Cheers From The Bible, To Pedophiles?

Question

Isaac (at the age of 40) married Rebekah when she was three.

"According to the Midrash, Rebeccah was 3 years old when Abraham sent his loyal servant Eliezer to his family's homeland in Aram-Naharayim to find a wife for Isaac."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebekah

Answer 1

Numbers 31:17-18 "Now kill all the boys [innocent kids]. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man."

In the Torah (In the Book of Numbers in the Bible), after the conquest of Midian and Moab, and the great venereal plague, Moses (peace be on him) ordered that all the women "who have known a man" be killed but that "all the young girls, who have not known a man by lying with him" be kept alive for the Israelites.

Since the only females left fit for marriage and wholesome relations were prepubescent virgins, a Jewish law concerning child marriage was enacted. That law is found in the Babylonian Talmud:

"Rabbi Joseph said, 'Come and hear. A maiden aged 3 years and a day may be acquired in marriage by coition.'

Mishnah: A girl of the age of 3 years and a day may be betrothed, subject to her father's approval, by sexual intercourse.

Gemara: Our Rabbis taught: 'A girl of the age of 3 years may be betrothed by sexual intercourse.' "

Answer 2

I have always been amazed that Rebeccah at age 3 would have been able to carry enough water up from the well to satisfy the thirst of Eliezer's camels! (Genesis 24:19)

Secondly, most of the people answering are going to be Christians who will have no idea what Midrash Beresheis Rabba is, when it was written, etc. And even if they did know, they would reject it as not being part of the Bible.

Thirdly, you should be aware that there was great disagreement with Seder Olam claiming that she was 3. Tosafot (Yevamos 61A) notes that the word NA'ARAH cannot mean a girl of 3 and insteads gives her age as being 14. (Which is a much more believable age for one to be watering camels.)

Answer 3

A) What the heck was a 3-year old doing at the well, drawing water for her father's goats? As Scripture says she was doing when Isaac came to claim her. Obviously YOU didn't bother to read the relevant portion of the Bible that contains this love story.

B) Doesn't matter when the BETROTHAL was contracted. Child betrothals didn't begin with the Hebrews and they haven't ended yet (see India). Doesn't mean that there's gonna be any sack action until both parties are old enough, which means POST first menses for the girl. And let's not get on our high hobby horse about a 12 year old being deflowered. Different culture, different time and VERY different life expectancy. Boys were men at 13. Girls were women at first menses. It's only been the last century that OUR culture has stopped thinking that way.

Answer 4

Amazing that you equate the Midrash with the Bible. You state "cheers from the Bible," but then use a non-biblical source for your argument. What is up with that??

The Bible makes no mention of Rebekah's age. And, if she were aged 3, how did she manage to get that big water pitcher on her shoulder? Why would Abraham's servant make a little kid water his camels, too? And why was she walking from her house to the well alone? And look at her rather extensive vocabulary for such a young kid! As is usual in here, people have no idea of biblical truth. They use what someone said, or tradition (such as the Midrash), to attempt to tear the Bible apart.

Trust me on this...experts have tried for millennia to reduce the Bible to fables. But God has a sense of humor. Voltaire, an 18th century French philosopher, boasted that he would destroy Christianity within 50 years. He viciously began writing books against God. Ironically, 20 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society purchased Voltaire's house and used it for printing the Bible.

Answer 5

Arranged marriages were and are commonplace. In those days people lived much longer so 40 was not too old to wait while Rebeccah matured. Unless the Midrash discusses her being a minor whe nshe became pregnant there is no reason to think Issac was a pedophile

Answer 6

My king James Bible says nothing about her age in Genesis 24:14, but it does say she let down her water jar and watered Abraham's servant's camel and the servant. She must have been a pretty HEARTY 3 year old to do that.

Also, in Eastern Civilization, in one muslim book we studied, one of the muslim men did take a small girl to be his true love. Is Midrash Muslim? Aparently that type of relationship is in the Koran.

Answer 7

OOh I'm sorry but that doesn't even make sense. Rebekah was found by the servent at the well gathering water for her family. What three year old girl has the strength to carry that much water. I will say that girls back then were married off when they started their periods but three years old.. ugh god ain't down pedophilia!

Answer 8

This is true, but only in america is it wrong to be with children. Mans laws dictated the change just as in america it is wrong to have sex with your daughter when amongst the earliest civilizations it was customary for the father brother and uncles to take the daughters into there beds before marriage outside of the family

Answer 9

I don't believe anything from wikipedia, which can be put there and editted by anyone, any more than I take things literally from the endlessly mistranslated English modern day bible.

Answer 10

for the man who the bible is the final authority all books are nothing. For the man who does not care what the bible says then anything and everything sound good.