Isaac Marries 3 year-old Rebecca (Rabbinical Commentary)

Related post from before: https://islamicarchives.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/what-is-the-minimum-age-of-marriage-according-to-jewish-law/

Summarized and Taken from : https://discover-the-truth.com/2016/10/26/the-age-of-rebecca-when-she-married-isaac-biblical-perceptive/

Genesis 25:20 King James Version (KJV)

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.

The following are two respected Rabbis statements who said that Rebecca was 3-years-old when she was married off. Rabbi Solomon Itzhaki (A.K.A. Rashi a well-known respected Jewish Scholar, 1040 – 1105 AD), comments on Rebecca’s age of marriage:

“1. Rashi’s commentary on Genesis 25:20 says: forty years old: For when Abraham came from Mount Moriah, he was informed that Rebecca had been born. Isaac was then thirty-seven years old, for at that time Sarah died, and from the time that Isaac was born until the “Binding” [of Isaac], when Sarah died, were thirty-seven years, for she was ninety years old when Isaac was born, and one hundred and twenty-seven when she died, as it is stated (above 23:1): “The life of Sarah was [a hundred and twenty-seven years.”] This makes Isaac thirty-seven years old, and at that time, Rebecca was born. HE WAITED FOR HER UNTIL SHE WOULD BE FIT FOR MARITAL RELATIONS-THREE YEARS-AND THEN MARRIED HER.— [From Gen. Rabbah 57:1] [Retrieved it from this website:http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8220/showrashi/true%5D

Rabbi Tobiah Ben Eliezer (1050 – 1108 AD) also confirms that she was 3-years-old when she was married to Isaac:

“Isaac was thirty-seven-years old at his binding… When Abraham returned from Mount Moriah, at that very moment Sarah died, and Isaac was then thirty-seven; and at that very time Abraham was told of Rebekah’s birth; THUS WE FIND THAT REBECCA WAS THREE YEARS OLD WHEN SHE MARRIED ISAAC.” (Pesikta Zutrata (Lekah Tov), Gen. 24., Midrashic commentary on the Pentateuch, by Rabbi Tobiah Ben Eliezer)

Rebecca’s young age is alluded too in Genesis 24:57-59. The following verse corroborates with the previous evidences shown that Rebekah, was a very young girl when she got married. She was so young that she needed a nursing woman with her when she was married off:

“Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. 59 So they sent their sister REBEKAH ON HER WAY, ALONG WITH HER NURSE and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her.” – Genesis 24:57-60

If Rebekah was a grown woman as some have assumed, who attained full womanhood, why would she need a ‘nursing woman’ to accompany her? This very verse shows she was very young and not at an age where she can take care of herself.

The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. Genesis 24:16)

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בתולה, “a virgin;” according to the view that Rivkah was only three years old, the Torah hardly needed to add this detail; the Talmud Niddah 44, explains this by saying that even if she had been violated by someone, her hymen had grown together again, (something that was known to people in those days).

(Commentary Chizkuni, Genesis 24:16:1)

Cut long story short Genesis 24:43-59 (Rebecca the little girl between 3 to 9 given as marriage)

An unknown man (servant of Abraham) sees a little girl נַעֲרָה naarah (Rebecca 3 to 9) drawing water, he speaks to her, puts a ring on her nose and bands on her arm. The unknown man asks for the hand of little Rebecca to her brother. He (brother Laban and father Bethual) agree to send little Rebecca away with that unknown man so she can marry his masters son Isaac, and he took her away with her nurse

Chizkuni commentary
ואת מנקתה, “and her nursemaid. (NURSE)” She was used to her as she was still so young.

Strong’s Definitions

יָנַק yânaq, yaw-nak'; a primitive root; to suck; causatively, to give milk:—milch, nurse(-ing mother), (give, make to) suck(-ing child, -ling).

Strong’s Definitions
נַעֲרָה naʻărâh, nah-ar-aw'; feminine of a girl

Brown-Driver-Briggs
1 girl, damsel; קְטַנָּה ׳נ little girl only

Conclusion : Rebecca was so young when she was given for marriage, her nurse had to go with her. talk about Child marriage