| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Rebecca |
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or Rebekah (both: r b k´ ) (KEY) , wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob. One day, as was her custom, she drew water at the city well; while there she showed kindness to Eliezer, Abraham’s servant. He had been sent to select a suitable wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac, and he chose Rebecca. After years without children she bore the twins Jacob and Esau. Jacob was his mother’s favorite, and for him she devised their deception of the blind Isaac. She is one of the four Jewish matriarchs. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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