her shoulder.] Though a sufficient man’s daughter, and a match for a prince’s son. {See Trapp on "Gen 23:6"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 24:45. Before I had done speaking in my heart — Which perhaps he mentions, lest it should be suspected that Rebekah had overheard his prayer, and designedly complied with it; no, saith he, I spake it in my heart, so that none heard it but God, to whom thoughts are words, and from whom the answer came.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Signifying that this prayer was not spoken by the mouth, but only meditated in his heart.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 45. Before I had done speaking in mine heart] So we find that the whole of this prayer, so circumstantially related Ge 24:12-14, and again Ge 24:42-44, was mental, and heard only by that God to whom it was directed. It would have been improper to have used public prayer on the occasion, as his servants could have felt no particular interest in the accomplishment of his petitions, because they were not concerned in them, having none of the responsibility of this mission.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(45) Speaking in mine heart—The Heb. idiom is far more exact and true: namely, before I had done speaking to my heart.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then Laban and Bethuel answered,.... The order of the words in the original is, "then answered Laban and Bethuel"; the word for "answered" is in the singular number, from whence it may be concluded, that Laban gave the answer in the name of Bethuel, he consenting to it, who might be an old man, and left the management of his family affairs to his son, who, Aben Ezra thinks, excelled his father in wisdom and honour; but Jarchi represents him as a wicked and impudent man, who took upon him to speak before his father: but some have thought that this Bethuel was not old Bethuel, the father of Rebekah, but young Bethuel his son, the younger brother of Laban and Rebekah, their father Bethuel being dead, as Josephus says, before observed; and this seems to be countenanced by Gen 24:59, where they are represented as blessing Rebekah, and calling her their sister:

and said, the thing proceedeth from the Lord: that Rebekah should be given to Isaac, as the Targum of Jonathan adds: this matter appears to be according to his will and pleasure, he seems to have appointed it in his decree, and to be bringing it about by his providence; for these men, though they were in part idolaters yet had some good notions of the true God, and of his government of the world, and of his ordering all things in it according to the counsel of his will:

we cannot speak unto thee good or bad; cannot deny the request; the thing was so plain that they had not anything to object to it.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Before I had done speaking in my heart - Which perhaps he mentions, lest it should be suspected that Rebekah had overheard his prayer, and designedly humoured it; no, saith he, I spake it in my heart, so that none heard it but God, to whom thoughts are words, and from him the answer came.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Abraham's servant continues speaking to Rebekah's family.

speaking in my heart

To pray silently in one's mind is spoken of as if he were speaking in his heart. The word "heart" refers to his thoughts and his mind. AT: "praying" or "praying quietly" (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)

behold, Rebekah came

"suddenly Rebekah came" or "I was surprised because I saw Rebekah coming"

pitcher

This is a medium-size jar made of clay used for holding and pouring liquids. See how you translated this in Genesis 24:14.

she went down to the spring

The phrase "went down" is used because the spring was somewhere lower than where the servant was standing.

spring

opening in the ground from which fresh water comes

watered the camels

"gave water to the camels"

translationWords

heart

Rebekah

fountain

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

טרם אכלה means I WAS NOT YET FINISHING. Similarly in the case of every word that expresses an action contemporaneous with another Scripture sometimes uses the past tense — so that it might have written here טרם כִּלִיתִי — and sometimes it uses the future tense. Examples are: (Job I. 5) “For Job was saying (אמר)” — here it is past tense and (ib.) “Thus was Job doing (יעשה)” — here it is future tense. But the meaning of both of them is contemporaneous action: “for Job was saying (whilst he sacrificed) “Perhaps my sons have sinned etc." “and he was doing this" (whenever his sons feasted).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

BEHOLD, REBEKAH CAME FORTH WITH HER PITCHER ON HER SHOULDER. This indicates that while he was in her house he heard her name, or perhaps she told him her name at the beginning even though it is not mentioned in Scripture.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.