He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water when it was evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
Parallel translations
- WEB He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water.
- KJV And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
- BSB As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.
- NKJV And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
- NLT He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
He has the camels kneel by the well at evening, when women come to draw water. He positions himself wisely where he might meet the right woman.
Overview
The servant chooses the well at the time the local women gather, a natural place to encounter a prospective bride. His prudent planning is joined to prayerful dependence in the next verses. Practical wisdom and trust in God work together in his mission.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Sam 9:11As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
- Exod 2:16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
- John 4:7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
- Gen 24:13–20Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
- Gen 33:13–14Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die.
- Prov 12:10A righteous man respects the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 24:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.