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Righteous Rebecca

Also known as Rebecca, wife of Isaac

Wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau, remembered among the matriarchs of Israel.

Feast Day
December 14
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Life

Rebecca (also rendered Rebekah) is one of the matriarchs of the Old Testament, the wife of the patriarch Isaac and the mother of the twin brothers Jacob and Esau. According to the Book of Genesis she came from Mesopotamia, the region of Paddan-Aram (Aram-Naharaim) around Haran, and was the daughter of Bethuel and the sister of Laban. The Orthodox Church commemorates her among the Holy Forefathers, the righteous ancestors of Christ honored in the weeks preceding the Nativity.

Her account in Genesis centers on three episodes: her betrothal to Isaac, arranged through the encounter at the well in Genesis 24; the birth of her twin sons and the oracle that the elder would serve the younger; and her role in securing the paternal blessing for Jacob recorded in Genesis 27.

In her own wordsReadHide
I will go.
Genesis, 24:58 · King James Version (PD)
Timeline4 momentsReadHide
  1. Genesis 24Betrothal at the wellAbraham sent his servant to his kindred in Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac. At the well outside the city the servant looked for a sign, and Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel, offered water both to him and to his camels. She consented to leave her family and travel to Canaan, where she married Isaac.
  2. Genesis 25:19-26Oracle and the birth of the twinsAfter a period of barrenness, Rebecca conceived twins. During a difficult pregnancy she received the word that two nations were in her womb and that the elder would serve the younger. She gave birth to Esau and Jacob.
  3. Genesis 27The blessing of JacobWhen the aged and blind Isaac prepared to bless his elder son Esau, Rebecca arranged for the younger son Jacob to receive the blessing in his place, preparing food and disguising Jacob in his brother's garments.
  4. Genesis 49:31Burial in the Cave of MachpelahRebecca was buried in the Cave of Machpelah near Mamre, the family burial place where Abraham and Sarah, and later Isaac, Jacob, and Leah, were also laid to rest.

Contributions & Legacy

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Origins and family

The Genesis narrative identifies Rebecca as the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean and the sister of Laban, and a granddaughter of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. Her home was in Paddan-Aram (Aram-Naharaim), the region of Haran in Mesopotamia. The in-repo record gives her region of origin as Mesopotamia, consistent with the scriptural account.

Through her marriage to Isaac she became part of the patriarchal household of Abraham, and her twin sons Esau and Jacob continued the line; Jacob, later named Israel, became the patriarch from whom the tribes of Israel descend.

Commemoration among the Forefathers

In the Orthodox Church Rebecca is venerated as one of the righteous foremothers commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, observed on the Sunday falling between December 11 and 17, in the period of preparation for the Nativity of Christ. The commemoration honors the patriarchs, prophets, and righteous men and women of the Old Testament understood as the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh.

The hymns of the feast name her alongside the other matriarchs and righteous women, including Sarah, Rachel, and Ruth, together with the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Companions & Contemporaries4 figuresShowHide
Her husband, the son of Abraham and Sarah.
Isaac
Her younger son, later named Israel, who received Isaac's blessing.
Jacob
Her elder son, the twin brother of Jacob.
Esau
Patriarch and father-in-law; his servant arranged her betrothal to Isaac.
Abraham
Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints