Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 24:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The narrator describes Rebekah as a very beautiful young woman, a virgin who had not had sexual relations with a man, and shows her going down, filling her jar, and coming up. The verse describes her but does not give her age.
Read It With
- Genesis 24:10–28
Read verses 15–20 together. Family identity and physical description introduce Rebekah, while the following dialogue and repeated action give the fuller characterization that controls the scene. Beauty is not the only or primary evidence the servant requested.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Rebekah's introduction moves from identity and appearance into physical action, preparing the hospitality sequence.
Read Genesis 24:15–16 together
Why these verses belong together: The narrator identifies Rebekah to the reader and describes her before dialogue begins.
Verse 15. 15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
Verse 16. 16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
Follow the Context
- The servant takes ten camels and substantial resources, travels to Aram-naharaim, and stops at a well near the city of Nahor at the evening water-drawing time (24:10–11).
- He asks the LORD, God of Abraham, to make the encounter happen and show covenant kindness through a young woman who will volunteer water for both him and his camels (24:12–14).
- Before the prayer ends, Rebekah arrives; the narrator identifies her family, beauty, and virginity before the servant knows who she is (24:15–16).
- Rebekah promptly gives the servant water and voluntarily draws for all ten camels, repeatedly hurrying and running (24:17–20).
- The servant watches silently to learn whether the LORD has prospered the journey, gives jewelry, and asks Rebekah's family identity and whether lodging is available (24:21–25).
- After kinship and hospitality are confirmed, the servant bows and blesses the LORD for loyal kindness and reliable guidance; Rebekah runs home to report the encounter (24:26–28).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“a virgin, neither had any man known her”
In plain language: She had not had sexual relations with a man.
The narrator reinforces the virginity description before turning to her actions.
Why it matters: The line must not be used to invent an age or to reduce her identity to sexual status.
How certain? very strong“went down ... filled ... came up”
In plain language: She performs the ordinary physical work of drawing water.
The movement prepares the greater effort she will voluntarily undertake for the camels.
Why it matters: Rebekah is introduced in action, not merely as an appearance.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Genesis 24:16 does not state Rebekah's numerical age or prove that she was three years old.
The verse does not make beauty the servant's requested criterion for Isaac's wife.
The description does not make Rebekah passive or erase her speech, labor, and later answer.
The phrase 'neither had any man known her' does not supply information about every aspect of her inner life or future consent.
What Remains True
A person's visible traits never exhaust their character; narrative understanding must also attend to action, speech, initiative, and agency.
How It Can Shape Life
- Do not reduce a person to appearance or sexual status. Pay attention to how they act, speak, work, and choose within the whole situation.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 24:16's contribution to Genesis 24:10–28. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 24:10–28 — The Servant Meets Rebekah at the WellSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
Where care is needed
The words describe youth and virginity but do not permit a numerical age calculation.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
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, unit boundary, narrative sequence, prayer, Rebekah's actions, jewelry, kinship, worship, later retelling, willingness, and well-scene comparisons.
Exact location: Genesis 24:10–28 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 22:20–24; 24:1–9, 29–67; 29:1–14; and Exodus 2:15–22
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: Geography terminology, prayer wording, covenant kindness, appointment, descriptions of Rebekah, verse 21 uncertainty, success, ring, faithfulness, and guidance.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 24:10–28; lemmas and morphology for Aram-naharaim, qarah, hesed, yakhach, na'arah, betulah, shaat, tsalach, nezem, emet, and nachah
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation clarification, lexical uncertainty, prayer syntax, characterization, jewelry terminology, and guidance language.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 24:10–28 and translator notes, especially city of Nahor, cause-it-to-happen prayer, appointed, repeated haste, verse 21's difficult verb, ring/nose ring, and mercy/faithfulness
Open NET Genesis 24 ↗peer reviewed narrative study abstract limited
A Strong Woman Who Can Find a Job: The Character of Rebekah in Genesis 24
Lieve Teugels
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 19(63), pages 89–104, 1994
Supports: At abstract scope: narrative characterization of Rebekah as strong, active, and divinely led rather than merely passive.
Exact location: Lieve Teugels, 'A Strong Woman Who Can Find a Job: The Character of Rebekah in Genesis 24,' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 19(63), 1994, pages 89–104; official SAGE abstract
Open source ↗