The servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the land you came from?”
Parallel translations
- 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?
- BSB The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”
- 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?”
- NASB The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?”
- NLT The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?”
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 asks what to do if the woman will not come, and whether to take Isaac back. He raises a careful, conscientious question before swearing.
Overview
The servant wisely clarifies the terms before binding himself by oath. His question shows prudent faithfulness rather than reluctance. Abraham's firm answer will reveal his conviction that God Himself will guide the mission.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Jer 4:2and you shall swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”
- Exod 20:7“You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
- Gen 24:58They called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”
- Prov 13:16Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly.
- Exod 9:2For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still,
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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 24:5 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.