Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 24:58 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 58. 58And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The family asks Rebekah whether she will go with the servant, and she answers, 'I will go.' Her answer resolves the immediate departure question and fulfills the earlier possibility that the woman might or might not be willing to follow.
Read It With
- Genesis 24:50–61
Read verses 5, 8, and 55–61. Abraham's servant was released if the woman would not follow; the family and servant now disagree over timing; Rebekah says she will go; and the narrative places blessing and departure after her answer.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Rebekah's concise answer resolves the willingness and departure question anticipated from the chapter's opening commission.
Read Genesis 24:54–58 together
Why these verses belong together: The overnight stay, morning request, proposed delay, servant's urgency, direct consultation, and Rebekah's answer form one timing-and-willingness negotiation.
Verse 54. 54 And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
Verse 55. 55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
Verse 56. 56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
Verse 57. 57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Verse 58. 58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
Follow the Context
- Laban and Bethuel acknowledge the matter as coming from the LORD and agree that Rebekah may go to become Isaac's wife (24:50–51).
- The servant bows in worship, then gives silver and gold objects and clothing to Rebekah and other valued items to her brother and mother (24:52–53).
- After the travelers eat and stay overnight, the servant asks to return to Abraham, while Rebekah's brother and mother propose a period of delay (24:54–55).
- The servant resists delay because the LORD has prospered his way; the family responds by calling Rebekah and asking her directly whether she will go (24:56–58).
- Rebekah says, 'I will go,' and the household sends her with her nurse and attendants, blesses her with many-descendants and enemy-gate language, and watches the caravan depart (24:58–61).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“Wilt thou go with this man?”
In plain language: Will you leave with Abraham's servant?
The family asks Rebekah directly after disagreement over delay.
Why it matters: The question makes her own response narratively necessary.
How certain? very strong“I will go”
In plain language: Rebekah states her willingness to depart.
Her answer leads immediately to the send-off, blessing, and journey.
Why it matters: The narrative neither erases her agency nor removes the surrounding family-mediated setting.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Rebekah's answer does not merely repeat the family's words; it resolves whether she will leave with the servant now.
'I will go' does not prove that the whole ancient process matches modern individual autonomy.
The verse does not allow family approval or valuable gifts to replace Rebekah's answer.
The text does not state Rebekah's numerical age or provide enough information to reconstruct every pressure she faced.
Her willingness does not make every action of every participant morally perfect.
What Remains True
Meaningful participation requires hearing a person's own answer. Providence and family counsel do not make that answer disposable.
How It Can Shape Life
- For life-changing decisions, seek clear and informed willingness rather than treating silence, gifts, family approval, or religious pressure as agreement.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 24:58's contribution to Genesis 24:50–61. 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 24:50–61 — Rebekah Chooses to LeaveSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
Where care is needed
The text records a clear answer but does not disclose Rebekah's inner reasoning, age, or every social pressure surrounding the decision.
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, family response, worship, gifts, delay, Rebekah's answer, blessing, departure, and canonical connections.
Exact location: Genesis 24:50–61 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:1; 22:17; 24:1–49, 62–67; 25:21; and 35:8
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: Decision idiom, family gifts, delay phrase, success, direct consultation, large-number blessing, gate imagery, and Rebekah's following.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 24:50–61; wording for ra o-tov, migdanot, yamim o-asor, tsalakh, sha'al et-piha, revavah, sha'ar, and halakh akhare
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Decision idiom, compact delay phrase, direct-question language, thousands of ten-thousands, enemy stronghold, and the narrative shift after verse 61.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 24:50–61 and translator notes 85–101, especially verses 50, 55, 57–61
Open NET Genesis 24 ↗open peer reviewed marriage travel and agency study
Pursuing Partners: Traveling for Marital Partners in the Hebrew Bible
Søren Lorenzen
Religions 15(3), article 324, 2024
Supports: Distributed agency, household process, the woman's possible refusal, Rebekah's direct willingness, and safeguards against reducing the chapter to one actor.
Exact location: Søren Lorenzen, 'Pursuing Partners,' Religions 15(3):324, 2024, section 2 and conclusion
Open source ↗open Jewish women centered study guide and reception resource
The Torah: A Women's Commentary Study Guide — Chayei Sarah
Women of Reform Judaism; based on The Torah: A Women's Commentary edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea L. Weiss
Women of Reform Judaism and CCAR Press, 2013 study guide; underlying commentary 2008
Supports: Rebekah's agreement and departure, comparison with Abraham's leaving, Genesis 22:17 blessing echo, women's role in the promise story, and later Jewish reception of consent and wedding blessing.
Exact location: The Torah: A Women's Commentary Study Guide, Chayei Sarah, 2013, pages 4–6, especially Genesis 24:52–61 questions and pages 127–128 reception prompts
Open source ↗