459 Iz virni znans tv eni članek/ Article (1.01) Bogoslovni vestnik/Theological Quarterly 84 (2024) 3, 459—474 Besedilo pr eje t o/R eceiv ed:09/2024; spr eje t o/ Accep t ed:11/2024 UDK/UDC:27-277-242 DOI: 10.34291/B V2024/03/Celar c © 2024 Celar c, CC B Y 4.0 Matjaž Celarc Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God Rebeka – kot izvoljena Božja predstavnica Abstract: T h i s p ap er e x ami n es th e ch ar act er o f R eb ek ah wi th i n th e b i b l i c al n arr a- tiv e, highligh ting her r ole as a piv ot al ag en t in the fulfilmen t of the Abr ahamic c o v enan t. Thr ough a close r eading of the Genesis t e x ts, particularly the Jac ob cy cle (Gen 24–27), this article e xplor es ho w R ebek ah, despit e appearing mar- ginaliz ed b y her cultur al c on t e x t, e x erts signific an t in fluence o v er the tr ansmis- sion of the divine blessing. The analy sis f ocuses on the narr a tiv e s tructur e, R ebek ah’ s char act eriz a tion, and her unique r ela tionship with God, which ena- ble s he r t o na v ig a t e c om ple x f a m ilia l dy na m ic s a nd e nsur e t he c on tinua tion of God’ s pl an thr ough her son Jac ob. Additionally , the paper discusses the typo- logic al c onnections be tw een R ebek ah and Abr aham, as w ell as the br oader implic a tions of her s t or y in Chris tian theology , especially in r ela tion t o divine election as articula t ed b y P aul in R omans 9. R ebek ah’ s narr a tiv e is thus pr esen- t ed as a pr of ound e x ample of the in t erpla y be tw een divine sov er eign ty and human ag ency , demons tr a ting how R ebek ah pla y s a crucial r ole in the fulfilmen t of c o v enan t al pr omises. Keywords: R ebek ah, human ag ency , divine so v er eign ty and election, typology Povzetek: Članek obr a vna v a lik R ebek e v s v e t opisemski pripov edi in izpos t a vlja njeno vlog o osr ednjeg a ak t erja pri izpolnitvi Abr ahamo v e z a v e z e. Z na t ančnim br anje m be se dil pr v e Mojz e so v e k njig e , zlas ti Jak obo v e g a cik la (1 Mz 24–27), t a članek r azisk uje, k ak o ima R e bek a kljub t emu, da se z di v s v ojem k ulturnem k on t ek s tu mar ginalizir ana, pomemben vpliv na pr enos Bo žjeg a blag oslov a. Ana- liz a se osr edot oč a na pripo v edno s truk tur o , R ebekino k ar ak t eriz acijo in njen edins tv en odnos z Bog om, ki ji omog oč a, da se znajde v z aple t eni družinski di- namik i in z ag ot o vi nadalje v anje Bo žje g a načr t a pr e k s v oje g a sina Jak oba. P ole g t eg a članek obr a vna v a tipološk e po v e z a v e med R ebek o in Abr ahamom t er šir še posledice njene z g odbe v kr šč anski t eologiji, zlas ti v po v e z a vi z iz v olitvijo , k ot jo P a v el izr azi v Rim 9. R ebekina pripo v ed je t ak o pr eds t a vljena k ot globok pri- mer pr eple t anja med Bo žjo suv er enos tjo in člo v eškim delo v anjem, le–t a prik a- z uje, k ak o ima R ebek a ključno vlog o pri izpolnitvi obljub z a v e z e. Ključne besede : R ebek a, člo v ešk o delo v anje, bo žja suv er enos t in iz v olit e v , tipologija 460 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 1. Introduction The biblic al narr a tiv e fr equen tly ele v a t es une xpect ed figur es as piv ot al ag en ts in God’ s pl an, r eg ar dless of their social s t a tus or mar ginaliz a tion within their socio- -cultur al c on t e x t. W omen oft en pla y critic al r oles in fulfilling divine purposes, as illus tr a t ed b y T amar , Rahab, Ruth, and Ba thsheba, who ar e not ably included in the g enealogy of Jesus in Ma tthe w ’ s Gospel (Mt 1:1-17). Although R ebek ah is not men tioned in Ma tthew ’ s g enealogy , she s t ands out as a signific an t ma triar ch in the biblic al narr a tiv e. Her import ance e xt ends be y ond her r ole as Sar ah’ s successor in the ma triar chal lineag e; it is also r oot ed in her dir ect r e- la tionship with God, which empow er s her t o pr eser v e and tr ansmit the Abr ahamic blessing t o the mor e discerning son, Jacob. Studies such as Shar on P ace Jeansonne’ s The Women of Genesis: From Sarah to Potiphar’s Wife (1990) and Liev e T eug els’ “A Strong Woman, Who Can Find?” (1994) ha v e sough t t o pr esen t R ebek ah in a mor e positiv e ligh t, emphasizing her activ e r ole in r ealizing God’ s plan f or Abr aham’ s line - ag e. Building on these w ork s, this paper seek s t o highligh t R ebek ah as a divinely chosen ag en t. It will do so by e x amining the narr a tiv e s tructur e of Jac ob’ s cy cle (Gen 24–27), analy sing her char act eriz a tion, and e xploring how her unique r ela tionship with God is illumina t ed thr ough typologic al r eadings of her r ole in Scriptur e. 1 2. Narrative Composition Scholar s c ommonly obser v e tha t the biblic al narr a t or emplo y s specific lit er ary t echniques—such as narr a tiv e c ommen t ar y , r epe tition, and chang es in narr a tiv e pace—t o c on v e y ideologic al c oncerns and c on victions. How e v er , it is oft en o v erlo - ok ed tha t cert ai n c omposi tional shi fts ar e crucial f or in t erpr e ting the o v er ar chi ng narr a tiv e. This analy sis seek s t o pinpoin t specific pr epar a t ory s t ag es of Jac ob’ s narr a tiv e in which either R ebek ah’ s pr esence is emphasiz ed, or the narr a tiv e in- tr oduces piv ot al in f orma tion tha t shapes the de v elopmen t of the plot. Gen 22:1-19: Abr aham’ s binding of Isaac Gen 22:20-24: Rebekah’s Abrahamic lineage Gen 23:1-20: Sar ah’ s dea th Gen 24:1-66: Choosing Rebekah as Isaac’s wife Gen 25:1-18: Abr aham’ s herit ag e, his dea th and Ismael’ s lineag e Gen 25–28: Jac ob’ s cy cle Gen 25:19-28: Rebekah and Isaac Gen 25:20-34: Jac ob and Esau on primog enitur e Gen 26:1-33: Isaac and Rebekah Gen 26:34-35: Esau’s marriage 1 This pape r w as pr oduce d as part of the r e se ar ch pr ogr am P6-0262 (“ V alue s in Je wish-Chris tian Sour ce s and T r adition and the P ossibilities of Dialogue”) and the r esear ch pr oject J6-50212 (“ The P ow er of Emotions and the St a tus of F emale Char act er s in V arious Lit er ar y Genr es of the Old T es t amen t ”), both c o- financed b y the Slo v enian R esear ch and Inno v a tion Ag ency (ARIS). 461 Matjaž Celarc - Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God Gen 27:1-40: The blessing: R ebek ah-Jac ob and Isaac-Esau Gen 27:41-45: Jac ob’ s departur e: R ebek ah Jac ob and R ebek ah Isaac Gen 28:1-5: Jac ob’ s departur e Gen 28:6-9: Esau’s marriage 2.1 Genesis 22: Foreshadowing Blessings for Future Generations R ebek ah is in tr oduced in the g enealogy of Nahor , Abr aham’ s br other , immedia t ely f ollowing the r esolution of Isaac’ s near -sacrifice (Gen 22:23). This in tr oduction is si- gnific an t f or se v er al r easons. Fir s t, apart fr om Milc ah and R eumah, R ebek ah is the only w oman men tioned in this g enealogy . Sec ond, despit e the la t er pr ominence of her br other Laban in Jac ob’ s sear ch f or a wif e (24:28-32), Laban is not ably omit- t ed a t this poin t, emphasizing R ebek ah’ s import ance. Lie v e T eug els (1994, 103) d escri b es R eb ek ah as a “ d i vi n el y sen t h el p er , ” su g g es tin g th a t h er i n tr o d u ctio n a t this junctur e is both in t en tional and meaningful. Her appear ance in the narr a ti- v e, p o si tio n ed b e tw een th e acc o u n ts o f Isaac’ s n ear -sacri fi ce ( Gen 22:1-19) an d Sar ah’ s dea th (Gen 23), under sc or es her r ole in sa f eguar ding the divine pr omise an d bl essi ng. As a descendan t of Abr aham, R eb ek ah i s f or eshad o w ed as S ar ah’ s successor , and t o some e x t en t, as Abr aham’ s, in bearing God’ s blessing. This idea is further r ein f or ced b y the r eit er a tion of the blessing originally giv en t o Abr aham, which is echoed b y Be thuel’ s f amily (22:17; 24:60). 