38. Uplifted Eyes Mark of Respect

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Genesis 24:6464And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. (Genesis 24:64). Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
1. The expression “lifted up” is often met with in the Scriptures in connection with the eyes. It does not always mean to look upward, but sometimes to look directly and earnestly at an object. Roberts says, it is to this day a common form of speech in India. We have in this text an illustration. Isaac may have looked upward when “he lifted up his eyes” and saw the caravan coming, for he was walking in the field, engaged in meditation (vs. 63), and very likely had his head inclined, and his eyes downward; but Rebekah, on the back of a camel, could hardly have looked upward when she saw Isaac. She simply looked directly and earnestly at him.
2. She quickly “lighted off” the camel when she discerned Isaac, thus giving him a customary mark of respect. In like manner Achsah alighted in the presence of Othniel and of Caleb (Josh. 15:1818And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? (Joshua 15:18)); Abigail thus alighted in the presence of David (1 Sam. 25:2323And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, (1 Samuel 25:23)), and even the haughty Naaman was so happy over his wonderful cure that he alighted from his chariot in the presence of Elisha’s servant (2 Kings 5:2121So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? (2 Kings 5:21)), showing Gehazi the respect he would have shown to his master had he been present. Travelers tell us that this custom is still practiced.