A Daily Genesis

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[B][COLOR=#FF0000]†. [/COLOR]Gen 24:16d . . She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.[/B]

The "spring" in this case was a small pool of water fed by an aquifer, which is different than an artesian well. Artesians gush, while aquifers seep.

Some of the shafts of ancient man-made wells in that part of the world resemble mini open-pit mines; with steps hewn into the sides to facilitate access to the water for dipping jars and buckets. Becky's spring was likely constructed like that.
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[COLOR=#FF0000]†. [/COLOR]Gen 24:17a . .The servant ran toward her[/B]

The Hebrew word for "ran" is the same word used in Gen 18:2 and 18:7 to describe Abraham's movement when the three men appeared in his camp. Abraham was about 99 years old at the time and it's very doubtful he was able to move his legs all that fast. It's far more likely he just hastened.

In any case, it was nevertheless essential that Abraham's steward not waste any time because Becky had strong legs and would surely be gone away home in a blink.

[B][COLOR=#FF0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 24:17b . . and said: Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.[/B]

It's amazing that a gorgeous young girl like Becky would allow a total stranger to approach her without protest or without screaming for help. Was she naïve? Was she foolish?

Well . . maybe in that day, and around her town, you could trust people. But it would not be wise to do that in some parts of New York or Los Angeles. A seemingly honest appeal for assistance could very well be a distraction while an accomplice sneaks up behind you.

Although Becky arrived first, ahead of the other girls, by now there may have been several others milling around the spring because that was the time of day for them to be there. In groups, they could all watch out for each other. Genesis doesn't tell about any of the others though because the spotlight is totally on Isaac's future bride.

[B][COLOR=#FF0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 24:18a . . Drink, my lord: she said,[/B]

The Hebrew word for "lord" is [I]'adown[/I] (aw-done') and is suitable for courteously addressing a male superior; wither actual or assumed; viz: fathers, seniors, kings, husbands, and/or God.

[B][COLOR=#FF0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 24:18b . . and she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and let him drink.[/B]

The word for "quickly" is from [I]mahar[/I] (maw-har') which means: to be liquid or flow easily; viz: nimble (the opposite of that would be the sluggishness of molasses in January) and implies to act promptly. I really like the way Becky responded. When people do things grudgingly, they often stonewall, perform slowly, and drag their feet just to show you they're annoyed. But Becky didn't hesitate. She gave water to the man whole-heartedly, sharply, and immediately.

Whether she actually let him drink out of her hand is doubtful. Lowering the jar upon her hand merely indicates it was previously up on her shoulder or maybe on top of her head. Becky probably just supported it from underneath with one hand while tilting the top with the other so the contents would pour out and Abraham's steward could slack his thirst.

[B][COLOR=#FF0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 24:19-20 . .When she had let him drink his fill, she said: I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking. Quickly emptying her jar into the trough, she ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.[/B]

Flo-Jo Becky-- flying all over the place like a US Navy SEAL trainee in hell week. No time to waste if she was going to water all those camels before dark.

The Arabian camel can drink more than twenty gallons of water in one sitting when it's very thirsty. I hope that man gave them some water earlier because he had ten camels and Becky could be hauling as much as 200 gallons. If her pitcher held five gallons, the weight would be about 41 pounds of water for each one of the forty trips she would have to make down and back up out of that spring. Wow that girl was fit! Well, she did it-- and all without any grousing about it.

[B][COLOR=#FF0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 24:21 . .The man, meanwhile, stood gazing at her, silently wondering whether The Lord had made his errand successful or not.[/B]

That man must have been totally blown away. The very thing about which he prayed barely five minutes ago was occurring right before his eyes and all so brisk and sudden too. This was just too easy and just too unbelievable. Could this really be of The Lord? He dared not let himself enjoy any success yet until he knew for sure.

[B][COLOR=#FF0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 24:22 . .When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing a half-shekel, and two gold bands for her arms, ten shekels in weight.[/B]

The word for "nose-ring" is [I]nexem[/I] (neh'-zem) which just means ring, or jewel. Without a modifier, there is no way of knowing for sure if the ring is for the nose or the ear. However, in verse 47 up ahead, Abraham's steward will say he installed the ring in Becky's nose.

The half shekel was a unit of weight and a media of exchange in those days. It weighed about 6[B].[/B]019 grams which is equal to about 92[B].[/B]87 grains. Typical [B].[/B]22 caliber lead bullets weigh approximately 40 grains apiece, so it would take at least two and a third of them to equal the weight of the ring. That's really not much, but if it's stuck in your nose or hanging on your ear I guess it would become noticeable after a while.

The combined weight of the two bands was ten shekels, which is twenty times the weight of the ring; or about 1,857 grains; which is equivalent to forty-six .22 cal lead bullets.

1,857 grains + 93grains = 1,950 grains; which is equivalent to 4[B].[/B]06 troy ounces of gold. ( a troy ounce is equal to 480 grains) As of Jan 06, 2016 the commodity value of gold was roughly 1,086 US dollars per troy ounce. So to date, Becky's gold, in commodity value, was worth roughly 4,409 US dollars. (4,096 Euro)

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