2.2 Gen 25: Isaac as the Heir In Genesis 25, the narr a t or r e f er s t o Abr aham’ s s t ory , ther eby pr eparing the se tting f or Jac ob’ s narr a tiv e. The crucial poin t is tha t Abr aham en trus ts Isaac with all his he rit ag e and se nds his other sons t o the e as t (Gen 25:5-6). The narr a t or , ir onic al- ly , clear s the pa th f or Isaac. The r eade r , in tr oduced t o Ishmae l’ s g enealogy , migh t e xpect t o hear mor e about Ishmael, but ins t ead, only learns of his dea th and the f act tha t his descendan ts liv e in southern r egions of Ar abia and Ass yria (25:12-18). In c on tr as t, a ft e r Abr aham’ s de a th, Isaac e njo y s the ble ssing a t Lahai R o’ i (25: 11). The loc a tion is signific an t since it dis t ances him fr om his f a ther ’ s wher eabouts a t Mamr e and pla ces him a t the w ell tha t r ec alls both dis tr ess and divine pr esence in their f amily thr ough Hag ar and Ishmael (16:14). Ho w e v er , it is only b y mo ving t o the Neg e v tha t he mee ts and is in tr oduced t o his futur e wif e, R ebek ah (24:62). 2.3 Gen 49: Rebekah at the Conclusion of Jacob’s Cycle The Bible does not specif y when R ebek ah died, but it not es tha t she w as buried in the Ca v e of Machpelah alon gside the pa triar chs, Sar ah, and Leah (49:31). This under s t a t ed men tion emphasiz es the artis try of the narr a tiv e s tructur e. Some pr epar a t or y elemen ts c oncerning Isaac and R ebek ah sho w tha t while Isaac is the b ear er o f th e b l essi n g i n Ab r ah am’ s f ami l y , R eb ek ah i s i n tr o d u ced i n t o th e p l o t t o help him fulfill the divine plan. In summar y , R ebek ah’ s r ole is w o v en in t o the beginning and the end of Jac ob’ s cy cle. Once her r ole in passing the blessing t o the ne x t g ener a tion is acc omplis- 462 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 hed, she v anish es fr om the sce ne, r eappearing only a t the closur e of the narr a ti- v e on the fir s t pa triar chs. 3. Characterization T o discern R ebek ah’ s piv ot al r ole, this analy sis will f ocus on her and Jac ob, who , though seemingly w eak er , ar e essen tial in passing on the Abr ahamic blessing. The narr a t or emphasiz es the signific ance of these tw o char act er s thr ough both char act eriz a tion and the use of descrip tiv e narr a tiv e modes, such as the X-qatal c ons tr uction and the dir e ct spe e ch of char act e r s, which se r v e as r e fle ctiv e nar r a- tiv e pau ses, while the r egular narrative sequence of wayyiqtol primarily g o v erns the othe r tw o char act e r s. 2 R e be k ah’ s name (He b. ה ָ ק ְ ב ִר , fr om the v e r bal r oot קבר , meaning “t o tie firmly ”) ap tly c on v e y s her s tr ong and r esilien t na tur e—a quality she demon s tr a t es not onl y a t th e time of her be tr oth al bu t al so th r ou ghou t her m ar r ie d lif e w ith Isaac. He r c har ac t e r , fir s t in tr oduc e d in G e ne sis 2 2 and fur the r de v eloped thr ough her actions in Genesis 24, has been c ompr ehensiv ely analy z ed b y T eug els (1994, 89–104). In this analy sis, I will e xplor e k e y tr aits in Genesis 24, whe r e R e be k ah is de pict e d as a div ine ag e n t, and fur the r e x amine he r r ole in Ge- nesis 25 and 27, wher e her actions adv ance the blessing t o the ne x t g ener a tion. 3.1 Gen 24: Rebekah’s Abrahamic Lineage The initial char act eriz a tion of R ebek ah disrupts the ser v an t ’ s pr a y er (Gen 24:12- 14) as she appr oaches the w ell (24:15). The narr a t or c ap tur es the r eader ’ s a tt en- tion with the in t erjection “behold” (ה ֵ נּ ִה ְו ), immedia t ely f ollo w ed b y a descrip tiv e sequence using the X-qotel structure : “R ebe k ah is c oming f orth” (תאֵצֹי הָק ְ ב ִ ר). This narr a tiv e in t errup tion e xplicitly emphasiz es her Abr ahamic lineag e: “the daugh t er of Be thue l, son of Milc ah, the wif e of A br aham’ s br othe r N ahor . ” (2 4: 15) This li- neag e, alr eady r e f er enced in her earlier in tr oduction (22:20-23), under sc or es her signific ance within the br oader narr a tiv e fr ame w ork. The verb א ָצ ָי (“t o c ome/ g o f orth”) not only aligns with the ser v an t ’ s ob ser v a ti- on tha t the city ’ s girls r outinely c ome out t o dr a w w a t er (24:13) but also r esona- t es with the ser v an t ’ s earlier quer y t o Abr aham about wha t should be done if the chosen bride r e fused t o lea v e (24:5). The ser v an t la t er emphasiz es this arr ang e- men t when r ec oun ting the e v e n t t o R ebek ah’ s f amily , r ein f or cing tha t her “ g oing out ” dir ectly c orr esponds t o his r eques t t o God (24:45). The narr a tiv e then emplo y s a nominal clause f ollo w ed b y a descriptive X-qatal phrase t o furth er char act eriz e R ebek ah: “ The girl [w as] v er y g ood-looking , a vir- 2 While the narr a tiv e plot is primarily de v eloped using the wayyiqtol form (c onjunction “ and” + v erb in pas t t ense), which depicts e v en ts un f old ing in the f or egr ound, the X-qatal (or qotel) form introduces a descrip tiv e sequence. This sequence (subject + v erb or participle in pr esen t t ense) pr o vides descrip tions or in f orma tion tha t ma y initially seem inciden t al but ar e, in f act, crucial f or under s t anding the char act er s and the ong oing e v en ts in the f or egr ound. F or a mor e de t ailed discussion of these narr a tiv e modes, see Sk a 1990; Alt er 2011. 463 Matjaž Celarc - Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God gin, and no man had kno wn her ” (24:16a:הָּע ָ דְי אֹל שׁי ִ א ְ ו הָלוּת ְ בּ דֹא ְ מ ה ֶ א ְ ר ַ מ תַבֹט ָ רֲעַנַּה ְ ו ). Her actions, on the other hand, ar e described using the wayyiqtol narrative sequence : “ and she w en t do wn, filled [the jar], and c ame up” (24:16b: א ֵ לּ ַמ ְתּ ַ ו ד ֶר ֵתּ ַ ו ל ַע ָתּ ַו ), demons tr a ting her as an activ e participan t in the s t or y . R ebek ah’ s deeds (24:17-20), 3 which align with the ser v an t ’ s r eques t f or w a t er , further es t ablis h her as a “ doer ” in the narr a tiv e, as described b y T eug els (1994, 97). Mor eo v er , she fulfils the ser v an t ’ s desir e f or a bride of Abr ahamic lineag e b y iden tif ying her self as “the daugh t er of Be thuel, the son of Milc ah, whom she bor e t o N ahor ” (G e n 2 4 : 2 4 ). R e c og nizing this as a sig n, the se r v an t bo w s do w n in w or- ship and gr a titude t o the Lor d (24:26-27). The f ocu s then shifts t o R ebek ah’ s f amily dynamics. Aft er R e bek ah runs t o in- f orm her mother (24:28), her br other Laban assumes the r ole of in viting the ser- v an t in t o their home (24:30-33). F ollo wing the ser v an t ’ s r e t elling of the e v en ts (24:34-49), Laban and Be thuel ackno wledg e the divine hand in the ma tt er , en trus t R ebek ah t o the ser v an t, and the y shar e a meal t og e ther (24:51-52). In this f ami- lial c on t e x t, R ebek ah’ s de t ermina tion t o f ollo w the divine plan is e viden t in her decisiv e declar a tion, “I will g o” (24:58: ךְ ֵל ֵא ), mirr oring Abr aham’ s r esponse t o God’ s c all in Genesis 12:1. In brie f , R ebek ah’ s willingness t o lea v e her f amily and homeland without hesi- t a tion r e in f or ce s the cen tr al motif of obedience and f aith in the Abr ahamic line - ag e. Consequen tly , she embodies k e y Abr ahamic qualities – de t ermina tion and f aith fulness – tha t ar e crucial f or f ollo wing the pa th t o God’ s blessing. 