A Girl and Her Grandmother

While the mother of Rebekah is not named at all in Genesis, even though she has a role in Rebekah’s leaving home to go to marry Isaac, her grandmother Milka, Bethuel’s mother, is identified by name numerous times. Indeed Rebekah is often called the granddaughter of Milka, possibly to underline the relationship with Avraham and Sarah. Milka is both Sarah’s sister and the daughter of Haran, Abraham’s brother. The fact that Rebekah’s name is linked so many times to that of Milka suggests that the older woman had a strong and positive influence on the upbringing of her granddaughter and makes Rebekah a fitting wife for Isaac, one who can take the place of Sarah.