February 4, 2021

Some people say that Gen 24:63 tells us another anecdote about Isaac’s religious faithfulness. In Gen 24, Abraham’s servant went on a long journey to get Isaac’s wife to Paddan-aram and returned to Canaan with Rebekah. According to v. 63(KJV and RSV), on that evening, Isaac was meditating in the field by coincidence and noticed the servant coming home. You might have heard of a sermon that praises Isaac’s disciplined religious lifestyle, encouraging that we also have to pray regularly as Isaac did. But was he really praying at that moment? Alas! The meaning of the original word for “to meditate” in v. 63 is uncertain. We do not know what exactly he was doing in the field.