Genesis 24:56 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master."

NIV: But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master."

NASB: However, he said to them, 'Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away so that I may go to my master.'

CSB: But he responded to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my journey a success. Send me away so that I may go to my master."

NLT: But he said, 'Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.'

KJV: And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.

NKJV: And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.”

Why was Abraham's servant eager to leave with Rebekah so quickly after her family agreed to the marriage proposal? They had requested, very reasonably, 10 days or so delay before sending her off to be married in a strange land.

Abraham's servant insisted on not being delayed. His reason is hard to understand: "since the Lord has prospered my way." Did the servant feel that delaying their departure would somehow dishonor the success God had granted to him? Perhaps he was concerned that, given time to think about their agreement, Rebekah's family might change their mind. He might have assumed that, since God had granted his request to find the right woman so quickly, that God also intended this mission to be completed as soon as possible.

One more possibility is that the servant was concerned Abraham might die before he could get back with this wife for Isaac. Abraham's words to the servant at the beginning of this chapter did sound like those of a dying man. Though Abraham went on to live several more decades, perhaps his health status was questionable for a season. And, lest we forget, Abraham is more than 130 years old at this point (Genesis 17:17; 21:5; 23:1–2).

In any case, the servant wants to leave—immediately!

Genesis 24:28–59 describes how Abraham's servant, confident he has found God's intended woman for Abraham's son, approaches Rebekah's family to ask for her hand in marriage to Isaac. After being welcomed into their household, the servant tells, in great detail, the story of how God has lead him to Rebekah and their home. Rebekah's father and brother quickly agree that they must allow this marriage to happen. After a bit of negotiation the next morning about when Rebekah will travel to Canaan, Rebekah agrees to leave that very day.

Abraham asks his most trusted servant to travel to his former homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac. Swearing to do so, the servant arrives at the city of Nahor and asks the Lord to show him which young women is appointed for Isaac. Finding Rebekah, the very granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor, the servant reveals the reason for his journey to her family. Her father Bethuel and brother Laban agree to allow Rebekah to travel to Canaan and marry Isaac, which she does.

Genesis 24 takes place a few years after Sarah has died. Abraham becomes urgent to find Isaac a wife, not among the women of Canaan, but from his own people back in Mesopotamia. His trusted servant, sent to accomplish this mission with the help of the Lord, eventually returns with Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham's own brother. Isaac is married to her at the age of 40. Abraham's death is recorded in the following chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.