3.2 Gen 25: Rebekah defines herself before the Lord The beginning of Isaac’ s g enealogy mark s a new narr a tiv e section: “ These ar e the g e ne r a tions of Isaac” (Ge n 25: 19: תֹדְלוֹתּ הֶלּ ֵ א ְ ו ). His por tr a y al, “ and it happe ne d tha t he w as f orty y ear s old, as he t ook R ebek ah f or his wif e” (25:20: ה ָ שּׁ ִ אְל וֹל /…/ הָק ְ ב ִ ר־ת ֶ א וֹתּ ְ חַק ְ בּ הָנ ָ שׁ םי ִ עָבּ ְ ר ַ א־ןֶבּ קָח ְ צִי י ִ הְיַו) ser v es as an in tr oduction tha t r ein tr oduces R ebek ah as the daugh t er of Be thuel and the sis t er of Laban (25:20). Though the men tion of R ebek ah’ s barr enness is brie f , this narr a tiv e r e ticence is signific an t. The tw en ty - y ear period of childlessness is succinctly summariz ed in a single v er se: “Isaac w as six ty y ear s old when R ebek ah g a v e birth t o them” (25:26: םי ִ שּׁ ִ שׁ־ןֶבּ קָח ְ צִי ְ ו ם ָ תֹא ת ֶ דֶל ְ בּ הָנ ָ שׁ), minimizing its pr ominence within the narr a tiv e. Isaac’ s lov e f or R ebek ah – fir s t e xpr essed in Gen 24:67, “ and he lov ed her ” (ָה ֶב ָה ֱא ֶיּ ַו ) –c ompels him t o in t er cede f or her . Both his lo v e and his sub sequen t ac- tions ar e c on v e y ed thr ough the wayyiqtol narrative sequence. He pr a y s t o the L or d o n h er b eh al f , an d th e L or d r esp o n d s t o h i s p r a y er: “ An d Isaac en tr ea t ed th e Lor d f or his w if e , and the Lor d w as e n t r e a t e d b y him ” (G e n 2 5 : 2 1 : / הוהי וֹל ר ֶת ָע ֵ יּ ַו וֹתּ ְ שׁ ִ א חַכֹנְל הוהיַל קָח ְ צִי ר ַ תּ ְ עֶיַּו ). This f oc us on div ine in t e r v e n tion unde r sc or e s t he c e n- 3 Her fir s t w or ds of w elc oming “ drink” ar e f ollo w ed b y a s tring of actions “ she has t ed, and lo w er ed her jar t o her hand, and g a v e him a drink (Gen 24:18). Similarly , her pr omise “I will dr a w w a t er f or y our c amels” (24:19) ar e f ollo w ed b y action “ she has t ed, and emp tied her pit cher in t o the tr ough, and r an ag ain un t o the w ell t o dr a w w a t er , and dr e w (24:20). 464 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 tr ality of God’ s blessing in ensuring the c on tinua tion of Abr aham’ s lineag e thr ou- gh the ne xt g ener a tion. His pr a y er and the narr a tiv e descrip tion of the difficult pr egnancy ar e in t ertwined b y v erb s in wayyiqtol thus forming a narrative sequen- ce (25: 21: “ and he pr a y e d/ and she c once iv e d, ” [ר ַתּ ְע ֶ יּ ַו / ר ַה ַתּ ַו ] ; Ge n 25: 22: “ and the childr en s trug gled t og e ther ” [וּ צ ֲ צ ֹֽ ר ְת ִ יּ ַ ו ] ). In this situa tion , R ebek ah c omes t o the f or e when the childr e n s trug gle within her w omb. Her ques tion, “If this is happening , wh y this (t o) me? ” (25:22: ןֵכּ־ם ִ א י ִכ ֹנ ָא ה ֶזּ ה ָמּ ָל ), is ambiguous, r e flecting either her pain and doub t or her desir e t o under s t and how t o act. Import an tly , R ebek ah, pr e viously portr a y ed as s tr ong , now r e v eals her gr ea tness b y being the fir s t t o seek the Lor d’ s guidance, thus finding God’ s pu rpose f or her lif e. Mor eo v er , the c omparison of the similar ques tion po- se d in diff e r e n t c r uc ial situa tion (e xpr e sse d b y R e be k ah but also Esau), sho w s the gr ea tness of her char act er . Gen. 25:22 י ִ כֹנ ָ א הֶזּ ה ָ מָּל ןֵכּ־ם ִ א “If so , why that , I am/ “If so , why is this happening t o me? ” Gen. 25:30 םֹד ָ אָה םֹד ָ אָה־ן ִ מ אָנ יִנ ֵ טי ִ עְלַה ה ֶזּ ַה י ִ כֹנ ָ א ףֵיָע י ִ כּ “Please le t me ha v e a s w allo w of tha t r ed s tuff , f or I am f ain t. ” Gen. 25:32 ךְֵלוֹה י ִ כֹנ ָ א הֵנּ ִ ה תוּמָל ׃ה ֽ ָר ֹ כ ְבּ יִל הֶזּ־ה ָ מָּל ְ ו “Behold, I am about/ g oing t o die; so of what use then is the birthright t o me? ” Gen 27:45 ד ָֽ ח ֶ א םוֹי םֶכיֵנ ְ שׁ־םַגּ לַכּ ְ שׁ ֶ א ה ָ מָל “ Wh y should I be ber ea v ed of y ou both in one da y? ” Gen 27:46 תֵח־תוֹ ֽ נ ְ בּ ִ מ ה ָ שּׁ ִ א בֹקֲעַי ַחֵקלֹ־ם ִ א ץ ֶ ר ָ אָה תוֹנ ְ בּ ִ מ הֶלּ ֵ אָכּ ם י ִיּ ַח יִלּ ה ָ מָּל “if Jac ob t ak es a wif e fr om the daugh t er s of He th, lik e these, fr om the daugh t er s of the land, what good will m y lif e be t o me? ” Table 1: Comparison of the use of personal pronouns and questions in the narrative. R ebek ah does not de fine her self on her o wn t erms, as Esau does (Gen 25:30: being f ain t, Gen 25:32: g oing t o die), but r a ther se ts her self in a sear ch f or the Lor d (Gen 25:22: “ And she w en t t o sear ch f or the Lor d” [הוהי־ת ֶ א שׁ ֹר ְד ִל ךְ ֶל ֵתּ ַו ]). Only when she tries t o sa v e Jac ob, she uses this phr asing as an emotional means t o c on vince both Jac ob t o flee t o Laban as w ell as Isaac t o send him aw a y t o his br other -in-la w . 4 B y this mov e she dis tinguishes her self fr om all pr e vious char act er s using a per sonal pr onoun f or de fying oneself or his own actions (Gen 3:10). 5 4 R ebek ah, kno wing tha t Esau plans t o kill Jac ob, she uses emotional, e xis t en tial and socio-r eligious ar gu- men t t o c on vince Jac ob t o flee and Isaac t o send Jac ob a w a y t o Laban. She tries t o sho w ho w poin tless h er l i f e w o u l d b e, i f sh e w o u l d l o se b o th so n s ( Gen 27:45) an d i f Jac o b w o u l d t ak e a wi f e f r o m He th ’ s daugh t er s as Esau did. (27:46). 5 The use of fir s t per sonal pr onoun has usually a neg a tiv e c onnot a tion: Adam hides himself as he is nak ed (Gen 3:10: י ִכ ֹנ ָא ם ֹר י ֵע ); Cain does not c ar e f or his br other (Gen 4:9: י ִכ ֹֽנ ָא י ִח ָא ר ֵמ ֹשׁ ֲה ); Abr am yields as child - less t o the Lor d (15:2: י ִ רי ִ רֲע ךְֵלוֹה י ִ כֹנ ָ א ְ ו ) and Sar a jealously c omplain ts t o Abr am tha t she g a v e him her ser v an t (16:5: ךֶָ קיֵ ח ְ בּ י ִ תָ ח ְ פ ִ שׁ י ִ תּ ַ תָנ י ִ כֹנ ָ א ). Hag ar flees fr om her mis tr ess (16:8: ת ַח ַר ֹבּ י ִכ ֹנ ָא ). Abr aham and Abimelech sw ear t o one another t o s tipula t e an alliance aft er they both chea t ed on one another 465 Matjaž Celarc - Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God R ebek ah’ s sear ch f or God is akin t o Abr aham’ s appr oach t o God (18:27), y e t she surpasses him in her pur suit of divine under s t anding (25:22), a s t ance la t er a ttri- but ed t o Moses (Ex o 18:15: “the people c ome t o me t o inquir e of God” [י ַל ֵא אֹ בָי םי ִ הלֱֹא שׁ ֹר ְד ִל ם ָע ָה ]). R ebek ah’ s enc oun t er with the divine, mark ed b y the pr ophe tic or acle, is crucial f or under s t anding her r ole within her f amily and be f or e God. The or acle, e xpr esse d enigma tic ally (Gen 25:23), f or e t ells the futu r e of her twin sons and the na tions the y will lead: “ T w o na tions ar e in y our w omb; and tw o peoples shall be separ a t ed fr om y our body; and one people shall be s tr ong er than the other; and the older shall ser v e the y oung er . ” While the pr ophecy c ould be in t erpr e t ed in multiple w a y s (Ei chler 2019, 584– 593), R ebek ah r ela t es it t o her unborn twins (Gen 25:24), se tting the s t ag e f or the narr a tiv e’ s ir on y and the un f olding logic of God’ s plan. The de t