Genesis 24:41 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’

NIV: You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you--then you will be released from my oath.'

NASB: then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’

CSB: Then you will be free from my oath if you go to my family and they do not give her to you--you will be free from my oath.'

NLT: Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’

KJV: Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.

NKJV: You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’

Abraham's servant is describing to Rebekah and her family the reason for his journey to their home. Abraham has sent the servant back to his people to find a wife for his son Isaac (Genesis 24:3–4).

Perhaps to make clear that he, the servant, realizes a woman may not want to travel back to Canaan to marry a stranger, he has told them that he raised this possibility with Abraham. Abraham told him that an angel would go with him to bring success to the quest (Genesis 24:5–8).

Now, though, the servant makes clear to Rebekah, her father, and her brother, that he has fully fulfilled his oath to Abraham simply by coming to Abraham's family and making the attempt to find a willing wife for Isaac. His oath does not require that a woman return with him to Canaan. The servant is bound only to seek out the right woman—not to come back with a marriageable woman at all costs.

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 5/3/2024 6:57:20 AM