Commentaire sur La Genèse 24:45
אֲנִי֩ טֶ֨רֶם אֲכַלֶּ֜ה לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־לִבִּ֗י וְהִנֵּ֨ה רִבְקָ֤ה יֹצֵאת֙ וְכַדָּ֣הּ עַל־שִׁכְמָ֔הּ וַתֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יְנָה וַתִּשְׁאָ֑ב וָאֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יהָ הַשְׁקִ֥ינִי נָֽא׃
Je n’avais pas encore achevé de parler en moi-même, voici que Rébecca s’est approchée, sa cruche sur l’épaule; elle est descendue à la fontaine et a puisé et je lui ai dit: ‘Donne-moi, s’il te plait à boire.’
Rashi on Genesis
טרם אכלה means I WAS NOT YET FINISHING. Similarly in the case of every word that expresses an action contemporaneous with another Scripture sometimes uses the past tense — so that it might have written here טרם כִּלִיתִי — and sometimes it uses the future tense. Examples are: (Job I. 5) “For Job was saying (אמר)” — here it is past tense and (ib.) “Thus was Job doing (יעשה)” — here it is future tense. But the meaning of both of them is contemporaneous action: “for Job was saying (whilst he sacrificed) “Perhaps my sons have sinned etc." “and he was doing this" (whenever his sons feasted).
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Ramban on Genesis
BEHOLD, REBEKAH CAME FORTH WITH HER PITCHER ON HER SHOULDER. This indicates that while he was in her house he heard her name, or perhaps she told him her name at the beginning even though it is not mentioned in Scripture.
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Sforno on Genesis
אני טרם אכלה לדבר, this was proof to me that all of this has been planned so by G’d.
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Or HaChaim on Genesis
אני טרם אכלה לדבר אל לבי, "I had not yet finished speaking (praying)." Eliezer said this so no one should think that Rebeccah's actions had been prompted by what she had overheard Eliezer saying.
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Tur HaArokh
והנה רבקה יוצאת, “and lo, Rivkah was coming out, etc.” Eliezer had heard while in Lavan’s house that the girl whom he had met was called Rivkah. Alternatively, she might have told him her personal name already while at the well.
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