And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.
Parallel translations
- WEB I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’
- BSB Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’
- NKJV And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
- NASB Then I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow 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?’
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 recounts to Rebekah's family the concern he raised with Abraham: what if the woman refuses to come?
Overview
Retelling the mission, the servant repeats his honest question about whether the chosen bride would be willing to follow. The repetition underscores that this marriage hinges not on coercion but on consent, and it sets the stage for Rebekah's own free decision later in the chapter. God's providence works through, not against, human willingness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Gen 24:5And 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?
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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 24:39 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
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