This page gives you questions and leader’s notes for studying Genesis 24, the long chapter in which Abraham sends a trusted servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. It works for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal reading. Each question names the verses it draws on, so you can read the passage together before discussing it.
Genesis 24 at a Glance
Abraham is old, and he wants Isaac to marry someone from his own family rather than a Canaanite woman. He makes his oldest servant swear an oath to go back to Abraham’s homeland in Mesopotamia and bring back a wife. The servant travels there, stops at a well outside the city of Nahor, and prays for a sign. A young woman named Rebekah answers that sign and offers water to him and to his camels.
The rest of the chapter follows the servant’s conversation with Rebekah’s family, his retelling of the whole story, and the family’s agreement to let her go. The chapter ends with her leaving with the servant and a blessing from her relatives. The story is about God leading ordinary steps, and it shows how prayer, obedience and hospitality fit together.
Observation Questions
Use this set first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask the group to point to the exact words in the text, and keep the discussion close to what the chapter says happened and who said what.
Genesis 24:12-14
12 He said, “The LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let it happen, that the young lady to whom I will say, ‘Please let down your pitcher, that I may drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink,’—let her be the one you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
(WEB)
Read this passage to show how specifically the servant prays. Ask the group to notice the shape of his request and to consider why he asks for a sign. It sets up everything that follows at the well.
Genesis 24:26-27
26 The man bowed his head, and worshiped the LORD. 27 He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”
(WEB)
This short passage records the servant’s worship once he sees God at work. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the response of gratitude before the story moves on to the family’s reaction.
Genesis 24:50-51
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing proceeds from the LORD. We can’t speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the LORD has spoken.”
(WEB)
Read this to hear how Rebekah’s family recognizes the hand of the LORD in the events. Their answer gives the group a chance to discuss how others can confirm what God seems to be doing.
Genesis 24:58-60
58 They called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.” 59 They sent away Rebekah, their sister, with her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.”
(WEB)
This passage shows Rebekah’s decision and the family’s blessing as she leaves. Reading it aloud brings the chapter to a close and gives the group a moment to think about how blessing is spoken over people who go out in faith.
Genesis 24:19-20
19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they have finished drinking.” 20 She hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.
(WEB)
Read these verses to notice Rebekah’s energy and generosity at the well. Hearing them aloud helps the group picture the work involved and see how her action answers the servant’s prayer.
Memory Verse for Genesis 24
Genesis 24:27
He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”
(WEB)
This verse captures the servant’s response to God’s faithfulness on his journey. Memorizing it gives a short prayer of thanks that the group can use whenever they notice God leading them in an ordinary step.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you lead ordinary people along ordinary roads and still care about the details of their journeys. Help us to pray with honesty and specificity, as the servant did at the well, and to watch for your answers with open eyes. Make us generous like Rebekah, quick to offer help before we are asked. Teach us to pause and worship when you act, and give us the courage to go where you send us, trusting your faithfulness. Thank you for the gathering of this group and for the time we have spent in your word together. Amen.
