Genesis 24:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh,

NIV: He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, 'Put your hand under my thigh.

NASB: Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who was in charge of all that he owned, 'Please place your hand under my thigh,

CSB: Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, "Place your hand under my thigh,

NLT: One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, 'Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh.

KJV: And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:

NKJV: So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,

As a wealthy man blessed greatly by God in all things, Abraham would have had many servants. Here he selects his most trusted servant, and the oldest of all his servants, for a crucial assignment. This servant is never named, but we are told that he was in charge of everything Abraham owned. He was Abraham's right-hand man. Earlier in the book of Genesis, Abraham named a man, Eliezer, as his prospective heir, since at that time he had no sons (Genesis 15:2). At that point in time, Eliezer would probably have been considered Abraham's "most trusted" servant. The man Abraham speaks to here, decades later, might be the same person, and many interpreters assume this is the case. However, chapter 24 never specifically names him, so this might well be a different person.

Abraham begins by asking the servant to swear a sacred oath to complete the assignment he's about to give him. That request is concluded in the following verse.

Genesis 24:1–9 describes an urgent conversation between Abraham and his most trusted servant. Abraham is asking the servant to swear an oath to find a wife for Isaac from among his own people in Mesopotamia. The servant must not allow Isaac either to marry into a Canaanite family or to leave the promised land of Canaan. With the understanding that he will be released from the oath if no young woman will agree to return with him, the servant swears to find Isaac a wife.

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.

Accessed 5/8/2024 6:56:52 PM