God’s Word Translation
Genesis 24:5
5The servant asked him, “What if the woman doesn’t want to come back to this land with me? Should I take your son all the way back to the land you came from?”
Genesis 24:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
- New International Version (NIV)The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)The servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
Context of Genesis 24:5
3I want you to swear by the Lord God of heaven and earth that you will not get my son a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I’m living. 4Instead, you will go to the land of my relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” The servant asked him, “What if the woman doesn’t want to come back to this land with me? Should I take your son all the way back to the land you came from?” 6“Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said to him. 7“The Lord God of heaven took me from my father’s home and the land of my family. He spoke to me and swore this oath: ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ “God will send his angel ahead of you, and you will get my son a wife from there.
Read all of Genesis 24Genesis 24:5 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ הָעֶ֔בֶד אוּלַי֙ לֹא־תֹאבֶ֣ה הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה לָלֶ֥כֶת אַחֲרַ֖י אֶל־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את הֶֽהָשֵׁ֤ב אָשִׁיב֙ אֶת־בִּנְךָ֔ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יָצָ֥אתָ מִשָּֽׁם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, Peradventure the womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
- will not be willingאָבָה'âbâh · be willingH14
- to followיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- meאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- unto this landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- must I needs bringשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- thy sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- from whence thou camestיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
Cross-references for Genesis 24:5
- Genesis 24:58They called for Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “Yes, I’ll go.”
- Exodus 20:7“Never use the name of the Lord your God carelessly. The Lord will make sure that anyone who carelessly uses his name will be punished.
- Exodus 9:2If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them ⌞in slavery⌟,
- Proverbs 13:16Any sensible person acts with knowledge, but a fool displays stupidity.
- Jeremiah 4:2if you take the oath, ‘As the Lord lives …’ in an honest, fair, and right way, then the nations will be blessed, and they will be honored by me.”
Commentaries on Genesis 24:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Peradventure the woman will not be willing - We may see, says Calmet, by this and other passages of Scripture, Joshua 9:18, what the sentiments of the ancients were relative to an oath. They believed they were bound precisely by what was spoken, and had no liberty to interpret the intentions of those to whom the oath was made.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-67Verses 1-67 - The Marriage of Isaac 26. קרד qādad “bow the head.” השׁתחוה shâchâh “bow the body.” 29. לבן lābān “Laban, white.” In this circumstantial account of the marriage of Isaac, we have a beautiful picture of ancient manners in the East, the living original of which the present customs of that cradle of mankind are a striking copy. Genesis 24:1-9 Abraham binds the chief servant of his house to seek a wife for his son Isaac among his kindred…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9Trusting in the Lord's promise, Abraham had his main servant promise to find a wife for Isaac (probably Eliezer, 15:2). Abraham told his servant to return to his relatives in his homeland, 724 kilometers away (about 450 miles). Abraham was faithful to the covenant by planning for Isaac's future.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-91. And Abraham was old ... take a wife--His anxiety to see his son married was natural to his position as a pastoral chief interested in preserving the honor of his tribe, and still more as a patriarch who had regard to the divine promise of a numerous posterity.Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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