Genesis 24:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then food was set before him to eat. But he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I have to say.” He said, “Speak on.”

NIV: Then food was set before him, but he said, 'I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.' 'Then tell us,' Laban said.

NASB: But when food was set before him to eat, he said, 'I will not eat until I have stated my business.' And he said, 'Speak on.'

CSB: A meal was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have said what I have to say."So Laban said, "Please speak."

NLT: Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, 'I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.' 'All right,' Laban said, 'tell us.'

KJV: And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.

NKJV: Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.”

With the Lord's specific guidance and in answer to the prayers of Abraham's servant (Genesis 24:12–19), his company has arrived at the household of Rebekah, God's appointed wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:3–4). The servant and all with him, including the ten camels, have been shown warm hospitality. The camels have been made comfortable and fed. The men have washed their feet. Now we see that an evening meal has been prepared and set before them.

Abraham's servant, focused exclusively on fulfilling his master's mission, states that he will not eat until he presents what he has come to say. His host is perhaps surprised to learn the servant has an urgent message after what appeared to be a simple chance meeting with his daughter Rebekah at the well outside the city. Still, he urges the servant to speak.

In the verses that follow, the servant will tell Rebekah, her father, and her brother the entire story of how and why he has come to them.

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 4:55:48 PM