Genesis 25:20

Gen 25:20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

Ver. 20. And Isaac was forty years old.] He was not overhasty to marry in the heat of his youth: but by hard labour, ardent prayers, and pious meditations, kept under his body, and brought it into subjection, as St Paul likewise did. {1Co 9:27} "We are not debtors to the flesh"; {Rom 8:12} we owe it nothing but stripes, nothing but the blue eye, that the apostle gave it.

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 25:20. And Isaac was forty years old — Not much is related concerning Isaac, but what had reference to his father, while he lived, and to his sons afterward; for Isaac seems not to have been a man of action, nor to have been much tried, but to have spent his days in quietness and silence.

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

Or, Syrian of Mesopotamia.

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

20. forty years old] P gives the age of Isaac at the time of his marriage with Rebekah, thirty-five years before Abraham’s death (Gen_25:8).

Bethuel] P makes no mention here of Bethuel’s being son of Nahor, the brother of Terah. The genealogy of J in Gen_22:22 is ignored.

the Syrian] Heb. Aramean, as in Gen_28:5. Aram is mentioned in Gen_10:22-23 (P), as the fifth of the sons of Shem.

Paddan-aram] This is the name given in the P narrative for the country described as Aram-naharaim by J. See note on Gen_24:10. Cf. Gen_28:2; Gen_28:5-7, Gen_31:18, Gen_35:9; Gen_35:26, Gen_46:15, Gen_48:7 (Paddan), all from P. The word Paddan is Aramaic, and means probably “the field,” modern Arabic feddân (= “acre”). In Assyrian padanu = “way” or “field,” like Haran (Gen_11:32). According to Hos_12:12, “Jacob fled into the field of Aram,” where “field” is the Heb. sâdeh, and denotes Haran, the country E. of Euphrates.

21–34 (J, E). This passage contains two short narratives, (1) the birth of Jacob and Esau (Gen_25:21-26), (2) the sale of Esau’s birthright (27–34).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife,.... Which was three years after the death of his mother; Isaac was born when she was ninety, and therefore must be thirty seven when she died. The Jews say Rebekah was but fourteen, though it is highly probable she was older; who is described as

the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian, of Padanaram; so called to distinguish it from other Arams, as Aram of Damascus, &c. this seems to be the same with Aram Naharaim, or Mesopotamia, which lay between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris; for Padan, as Jarchi observes from the Targum, signifies two; but rather, as he, and Aben Ezra, and others say, Padan in the Arabic language signifies a field; it here intends the field or country of Syria, as in Hos 12:12. Haran, in Syria or Mesopotamia, was the place where Bethuel and Laban lived, see Gen 28:5. Some traces of Padan in Mesopotamia are thought to be in the cities of Aphphadana and Aphadana, which are placed by Ptolemy (z) in that country. Moreover, Rebekah is also said to be

the sister to Laban the Syrian, the son of Bethuel, who are both called Syrians, because they now lived in Syria: otherwise they were originally Chaldees, being descended from Nahor the brother of Abraham, who both were of Ur of the Chaldees; so Jacob is called a Syrian, because he lived long in the same place, Deu 26:5.

(z) Geograph. l. 5. c. 18.

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

Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram; either of the country of Syria, as it is called, Hos 12:12; or rather, Padan of Syria; or, as the Septuagint and Chaldee render it, Mesopotamia of Syria. For that Parian is the proper name of a place, may be gathered from Gen 48:7, and it is so called from its situation between two rivers, for Padan signifies a pair or two.

1857

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the valuable chronological fact here stated for the first time proves that Isaac was married three years after his mother"s death (cf. Gen_23:1) the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. (vide on Gen_22:23 Gen_24:29) Though a descendant of Arphaxad, (Gen_10:24) Bethuel is styled a Syrian, or Aramaean, from the country of his adoption. On Padanaram vide Gen_24:10.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Isaac was forty years old - Not much is related concerning Isaac, but what had reference to his father, while he lived, and to his sons afterward; for Isaac seems not to have been a man of action, nor much tried, but to have spent his day, in quietness and silence.

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

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).

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 63:4).

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.

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.

ויהי יצחק, the verse tells us that G’d intervened benevolently in Yitzchok‘s life just as He had done in the life of his father; Rivkah too was barren, unable to conceive children unless through a miracle. The fact is proven when we consider that Yitzchok married her at 40 and until he was sixty he could not father a child. G’d had deliberately intervened in the bodies of our matriarchs in order to demonstrate to the nations of the world that He loved Avraham and Yitzchok and therefore He performed miracles to enable their wives to bear children for them. Our sages in Yevamot 64 conclude from the above that G’d so looked forward to the prayers of the patriarchs that He quasi provoked them into praying for the gift of children.

מפדן ארם, from the fields of Aram. Padan Aram is referred to as the field of Aram in Hoseah 12,13. Also in Arabic, the place is known as “the field of Padan.” Alternatively, according to Bab Kama 96, it is possible that the word פדן describes a pair of something, such as a pair of oxen being referred to in the Talmud as פדנא דתורי. There were two countries [according to our author. Ed.] both of which straddle the river Euphrates, one being Aram Tzova, the other Aram Naharayim. This is why each is described as if it were a pair. We know of other “Arams” that are “pairs,” such as ארם דמשק and ארם בית רחב, (Samuel II 10,6). Seeing these localities were each very close to the other they are referred to as if they were twin cities, pairs. It appears that פדן ארם was part of the land known as אור כשדים, whereas ארם נהרים was part of the region known as חרן.

אחות לבן הארמי, because the family was known through him and he conducted the affairs of that house, as we have explained at the time.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.