Abraham Seeks a Wife for Isaac

This is how the noble men of old took wives: they sought nobility of soul, not abundance of money. To show that this is true, I will recall one marriage as an example. Scripture says, “Abraham was old and advanced in days, and he said to the oldest servant of his household, who ruled over all that he had: ‘Put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not take a wife for my son Isaac from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but you shall go to my land, where I was born, and to my family, and take a wife for my son from there.’”

Do you see the righteous man's virtue, and how much care he took over the marriage? He did not call in women acting as procurers, as people do now, nor professional matchmakers, nor old women telling stories. Instead, he entrusted the matter to his own servant. This itself is a very great sign of the patriarch's godliness: he had formed his servant into such a man that he considered him trustworthy enough to minister in so important a matter. And he was looking for a wife who was not wealthy or beautiful, but noble in character. That is why he sent him on such a long journey.