When looking at a specific theme of a piece of literature it is important to note the context in which it is first mentioned. Which is why I thought it was curious that the first mention of love was not in the very beginning of Genesis. Hundreds of years of history occurred before it appeared in recorded history. It wasn't until chapter 24 of Genesis.

But that's not even the interesting part. What intrigued me was the context. It is far from any context that would pop up in our modern minds when you mention the word. I encourage you to read chapter 24 to see for yourself, but I will try to summarize.


It is the within the story of Abraham's son, Isaac, and how he meets his wife.

Abraham is sending his servant and his son, Isaac, back to the area of his kinsman to find a wife. Abraham holds Isaac to a covenant to find a wife of their own ancestry and see if she will go with him. (If she doesn't, the Isaac is no longer held to the covenant.) Above all, Abraham does not want Isaac to find a wife of the Canaanite tribe.

So Isaac and the servant (for it is his job to assist Isaac in finding a wife that meets the covenant) travel on. It is within this context that we see the word first mentioned. But it is not between Isaac and his wife/wife-to-be. Instead it is in a prayerful request that Abraham's servant mentions the term.

vs. 12:
"And [Abraham's servant] said, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show STEADFAST LOVE to my master Abraham."

I thought it was intriguing to not only see that the first mention of love is in reference to God, but it is a request for someone else. He does not ask that God show love to himself. Instead he asks God that He show his master that kind of steadfast love.


So what does that imply?
Again, the introduction of something often sets up the scene for how it's seen or used from then on out. The servant may have been requesting God show love for his master, but within that act I think he was displaying his own love for his master.

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