ailed descrip tion of the twins, Esau and Jac ob, allo w s the r eader t o gr asp the s ymbolic and politic al signific ance of the s trug gle be tw een E dom and Isr ael (Alt er 1996, 126). Within this c on t e x t, the narr a tiv e r e v eals the logic of God’ s plan, wher e the y oung er son will pr e v ail o v er the elder . The c on tr as ting descrip tions of Esau and Jac ob, along with the narr a tiv e t ech- niques emplo y ed, build the r eader ’ s in t er es t and s ympa th y t o w ar d Jac ob, who is des tined t o c arry on the Abr ahamic blessing. Esau’ s char act eriz a tion unf olds within a wayyiqtol narrative sequence , emphasizing his appear ance and actions: “ And the fir s t c ame out r ed, and the y c alled his name Esau” (Gen 25:25: וּא ְ ר ְ קִיַּו / אֵצֵיַּו ). In c on tr as t, Jac ob’ s in tr oduction in t errup ts this sequence with an X-qatal con- struction, dr a wing a tt en tion t o his s ymbolic g es tur e of gr aspin g Esau’ s heel: “ and his hand had hold on the heel of Esau” (25:26:ו ָ שֵׂע בֵקֲעַבּ תֶזֶחֹא וֹדָי ְ ו וי ִ ח ָ א אָצָי ןֵכ־י ֵ רֲח ַ א ְ ו ). This act f or eshado w s Jac ob’ s la t er s trug gles t o ob t ain the blessing , highligh ting his r ole as one who mus t “ gr asp” and e v en wr es tle with God t o secur e his place as the bear er of the Abr ahamic pr omise. In t er es tingly , Jac ob’ s naming – marking his en tr y in t o the social w orld – is e xpr essed in a wayyiqtol form, par alleling Esau’ s earlier naming: “ and the y c alled his name Jac ob” (25:26:בֹקֲעַי וֹמ ְ שׁ א ָ ר ְ ק ִיַּו ). The an tipa th y t o w ar d Esau is further de v eloped thr ough the wayyiqtol narra- tive sequence tha t pr esen ts him as “ a man skilled in hun ting and a man of the fie ld” (25: 27: ה ֶ ד ָ שׂ שׁי ִ א דִיַצ ַע ֵ דֹי שׁי ִ א ו ָ שֵׂע י ִ הְיַו), c on tr as ting with the descriptive X-qotel phr ase depicting Jac ob as “ a si mple man, dw elling in t en ts” (25:27: ם ָתּ שׁ י ִא ב ֹקֲעַי ְו ). The narr a t or sub tly f a v or s Jac ob, the “ c omple t e, simple, quie t, blameless home- (21:24.26: י ִתּ ְע ַמ ָשׁ אֹ ל י ִכ ֹנ ָא / ַע ֽ ֵב ָשּׁ ִא י ִכ ֹנ ָא ). Ma ybe , being humble is the righ t pos tur e of a man either be f or e the Lor d or in fr on t of a man, as is enact ed b y Abr aham, who de fines himself as dus t and ashes be f or e the Lor d (18:27: ר ֶפ ֵא ָו ר ָפ ָע י ִכ ֹנ ָא ְו ) and as a s tr ang er and sojourner be f or e He th ( 23:4: י ִכ ֹנ ָא ב ָ שׁוֹת ְ ו־רֵגּ ). A t Be thuel’ s house the per son’ s s t ance is firmer and thus the per sonal pr onoun is mor e fr equen tly used (24:24.27.31.34.37). 466 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 boy , ” whose in t egrity r esembles tha t of Job (Job 1:1), while la t er dir ectly c on- de m ning Esa u f or “ spur ning his bir t hr ig h t ” (Ha m ilt on 1 9 9 5 , 1 8 1 –1 8 2 ; A lt e r 1 9 9 6 , 128). The di ff er ence be tw een the “ smooth” Jac ob an d the “ hai r y ” Esau, r e v eal ed la t er in the narr a tiv e (Gen 27:11), necessit a t es a disguise, with Jac ob w earing Esau’ s clothes and using animal skins t o mimic Esau’ s hun ting actions. This will pr esen t a piv ot al momen t, as Jac ob will not only gr asp Esau’ s heel but also seiz e his birthrigh t and blessing (27:36). The narr a tiv e then pr esen ts the par en ts’ pr e f er ences: Isaac’ s lov e f or Esau is c on- v e y ed thr ough a wayyiqtol form (25:28: “ And Isaac lov ed Esau” [ו ָ שֵׂע־ת ֶ א קָח ְ צִי בַהֱאֶיַּו ]), but this lov e is c onditional, based on Esau’ s ability t o pr ovide him with hun t ed g ame (25:28: “bec ause he had a g ame w as in his mouth” [ו י ִפ ְבּ דִיַצ־י ִ כּ ]). This indic a t es how de pe nde n t Isaac w as on his son (Goodnick 1995, 223; A lt e r 1996, 128; Ma t alon 2008, 245). In c on tr as t, R ebek ah’ s lov e f or Jac ob is described using an X-qotel form , indic a ting an unc onditional and c ons t an t lov e, lik ely r oot ed in the divine pr ophecy (Gen 25:28: “R ebek ah lov ed Jac ob” [ב ֹקֲעַי־ת ֶ א ת ֶב ֶה ֹא ה ָ ק ְ ב ִר ְ ו ] ), as Ma t alon notices (Ma- t alon 2008, 246). The r eader is me t with a crucial poin t. This se ts the s t ag e f or the subsequen t narr a tiv e, wher e the s tr ong er duo of Isaac and Esau will be challeng ed by R ebek ah’ s un w a v ering belie f in the divine plan, which f a v our s Jac ob. The narr a tiv e f or eshado w s ho w Jac ob will g ain the s t a tus of the fir s tborn and ev entually r eceiv e his f a ther ’ s blessing. The narr a t or in t en tionally pla y s with w or ds, depicting Jac ob as one who “ c ook s, boils, acts pr esumptuously ” (Gen 25:29: דֶזָיַּו ) and Esau as one who “hun ts g ame” (25:28: ד ִי ַצ ), ther eb y in v erting the positions of the tw o br other s. Esau, initially pr esen t ed as a s tr ong hun t er , is ir o- nic ally le ft without f ood, while Jac ob is the one pr eparing it (Hamilt on 1995, 182). Mor eo v er , Esau is r e v ealed t o be w eak and shortsigh t ed, tr ading his birthrigh t f or a simple meal, “tha t r ed s tuff ” (25:30: ה ֶזּ ַה ם ֹד ָא ָה ), due t o an e x ag g er a t ed f ear of dea th, “wha t use then is the birthrigh t t o me? ” (25:32:ה ָ רֹכ ְ בּ יִל הֶזּ־ה ָ מָּל ). This im- pulsiv e act r ender s Esau un w orth y of c arr ying the Abr ahamic blessing (Alt er 1996, 129), a f ailur e further emphasi z ed b y his marriag e t o Hittit e w omen (Gen 26:34- 35). How e v er , Jac ob mus t s till find a w a y t o g ain his f a ther ’ s r ec ognition of his s t a tus as the fir s tborn and r eceiv e his blessing. 6 T o sum up, R ebek ah’ s r ole in Genesis 25 is crucial as she e x emplifies how t o na vig a t e lif e’ s challeng es thr ough seeking divine guidance. Her e x ample of f aith and und er s t and ing is passed on t o Jac ob, who , thr ough his though tful and de t er- mine d appr oach, se cur e s Esau’ s bir thr igh t f or himse lf and positions himse lf f a v o- r ably f or the futur e. 3.3 Gen 27: Rebekah’s agency in God’s plans The narr a tiv e of Genesis 27 begins with the arr ang emen t of the blessing be tw een Isaac and Esau, mark ed b y a wayyiqtol sequence tha t emphasiz es the un f olding 6 In t er es tingly , the Book of Jubilees in t er pr e ts the e v en ts f a v oring Jac ob, since alr eady Abr aham himself sa w the e vil deeds of Esau and has blessed Jac ob as the futur e holder of the blessing (Zuck er 2019, 74–79). 