Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 24:14/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ד:י״ד
אאֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית כ"ד:י"ד) רְאוּיָה הִיא לוֹ, שֶׁהִיא גּוֹמֶלֶת חֲסָדִים וּרְאוּיָה לִכָּנֵס בְּבֵיתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם, "וּבָהּ אֵדַע", לְשׁוֹן תְּחִנָּה, הוֹדִיעֵנִי בָּהּ שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִם אֲדֹנִי. וְאִם כֵּן יֹאמַר יָדַעְתִּי כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק, וְאֵינוֹ נִקְשָׁר יָפֶה. אֲבָל פֵּרוּשׁוֹ הַקְרֵה נָא לְפָנַי הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הַמִּקְרֶה שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הַנַּעֲרָה אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ אוֹתָהּ שֶׁהֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק, וַעֲשֵׂה בָּזֶה חֶסֶד עִם אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם כִּי בָהּ אֵדַע כִּי עָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִמּוֹ, אִם תִּהְיֶה מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ וְטוֹבַת שֵׂכֶל וִיפַת מַרְאֶה. וְכֵן אָמַר (בראשית כ"ד:מ"ג) "וְהָיָה הָעַלְמָה הִיא הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר הֹכִיחַ ה'":
1HER THOU HAST APPOINTED FOR THY SERVANT, EVEN FOR ISAAC. Rashi comments: “She is fit for him since she is charitable and worthy of admission into the house of Abraham. And thereby shall I know — this is a petition: ‘Let me know through her that Thou hast shown kindness unto my master.’” If so, Eliezer is saying, “I know for certain that You have appointed her for Your servant Isaac.” But in that case [his petition, which still indicates a doubt as to whether she was the appointed one,] does not connect well.Its interpretation however is as follows: “Make it happen to me this day that the girl to whom I will speak be the one that You have appointed for Your servant Isaac, and with this, show kindness to my master Abraham for with this I will know that You have shown kindness to him if she be of his family and of good mind and of beautiful appearance.” And so he said [when recounting the events of the day]: And let it come to pass, that the maiden, etc., let the same be the woman whom the Eternal hath appointed.112