What does Genesis 24:39 mean?
ESV: I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
NIV: Then I asked my master, 'What if the woman will not come back with me?'
NASB: Then I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’
CSB: But I said to my master, 'Suppose the woman will not come back with me? '
NLT: But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’
KJV: And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
NKJV: And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
Verse Commentary:
Abraham's servant is telling Rebekah and her family the reason for his arrival at their doorstep. Abraham has sent the servant back to his people to find a wife for his son Isaac (Genesis 24:3–4). The servant recalls challenging Abraham with the possibility that an eligible bride, once located, might not be willing to move away from her family to live in the land of Canaan with an unknown husband (Genesis 24:5–8).
He will share Abraham's response in the following verse.
Verse Context:
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.
Chapter Summary:
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.
Chapter Context:
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.
Book Summary:
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 4/27/2024 6:27:54 AM
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