Genesis 22:20–24, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Genesis 22:20–24
Nahor's Family Prepares the Next Movement
News that names Rebekah
Abraham hears that his brother Nahor's household has grown through Milcah and Reumah. Many sons are listed. The narrator then singles out Bethuel's daughter Rebekah, the only grandchild named here.
The report prepares Isaac's next household after the test, before Sarah's death closes the present generation. It does not date Rebekah's birth after the binding of Isaac or turn repeated names into certain later identifications.
How this should shape us
When a list seems minor, ask which name is singled out and how later scenes use it. Describe family complexity without ranking people by later prominence.
Teach it back
Explain why Genesis 22:20–24 appears after the test of Abraham and before Sarah's death. Include Nahor, Milcah, Reumah, the eight-plus-four family structure, Bethuel, Rebekah, and at least three things the list does not let us conclude with certainty.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
What do the personal names preserve?
Best judgment: The final text presents a real family genealogy that may also preserve ethnographic memory. Rebekah's literary preparation is stronger evidence than any complete modern tribal map.
How certain? probableWhy are twelve sons named?
Best judgment: The twelve-son total is an observable literary pattern, but a specific symbolic or confederation theory remains an inference rather than the passage's explicit claim.
How certain? strongResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Displayed wording, the two Nahors, family relationships, eight-plus-four structure, Rebekah preview, Sarah transition, and later Nahor-family identification.
Genesis 22:20–24 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 11:22–32; 23:1–20; 24:1–67; 25:20; 28:2, 5; and 29:5
Supports: Sequence marker, attention marker, birth language, firstborn and kinship terms, parenthetical genealogy, mother groupings, and concubine terminology.
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 22:20–24; lemmas and morphology for achar, dabar, hinneh, yalad, bekhor, av, ach, and pilegesh
Supports: Attention marker, parenthetical notices about Aram and Rebekah, spelling, syntax, and the forward relationship to Isaac's wife.
NET Bible, Genesis 22:20–24 and translator notes on 22:20–24; compared with notes and references in Genesis 24
Supports: Final-form placement, Abraham-cycle transition, family continuity, and preparation for Isaac and Rebekah.
Genesis commentary, Abraham-and-Isaac discussion of Genesis 22:20–24 and transition to Genesis 23–24
Supports: Broad critical and ethical context only; no detailed name identification attributed beyond inspected scope.
Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac study guide and course context for the transition from Abraham to Isaac
Supports: Literary placement, compositional caution, and commentary navigation only.
Genesis, official Cambridge contents and introduction; commentary locator for Genesis 22:20–24
Supports: Genealogy as a literary form, brief genealogies at narrative transitions, family and ethnographic functions, and the Rebekah-oriented placement of this list.
Aaron Demsky, 'The Genesis of Jewish Genealogy,' Genealogy 7.4 (2023), article abstract and opening discussion, especially the paragraph identifying Genesis 22:20–24 as the divider between Abraham-Isaac's early history and Isaac-Rebekah's marriage and family story
Supports: Genesis 22's two-part structure, the relationship between verses 1–19 and 20–24, Rebekah as next-generation preparation, and the life-continuity proposal at abstract scope only.
Do-hyung Kim, 'The Literary Position and Storytelling of Genesis 22,' Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 29.3 (2023), pages 289–322; official English abstract and citation record
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, the two Nahors, family relationships, eight-plus-four structure, Rebekah preview, Sarah transition, and later Nahor-family identification.
Exact location: Genesis 22:20–24 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 11:22–32; 23:1–20; 24:1–67; 25:20; 28:2, 5; and 29:5
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Sequence marker, attention marker, birth language, firstborn and kinship terms, parenthetical genealogy, mother groupings, and concubine terminology.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 22:20–24; lemmas and morphology for achar, dabar, hinneh, yalad, bekhor, av, ach, and pilegesh
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Attention marker, parenthetical notices about Aram and Rebekah, spelling, syntax, and the forward relationship to Isaac's wife.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 22:20–24 and translator notes on 22:20–24; compared with notes and references in Genesis 24
Open NET Genesis 22 ↗modern open whole book commentary
Genesis
T. Desmond Alexander
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Final-form placement, Abraham-cycle transition, family continuity, and preparation for Isaac and Rebekah.
Exact location: Genesis commentary, Abraham-and-Isaac discussion of Genesis 22:20–24 and transition to Genesis 23–24
Open source ↗modern critical open study guide
Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac — Study Guide
Joel S. Baden and Yale Bible Study
Yale Divinity School, 2021 course; page inspected 2026
Supports: Broad critical and ethical context only; no detailed name identification attributed beyond inspected scope.
Exact location: Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac study guide and course context for the transition from Abraham to Isaac
Open source ↗modern scholarly commentary publisher material
Genesis
Bill T. Arnold
Cambridge University Press, 2009
Supports: Literary placement, compositional caution, and commentary navigation only.
Exact location: Genesis, official Cambridge contents and introduction; commentary locator for Genesis 22:20–24
Open source ↗open peer reviewed literary and social anthropological study
The Genesis of Jewish Genealogy
Aaron Demsky
Genealogy 7(4), article 91, 2023
Supports: Genealogy as a literary form, brief genealogies at narrative transitions, family and ethnographic functions, and the Rebekah-oriented placement of this list.
Exact location: Aaron Demsky, 'The Genesis of Jewish Genealogy,' Genealogy 7.4 (2023), article abstract and opening discussion, especially the paragraph identifying Genesis 22:20–24 as the divider between Abraham-Isaac's early history and Isaac-Rebekah's marriage and family story
Open source ↗peer reviewed literary study abstract limited
The Literary Position and Storytelling of Genesis 22: From the Perspective of the Abrahamic Family Narrative
Do-hyung Kim
Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 29(3), pages 289–322, 2023
Supports: Genesis 22's two-part structure, the relationship between verses 1–19 and 20–24, Rebekah as next-generation preparation, and the life-continuity proposal at abstract scope only.
Exact location: Do-hyung Kim, 'The Literary Position and Storytelling of Genesis 22,' Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 29.3 (2023), pages 289–322; official English abstract and citation record
Open source ↗