467 Matjaž Celarc - Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God of e v en ts (Gen 27:1: “ And it c ame t o pass/ and his e y es w er e dimmed/ and he c alled/ and he said” [ א ָר ְק ִ יּ ַ ו /ר ֶמ אֹ יּ ַו / י ִה ְי ו / ָ ן י ֶה ְכ ִתּ ַ ו ]). This sequence is driv en b y Isaac’ s desir e t o secur e a blessing f or Esau thr ough the pr epar a tion of a hun t ed g ame (27:1-4). Some scholar s, such as R eiss (2004, 93–94), ar gue tha t Isaac’ s actions ar e in fluenced b y his tr auma tic e xperience during the Ak edah (binding), sug g es ting tha t he seek s c onsola tion in this momen t b y r eenacting the scenario , albeit with Esau in the r ole of the pr o vider of the sacrificial meal. Other s, lik e Hyman (2005, 61–64), off er a diff er en t per spectiv e on Isaac’ s motiv a tions. The narr a tiv e sequence in wayyiqtol , describing Esau’ s departur e t o the field t o hun t – “ and Esau w en t t o the field” (Gen 27:5: ה ֶד ָשּׂ ַה ו ָשׂ ֵע ךְ ֶלֵיּ ַו ) – is abrup tly in- t errup t ed b y an X-qatal as R ebek ah secr e tly lis t ens t o the c on v er sa tion: “ and R e- bek ah w as lis t e ning while Isaac w as speaking ” (27:5: ק ָח ְצ ִי ר ֵבּ ַד ְבּ ת ַע ַמ ֹשׁ ה ָ ק ְ ב ִר ְ ו ). This shift fr om wayyiqtol to X-qatal mark s a piv ot al narr a tiv e tr ansition, mo ving fr om Isaac’ s c o v ert plan t o R ebek ah’ s decisiv e in t er v en tion. Unlik e Sar ah, who o v erhe- ar d the c on v er sa tion be tw een Abr aham and his gues ts and laughed secr e tly within the t en t (18:13.15), R ebek ah, upon hearing the discussion betw een Isaac and Esau, gr asp s the necessity f or immedia t e and decisiv e action. The X-qatal con- s truction c on tinues as R ebek ah r e v eals Isaac’ s plan t o Jac ob: “R ebek ah said t o Jac ob” (27:6: ב ֹקֲעַי־ל ֶ א ה ָר ְמ ֽ ָא ה ָ ק ְ ב ִר ְ ו ), f ollo w ed b y her ur g en t c ommand: “No w , m y so n , l i s t en t o m y v o i ce” (27:8: י ִל ֹק ְבּ ע ַמ ְשׁ י ִנ ְב ה ָתּ ַע ְו ). Th e s tru ctu r e o f h er c o mman d under sc or es its ur g ency and R ebek ah’ s per sonal authority o v er Jac ob. This is c on- v e y ed thr ough (1) the t empor al adv erb “no w , ” (2) the v oc a tiv e “m y son, ” and (3) the imper a tiv e “lis t en t o m y v oice, ” f orming a pa tt ern of authorit a tiv e speech tha t demands obedience. Furthermor e, R ebek ah s tr a t egic ally r ein f or ces Jac ob’ s c on- nection t o Isaac by c onsis t en tly r e f erring t o Isaac as “y our f a ther ” (27:6.9-10.12.14) and t o Esau as “y our br other ” (27:6.11). Deliber a t ely omitting an y men tion of Esau’ s hun ting , R ebek ah r e fr ames the si- tua tion b y emphasizing tha t the blessing is t o be r eceiv ed in the pr esence of God (Gen 27:7). B y doing so , she per sonally in v olv es Jac ob in her plan t o secur e the ble ssing (H am ilt on 1 9 9 5 , 2 1 5 –2 1 6 ). N ot a bly , t he nar r a tiv e un f olds in div ide d sc e- nes wher e the tw o br other s ne v er mee t dir ectly but act solely under their par en ts’ i n s tru ctio n s (Gi u n t o l i 2013, 139–140). R eb ek ah t ak es an activ e r o l e i n e x ecu tin g the plan. Her de t ermina tion is emphasiz ed using the yiqtol (imperfect) tense with cohortative force in the phr ase “I will pr epar e a sa v or y dish” (Gen 27:9: ם ָת ֹא ה ֶשׂ ֱ ע ֶא ְו ךָ י ִב ָא ְל ם י ִמּ ַע ְט ַמ ), 7 indic a ting her deliber a t e in t en tion t o see the plan thr ough. Addi- tionally , her willingness t o accep t the pot en tial cur se (Gen 27:13; f or the deceit of the blind, see Le v 19:14; Deut 27:18) r esulting fr om their decep tion (Gen 27:8- 10; 27:1 4-24) fu rther illus tr a t es both her r esolut e char act er and her belie f in the pr ophecy r eceiv ed during her pr egnancy (V ečk o 2014, 153; Giun t oli 2013, 140). Ho w e v er , some additional f act or s mus t be c onsider ed. Fir s t, the narr a tiv e cle- ar ly pr e se n ts the div ine pr ophe cy g iv e n t o R e be k ah (Ge n 2 5: 2 3) and Esau’ s r e je c- tion of his birthrigh t (25:34) as in fluences on the final out c ome. As T s ymbalyuk 7 F or asp ect s of mood and modality se e G ian t o 1998, 183–198. 468 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 and Melnik (2020, 3) not e, R ebek ah’ s actions do not s t em fr om a dislik e of Esau – e viden ced b y her pr eser v a tion of his clothing – but r a ther fr om her under s t an- ding tha t Esau has f ailed t o app r ecia t e the v alue of the f amily tr adition and bles - sing , which has br ough t grie f t o both par en ts (Gen 26:34-35). Sec ond, as Giun t o- li (2013, 140–141) ob ser v es, ther e is an elemen t of ir on y in the narr a tiv e f or the Isr aelit e audience, who migh t f eel s ympa th y f or Jac ob despit e the mor al dilemmas pr esen t ed. Thir d, ther e ar e c onsequences f or both R ebek ah and Jac ob, as not ed b y Da vis (2008, 91). R ebek ah ne v er sees Jac ob ag ain a ft er he lea v es f or P adan- -Ar am, and Jac ob mus t endur e the r eper cussions of his actions, including tw en ty y ear s of difficult e xile. R ebek ah, c on vinced of the righ t eousness of her actions, does not per ceiv e them as decei t but as a necessar y ful fil men t of God’ s pl an (Goodni ck 1995, 225). Thi s is no t an act of r e v eng e ag ains t Isaac f or his earlier decep tion in Ger ar but r a ther a plan t o ensur e the enactmen t of God’ s plan, as r e v ealed t o her during her pr e- gnancy (Gen 25:22). Once R ebek ah’ s de t ermina tion is es t ablished, the narr a tiv e accelerates into a wayyiqtol sequence as Jac ob and R ebek ah w ork t og e ther t o e x ecut e the plan. The y pr epar e the dish and br ead f or Isaac (27:14: “ And he w en t, and f e t ched, and br ough t [ א ֵב ָיּ ַו ח ַקּ ִיּ ַו ךְ ֶלֵיּ ַו ]/ and she made” [27:17 ;שׂ ַע ַתּ ַו ]: “ and she g a v e ” [ ן ֵתּ ִתּ ַ ו ] ) a nd disg uise J a c ob using Esa u’ s c lot hing (2 7 : 1 5 : “ a nd R e be k a h t ook ” [ה ָ ק ְ ב ִר ח ַקּ ִתּ ַ ו ] “ and dr essed” [שׁ ֵבּ ְל ַתּ ַו ]) and the skins of the kids t o c o v er his hands and shoulder s (27:16). While Isaac, r elying on his f ailing senses (sigh t) and disr eg ar ding his s tr ong er senses (hearing , odour , and ins tinct), mis t ak enly blesses Jac ob, R e- bek ah r emains firm in her c on viction tha t this action is in the bes t in t er es t of their f amily and in acc or dance with God’ s will. While R ebek ah’ s plan seems t o succeed, the r e is s till a nar r a tiv e suspe nse be f or e the ble ssing w ill be im par t e d (2 7 : 2 7 -2 9 ), as Giun t oli (2013, 142) notices. R e flecting on this narr a tiv e, it bec omes eviden t tha t the theme of divine t es ting , pr e viously seen in Abr aham’ s binding of Isaac, no w e x t ends t o the f amily dyna- mi cs. Isaac, c o n s tr ai n ed b y c o n v en tio n s an d h i s a tt ach men t t o E sau , f ai l s t o gr asp the br oader di vi ne pl an. In c on tr as t, R ebek ah, guided b y the pr ophe tic r e v el a tion she r eceiv e d during he r pr egnancy , t ak e s on the r esponsibility of fulfilling God’ s plan, e v en a t the risk of losing both sons. The narr a tiv e does not f ocus on the mo- r ality of R ebek ah’ s actions but on the fulfilmen t of a gr ea t er g ood: the c on tinua- tion of God’ s plan thr ough Jac ob, the appoin t ed heir (Ma t alon 2008, 249). Biblic al logic sug g es ts tha t the wick ed will ultima t ely aliena t e themselv es (P s 58:3-4), and her e, the narr a tiv e illus tr a t es ho w the blessing is tr ans f err ed t o the deser ving in- dividual despit e c omple x cir cums t ances (F ass 1992, 372). While Abr aham’ s blessing had a univ er sal sc ope – “in y our seed, all the na tions of the e arth shall be blessed” (Gen 22:18) – the blessing Isaac c on f er s on Jac ob is mor e individualis tic, emphasizing the dominance of one na tion o v e r other s and the impact of the blessing or cur se on those who in t er act with Jac ob (27:29). This f ocus r e flects the initial pr ophecy (25:23) r eg ar ding the des tinies of Jac ob and Esau. Isaac’ s declar a tion t o Esau – “I blessed him, and he shall be blessed” (27:33) – ind ic a t es tha t the blessing w as irr e v oc able and aligned with God’ s plan. Ho w e - 469 Matjaž Celarc - Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God v er , due t o the narr o w sc ope of this blessing , no additional bl essing of equal ma- gnitude c ould be giv en t o Esau. Ins t ead, he r eceiv es a sec ondary blessing tha t r esembles a cur se: he