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.
Parallel translations
- WEB Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.” He said, “Speak on.”
- BSB Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.”
- 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.”
- 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.”
- 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.”
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
The servant refuses to eat until he has told his message, and is invited to speak. His single-minded devotion to his task takes priority over his own comfort.
Overview
The servant places his master's business before his own needs, declining food until his message is delivered. His faithfulness and urgency model wholehearted commitment to one's God-given charge. Invited to speak, he will recount God's clear guidance to this household.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 132:3–5Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
- Eph 6:5–8Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
- 1 Tim 6:2And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
- John 4:31–34In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
- Prov 22:29Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
- John 4:14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
- Eccl 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
- Job 23:12Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 24:33 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.