Foremother Foremother Rebecca

Rebecca was the wife of Isaac, the second of the four foremothers of the Hebrew people. Daughter of Bethuel and niece of Abraham, sister of Laban, she was chosen for Isaac by Abraham's servant Eliezer at a well in Mesopotamia through a divinely appointed sign — offering water to both servant and camels. She became Isaac's wife and comforted him after Sarah's death.

Barren for twenty years, she bore twin sons, Esau and Jacob, after Isaac's prayer; while pregnant she learned the elder would serve the younger. Her favoritism toward Jacob led her to arrange for him to receive Isaac's blessing in Esau's place, and later, learning of Esau's fury, to send Jacob to her brother Laban in Haran.

Scripture is silent on her death; tradition holds she was buried beside Isaac at Machpelah. Paul cites her in Romans 9:10 as an example of God's election apart from human works.