will liv e b y the s w or d and ser v e his br other , although he will e v en tually br eak fr ee fr om Jac ob’ s dominion (27:40). This out c ome under s- c or es the necessity f or a mor e c ompr ehensiv e under s t anding of the blessing , which Isaac will sub sequen tly bes t o w upon Jac ob. In summar y , R ebek ah’ s de t ermina tion t o fulfil the divine pr ophecy is e viden t in her s tr a t egic planning , which includes employing deception t o ensur e tha t Isaac’ s blessing is righ tly c on f err ed upon Jac ob. 3.4 Gen 27: Rebekah’s Role in the Family The deceit engineer ed b y R ebek ah trig g er s Esau’ s r ag e and his plan t o kill Jac ob (Gen 27:41). Once mor e, R ebek ah bec omes a w ar e of the situa tion. The narr a t or ’ s use of the passiv e f orm “it w as r eport ed t o R ebek ah” (27:42: ד ַגֻּיּ ַו ) sug g es ts not div ine in t e r v e n tion nor e a v e sdr opping , but r a the r unde r sc or e s R e be k ah’ s c e n tr al and authorit a tiv e r ole within the f amily . This section of the narr a tiv e is s tructur ed with a specific rhe t oric al fr ame w ork: Gen 27:41-42: In tr oduction of the plot Gen 27:42-45: R ebek ah in f orms Jac ob and sends him t o Laban Gen 27:46: R ebek ah c omplains t o Isaac Gen 28:1-5: Isaac’ s c ommand and blessing of Jac ob Gen 28:6-9: Esau’ s r eaction b y marr ying Ishmael’ s daugh t er R ebek ah functio ns as a wise media t or be tw een the men in her f amily . Initially , she in t er v enes be tw een the elder and the y oung er son. Under s t anding the ur g en- cy of the situa tion, she acts s wiftly , emplo ying a series of imp er a tiv e v erb s: “ sen- ds, ” “ c alls, ” and “ sa y s” (Gen 27:42:ר ֶמאֹ תַּו א ָ ר ְק ִ תַּו ח ַל ְ שׁ ִ תַּו ). She dir ectly c ommunic a t es Esau’ s plan t o Jac ob, using the particle “behold” t o emphasiz e the immediacy of the thr ea t (27:42:ה ֵ נּ ִה ). R ebek ah, as she has done be f or e, ur g es Jac ob once ag ain t o heed her v oi ce, emphasizing the ur g ency of the situa tion and the need f or im- media t e action b y using (1) the t empor al adv erb “no w ” (27:43: 2) ,(ה ָתּ ַע ) the v o- c a tiv e “m y son, ” (27:43: י ִנ ְב ) and (3) the per sonal emphasis on the v erb of per cep- tion “hear m y v oice” (27:43: י ִל ֹק ְבּ ע ַמ ְשׁ ), f ollo w ed b y a series of v erb s of motion: “ g e t up, flee, hide y our self ” (27:43: ךָל־ח ַ ר ְ בּ םוּק ). Her languag e is dir ect and autho- rit a tiv e, under sc oring her ur g ency and c oncern f or Jac ob’ s sa f e ty . R ebek ah’ s hones ty with Jac ob is eviden t as she a ttribut es Esau’ s wr a th t o Jac ob’ s deceit: “wha t y ou ha v e done t o him” (27:45: וֹלּ ָ תי ִ שָׂע). She ackno wledg es tha t Ja- c ob will f ace c onsequences f or his actions, jus t as she will f ace her o wn, giv en tha t she will ne v er see Jac ob ag ain despit e her hope t o see him r e turn a ft er Esau’ s ang er sub si des (27:44-45). R ebek ah’ s r ol e as a medi a t or c on tinues as she sub tly per suades Isaac t o send Jac ob a w a y t o her br other Laban (27:46), b y lamen ting Esau’ s choice of Hittit e wiv es, which she pr esen ts as a c ommon grie v ance (26:35). 470 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 Isaac, in r esponse t o her indir ect sug g es tion, c alls Jac ob, blesses him, and c om- mands him not t o marry a Canaanit e w oman but t o g o t o Har an (28:1), using another series of imper a tiv e v erb s: “rise, g o , t ak e f or y our self ” (28:2: ־ ח ַק ְו ךְֵל םוּק ךָ ְל ). This part, while cert ainly r e flecting r edactional chang es, narr a tiv ely in tr oduces the tr anquillity o v er the c on flict, wher e Isaac’ s f a therly r ole emer g es upon both his sons, who obe y his or der s. (Giun t oli 2013, 148–149) A t the momen t of Jac ob’ s departur e, Isaac blesses him once mor e, this time e xpanding the blessing t o include fruitfulness and multiplic a tion, so tha t Jac ob wi l l b ec o me a c o mmu n i ty o f n a tio n s an d i n h eri t th e l an d p r o mi sed t o Ab r ah am (Gen 28:3-4). This blessing mark s a shift fr om the individualis tic per spectiv e of Genesis 27:29, wher e the f ocu s w as on Jac ob’ s dominance o v er his br other s and other na tions, t o a mor e univ er sal per spectiv e, wher e Jac ob’ s lineag e is seen as the assembly of na tions (Gen 28:3; similarly echoed in 35:11; 48:4). The narr a t or then c oncludes with Esau’ s r esponse. R e flecting on Isaac’ s blessing and c ommand t o Jac ob, Esau r ealiz es his f a ther ’ s disappr o v al of his Canaanit e wi- v es. In an a tt em p t t o r emedy the situa tion, Esau marries one of Ishmael’ s daugh- t er s (28:6-9). Ho w e v er , the narr a tiv e f ocus shifts a w a y fr om Esau as the plot no w cen t er s on Jac ob, indic a ting tha t R ebek ah’ s r ole in the narr a tiv e has been fulfilled. Her las t men tion occur s a t the end of Jac ob’ s cy cle when Jac ob, be f or e his dea th, ble sse s his sons and not e s tha t he w as bur ie d w ith R e be k ah in the Ca v e of Mac h- pel ah (49:31). As Qu esada (2018, 563) ob ser v es, th i s men tion “ si gn al s th e c om- ple tion of the f ounda tional phase of the Genesis Ances t or s t ories” . In summar y , R e bek ah, guided b y her deep r ela tionship with God and her k een und er s t an di ng of her f ami l y ’ s dynami cs, emer g es as a wi se an d pr oactiv e f or ce i n God’ s plan. Ins t ead of adhering t o c on v en tional pr actices, she discerns and acts upon the deeper , divine in t en tions, demons tr a ting her un w a v ering c ommitmen t t o the blessings mean t f or those de v ot ed t o lif e, f amily , and God. 4. Biblical Echoes R ebek ah is portr a y ed as a figur e of f aith, righ t eousness, and wisdom, whose r ole as a chosen ag en t of God is r e flect ed in v arious typologic al c onnections with other biblic al figur es, particularly Abr aham and cert ain w omen in the Old T es t amen t. This sec tion wil l e xplor e these c onnections b y f ocusing on (a) the c all, (b) pr a y er , and (c) pr omise and c o v enan t, dr a wing out the signific an t par allels be tw een R e- bek ah and these other figur es. 4.1 Abraham The typologic al c onnection be tw een R ebek ah and Abr aham is pr of ound. This c on- nection is e viden t in se v er al aspects of their narr a tiv es, particularly in their r e- sponses t o divine c alls, their pr actice of pr a y er , and their r oles in the un f olding of God’ s pr omises and c o v enan t. 471 Matjaž Celarc - Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God Call The c orr espond ence be tw een God’ s c all t o Abr aham and R ebek ah’ s r esponse t o her cir cums t ances is s triking. God’ s c ommand t o Abr aham, “ Go f orth” (ךְָל־ךְֶל ) fr om y our c oun tr y , fr om y our r ela tiv es, and fr om y our f a ther ’ s house t o the land which I will show y ou” (Gen 12:1), is in t ertwined with the pr omise of making Abr aham in t o a gr ea t na tion. Abr aham’ s obedience is immedia t e; he departs without hesit a tion. In c on tr as t, R ebek ah’ s departur e fr om her home in v olv es a sub tle but decisiv e t es t of whe ther she is divinely appoin t ed. This t es t is enc ap sula t ed in the actions of the ser v an t, who , a ft er a pr a y erful enc oun t er , r ec ogn i z es R ebek ah ’ s hospi t al i ty – off ering w at er t o both him and his camels – as a sign of God’ s choice. The ser v an t ’ s pr a y er and R ebek ah’ s f amily ’ s r ec ognition of the divine or ches tr a tion, as r e v ealed in Gen 24:50: “ The ma tt er c omes fr om the Lor d, ” culmina t es in a bles- sing: “Ma y y ou, our sis t er , bec ome thousands of t en thousands, and ma y y our descendan ts possess the g a t e of those who ha t e them. ” (24:60) How ev er , the mos t de cisiv e mome n t is R e be k ah’ s o wn de clar a tion, “I will g o” (24: 58: ךְ ֽ ֵל ֵא ), whi- ch mirr or s Abr aham’ s r eadiness t o f ollo w God’ s c all. R ebek ah’ s decision is ar gua- bly e v en gr ea t er , as she acts on sub tle hin ts thr ough human ag ency r a ther than a dir ect divine pr omise, y e t she fully embr aces the r ole God has pr epar ed f or her . Prayer Abr aham is portr a y ed as a righ t eous man of f aith (Gen 15:6), whose r ela tionship with God is mark ed by c ons t an t in t er action, not only a t his initial c all (12:1ff .; 22:1ff .) but also a t v arious s t ag es of c o v enan t al pr omise (15:1 ff .; 17:1ff .; 18:1ff .). Not ab l y , a t th e b ri n k o f S o d o m an d Go mo rr ah ’ s d es tru ctio n , Ab r ah am i n t er ced es with God on be half of the pe ople (1 8: 22-3 3). This in t e r c e ssion is mar k e d b y the v erb of mo v emen t “he appr oached” (שׁ ַגּ ִיַּו ) and the sub sequen t dialogue “he said” (ר ַמ אֹ יּ ַו ) in Gen 18:23, demons tr a ting Abr aham’ s pr oactiv e eng ag emen t with God. R e bek ah, on the othe r hand, during he r pr e gnancy , also se e k s divine guidance due t o the s trug gle within her w omb. The narr a tiv e use s the phr ase “ she w e n t t o inquir e of the Lor d” (25:22: הוהי־ת ֶ א שׁ ֹר ְד ִל ךְ ֶל ֵתּ ַו ), which par allels Abr aham’ s appr o- ach t o Go d b u t i s u n i q u el y p r o f o u n d as i t mark s a w o man ’ s u n p r eced en t ed d i r ect r ela tionship with God thr ough pr a y er . R eiss (2004, 95) highligh ts this momen t as a signific an t displa y of R ebek ah’ s f aith, sho wing her willingness t o c on fr on t and seek under s t anding fr om God in a manner similar t o Abr aham. Promise and Covenant A br aham is undoub t e dly the pr ot oty pe of God’ s pr omise and c o v e nan t. His c all is dir ectly link ed t o a pr omise tha t ser v es as the f ounda tion of the c o v enan t, whe- r ein God pledg es t o mak e Abr aham in t o a gr ea t na tion and t o bless all peoples thr ough him (Gen 12:2-3). This c o v enan t is la t er r ea ffirmed thr ough numer ous descendan ts (13:14-17), the es t ablishmen t of a f ormal c o v enan t (15:1-20), and s ymbolic ally mark ed b y the chang e of name and cir cumcision (17:2; 12-14). R ebek ah, while not the primar y r ecipien t of the c o v enan t, pl a y s a crucial r ole in its c on tinua tion. The pr omise she r eceiv es, which emphasiz es the c o v enan t ’ s 472 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 futur e thr ough her sons, particularly Jac ob (Gen 25:23), mirr or s the c o v enan t al blessings giv en t o Abr aham. The blessing R ebek ah r eceiv es fr om her f amily (24:60), echoes the c o v enan t al blessing bes t o w ed upon Abr aham a ft er the binding of Is- aac (22:17b), further solidif ying the typologic al c onnection be tw een R ebek ah and Abr aham (Quesada 2018, 561). 4.2 Echoes in the Old Testament R ebek ah’ s r ole as a divine ag en t is r e flect ed in the actions of other w omen in the Old T es t amen t, who , lik e her , act in unc on v en tional w a y s t o ensur e the c on tinu- a tion of God’ s plan. T amar , f or ins t ance, secur es her righ tful place within Judah’ s l i n eag e b y t aki ng b ol d an d u nc on v en tional s t ep s, echo i n g R eb ek ah’ s d e t ermi na- tion t o fulfil God’ s pr omise. In Genesis 38, T amar is initially denied her righ tful position as the mother of Judah’ s heir when Shelah is withheld fr om her . Under s t andin g the c o v enan t al si - gnific ance of securing off spring within Judah’ s line, T amar disguises her self t o ensur e her unio n with Judah. This act, though unc on v en tion al, is vit al in pr eser- ving the line of Judah, much lik e R ebek ah’ s actions ensur e the c on tinua tion of the Abr ahamic blessing. Wisdom lit er a tur e, particularl y in the Book of Pr o v erb s, also echoes R ebek ah’ s r ole b y e x t olling the virtues of a wise wif e within the househ old. Pr o v erb s 19:14 s t a t es tha t “ a pruden t wif e is fr om the Lor d, ” and other passa g es highligh t ho w a wise w oman brings honour and s t ability t o her household (Pr ov 11:16; 12:4; 14:1). The se pr o v e rb s r esona t e with R e be k ah’ s r ole in guiding he r household and e nsu- ring the fulfilmen t of God’ s c o v enan t. 4.3 Use of Rebekah’s Episode in the New Testament Although R ebek ah is not men tioned in Jesus’ g enealogy in the Gospel of Ma tthe w , her s t or y is r e f er enced in the Ne w T es t amen t, particularly in the writings of P aul, who uses R ebek ah as a k e y e x ample in his theologic al ar gumen ts r eg ar ding divine election and God’ s so v er eign ty . In R omans 9:10-12, P aul in tr oduces R ebek ah as a critic al e x ample t o illus tr a t e the doc trine of divine election. He emphasiz es tha t God’ s cho ice is not based on human actions or merit but on His so v er eign will. P aul writ es, “Not only tha t, but R ebek ah’ s childr en had one and the same f a ther , our f a ther Isaac. Y e t be f or e the t w ins w e r e bor n or had done an y thing g ood or bad – in or de r t ha t G od’ s pur pose in election migh t s t and: not b y w ork s but b y him who c alls – she w as t old, ‘ The older will ser v e the y oung er . ’” (R om 9:10-12) P aul’ s ar gumen t cen t er s on the c oncep t tha t God’ s choice of Jac ob o v er Esau, declar ed be f or e their birth and independen t of their actions, e x emplifies the prin- ciple tha t divine election is r oot ed in God’ s mer cy r a ther than human achie v emen t. This is further emphasiz ed when P aul quot es Malachi 1:2-3: “ Jac ob I lo v ed, but Esau I ha t ed” in R om 9:13. B y in v oking R ebek ah’ s s t or y , P aul under sc or es the the- me of God’ s so v er eign will, sho wing tha t God’ s choice oper a t es be y ond human 473 Matjaž Celarc - Rebekah – As a Chosen Agent of God unde r s t anding or c on v e n tional e xpe ct a tions. R e be k ah’ s r ole in the nar r a tiv e be- c omes a t es t c ase f or under s t anding God’ s pr o vidence. Her actions and the divine or acle she r eceiv ed (Gen 25:23) ar e in t erpr e t ed b y P aul as e vidence tha t God’ s plan unf olds acc or ding t o His purposes, not human merit. In this c on t e xt, R ebek ah’ s s t or y ser v es as a f ounda tional e x ample of the theologic al principle tha t salv a tion and blessing c ome fr om God’ s gr ace r a ther than human e ff ort. B y in v oking R ebek ah’ s narr a tiv e, P aul deepens the theme of divine pr o vidence. R ebek ah’ s decision t o support Jac ob, despit e cultur al norms f a v ouring the fir s tborn, an d th e p r o p h ecy sh e r ecei v ed r eg ar d i n g h er so n s, ar e u sed b y P au l t o i l l u s tr a t e ho w God’ s purposes oft en sub v ert human e xpect a tions. This idea aligns with the br oader biblic al theme tha t God fr equen tly chooses the une xpect ed or seemingly w eak er individuals t o fulfil God’ s plans – a principle e viden t not only in figur es lik e Moses but also in P aul himself . P aul ackno wledg es the po w er of God’ s gr ace, r e- c ognizing tha t he is s tr ong in Chris t e v en when ph y sic ally w eak (2 Cor 12:9-10). 5. Conclusions R ebek ah is portr a y ed in the biblic al narr a tiv e as a s tr ong and virtuous w oman whose lif e is deeply in t ertwined with God’ s plan. Her signific ance lies not only in her actions but also in her pr of ound r ela tionship with God, which shapes her decisions and the des tin y of her f amily . This r ela tionship with God fir s t manif es ts during her pr egnancy when she seek s divine guidance and r eceiv es a pr ophe tic or acle tha t de fines her r ole in the un f olding of the Abr ahamic c o v enan t. Thr oughout the narr a tiv e, R ebek ah’ s lo v e f or Jac ob s t ands in c on tr as t t o Isaac’ s c onditional a ff ection f or Esau. R ebek ah’ s lo v e, r oot ed in the divine pr ophecy , gu- ides her actions as she or ches tr a t es the tr ans f er of the Abr ahamic blessing fr om Isaac t o J ac ob. He r w illing ne ss t o e ng ag e in de ce p tion is not m otiv a t e d b y se lf -in- t e r e s t but b y he r un w a v e r ing be lie f in the pr ophe cy she r e c e iv e d, which de sig na- t ed Jac ob as the righ tful heir t o the blessing. R ebek ah’ s wisdom is e viden t in her ability t o na vig a t e the c omple x dynamics of her househo ld, media ting be tw een Isaac, Esau, and Jac ob t o ensur e the fulfil - men t of God’ s plan. Her actions, though mor ally ambiguous, ar e driv en b y a higher purpose – the c on tinua tion of the Abr ahamic c o v enan t thr ou gh the chosen son, Jac ob. The nar r a tiv e doe s not f ocus on the mor ality of he r actions in isola tion but r a ther on the br oader divine pl an tha t her actions help t o r ea liz e. In her final r ole within the narr a tiv e, R ebek ah’ s in fluence ensur es tha t Jac ob r eceiv es the blessing mean t f or him, securing his pla ce in the lineag e tha t will lead t o the f orma tion of the na tion of Isr ael. Her f or esigh t and de t ermina tion, though c os tly – r esulting in her separ a tion fr om Jac ob – ar e essen tial f or the pr e se r v a tion and tr ansmission of the Abr ahamic blessing. R eb ek ah ’ s s t o r y r eso n a t es b e y o n d th e Gen esi s n arr a tiv e, i n fl u en ci n g Ne w T e- s t a m e n t t he olog y , pa r tic ula r ly in P a ul’ s disc ussion of div ine e le c tion in R om a ns 9 . 474 Bogoslovni vestnik 84 (2024) • 3 He r e , R e be k ah’ s narr a tiv e be c ome s a k e y e x ample of God’ s so v e r eign choice , illu- s tr a ting tha t divine f a v our is not based on human merit but on God’ s will. I n c onc lusion, R e be k ah is por tr a y e d as a c hose n ag e n t of G od, w hose ac tions ar e crucial in the pr eser v a tion and c on tinua tion of the Abr ahamic blessing. Her lif e e x emplifies the in t erpla y be tw een divine so v er eign ty and human ag ency , de- mons tr a ting ho w individual decisions, guided b y f aith and divine r e v ela tion, c on- tribut e t o the fulfilmen t of God’ s lar g er plan. R ebek ah’ s leg acy , both in the Old T es t amen t and in the theologic al r e flections of the Ne w T es t amen t, under sc or es her r ole as a piv ot al figur e in the biblic al s t or y , since thr ough her seeking the Lor d, she demons tr a t es how a human being c an discern divine will and ther eb y bec ome an ag en t of God’ s purpose and a bear er of His blessing in t o the w orld. References Alter, Robert. 2011. The Art of Biblical Narrative . Revi- sed and Updated Version. New Y ork: Basic Book s. – – – . 1 9 9 6 . Genesis: Translation and Commentary . N e w Y o r k : W . W . N o r t o n . Davis, Anne K. 20 0 8 . Israel’s Inheritance: Birth right of the Firstborn Son . C T S J o ur nal, 1 3, 79 – 9 4. Eichler, Raanan. 2019. T h e O r a c l e of Reb ek ah: A n A mb i gu o u s Eti o l o g y . Biblica 10 0, n o. 4 :5 8 4 – 593. Fass, David E. 1 9 92. U n b i n d i n g M o t h e r Re b e k a h . Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought 4 1, n o. 4 :3 6 1 – 3 7 6 . Gianto, Augustinus . 1 9 9 8 . M o o d a n d M o d a l i t y i n C l a s s i c a l H e b r e w . I n : S . Izr e ' e l , I . S i n ge r a n d R . Z a d o k , e d s . Past Links: Studies in the Langua- ges and Cultures of the Ancient Near , 1 8 3 – 1 9 8 . I s r a e l O r i e n t a l St u d i e s 1 8 . W i n o n a L a ke , I N: E i s e nb r a uns . Giuntoli, Federico . 201 3 . Genesi 11,27-50,26: Introduzione, traduzione e commento . N u o v a v e r s i o n e d e l l a B i b b i a d a i t e s ti a n ti c h i 1 . 2. C i n i s e l l o B a l s a m o ( M i l a n o ) : S a n P a o l o. Goodnick, Benjamin. 1 9 9 5. Re b e k a h ’ s d e c e i t o r I s a a c ’ s g r ea t t e s t . Jewish Bible Quarterly 2 3: 2 21–2 2 8 . Hamilton, Victor Paul . 1 9 9 5. The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18-50 . T h e N e w I n t e r n a ti o n a l C o m- m e n t a r y o n t h e O l d T e s t a m e n t 2. G r a n d R a- p i d s , M I: Ee r d m a n s . Hyman, Ronald. 20 0 5. C o m m e n t o n ‘ T h e G o d o f A b r a h a m , Re b e k a h , a n d J a c o b. ’ Jewish Bible Quarterly Dor Le Dor 3 3, n o. 1 : 6 1 – 6 4 . Jeansonne, Sharon Pace. 1 9 9 0 . T h e Women of Genesis: From Sarah to Potiphar's Wife . M i n n e- a p o l i s , M N: F o r t r e s s Pr e s s . Joüon, Paul, and Takamitsu Muraoka . 20 0 6 . A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew . R o m e : Po n ti fi c i o I s ti tu t o B ib li c o . Longacre, Robert E. 1 9 92. D i s c o u r s e p e r s p e c ti v e o n t h e H e b r e w v e r b : a ffi r m a ti o n a n d r e s t a t e- m e n t . I n : W a l t e r R . B o d i n e , e d . Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew , 1 7 7 – 1 8 9 . W i n o n a L a ke , I N: E i s e nb r a uns . Matalon, Guy . 20 0 8 . Re b e k a h 's H o a x . Jewish Bible Quarterly 3 6 , n o. 4 :2 4 3 – 2 5 1 . Quesada, Jan Jaynes . 201 8 . Re b e k a h : M o d e l Mat r iar c h . Review & Expositor 11 5, n o. 4 :55 9 – 56 4 . htt ps : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 1 7 7 / 0 0 3 4 6 3 7 3 18 7 9 4 3 72 Reiss, Moshe. 20 0 4 . T h e G o d o f A b r a h a m , Re b e- k a h a n d J a c o b. Jewish Bible Quarterly 32, n o. 2: 91 – 97 . Ska, Jean Louis . 1 9 9 0 . “Our Fathers Have Told Us”: Introduction to the Analysis of Hebrew Narratives . R o m e : Po n ti fi c i o I s ti t u t o B i b l i c o. Teugels, Lieve. 1 9 9 4 . “ A St r o n g W o m a n , W h o C a n F i n d? ” A St u d y o f C h a r a c t e r iz a ti o n i n G e n e s i s 2 4, W i t h S o m e Pe r s p e c ti v e s o n t h e G e n e r a l Pr e s e n t a ti o n o f I s a a c a n d Re b e k a h i n t h e G e n e s i s N a r r a ti v e s . Journal for the Study of the Old Testament , 1 9 , n o. 6 3 :8 9 – 10 4 . Tsymbalyuk, Oleg M, and Valery V. Melnik . 2020 . Re d i s c o v e r i n g t h e A n c i e n t H e r m e n e u ti c o f Re b e k a h ’ s C h a r a c t e r . HTS Theological Studies 7 6 , n o. 1 : 1 – 8 . h tt p s: / / d o i .o r g / 10 . 4 102 / h t s . v 76 i1 . 5 526 Večko, Terezija. 201 4, Ž e n s k a v j u d o v s ke m izr o č i - l u . Us p e š n a p o s v e t o p i s e m s ko. Edinost in dialog 6 9 , n o. 1 – 2 : 1 45 – 1 6 3 . Zucker, David J. 201 9 . Re b e k a h Re d u x : T h e V i e w f r o m J u b i l e e s . Biblical Theology Bulletin 49 , n o. 2: 71 – 81 . h tt p s: / / d o i . o r g / 10 . 11 7 7 /01 4 6 107 91 9 8 3 1 8 6 8