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Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 24:1-67

- The Marriage of Isaac26. 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 24:1-9Abraham binds the chief servant of his house to seek a wife for his son Isaac among his kindred. The first movement in this matrimonial arrangement is... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Genesis 24:3

Genesis 24:3. I will make thee swear This was both for Abraham’s own satisfaction, and to engage his servant to all possible care and diligence in this important business. Thus God swears his servants to their work, that, having sworn, they may perform it. By the Lord, (Hebrews Jehovah,) the God of heaven and the God of earth Observe with what reverence Abraham speaks of God, and with what solemnity this oath is administered and taken! And see how careful Abraham is that his son should... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:1-67

A wife for Isaac (24:1-67)Since Isaac would succeed Abraham as heir to the land of Canaan and ancestor of the promised nation, Abraham required two things concerning him. First, he was not to leave Canaan; second, he was not to marry one of the Canaanites, as they were under God’s judgment. Abraham therefore sent his chief servant (possibly Eliezer; see 15:2) on a long journey to Paddan-aram in north-western Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac among Abraham’s relatives there (24:1-9).The... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Genesis 24:3

God. Hebrew. Elohim . Canaanites. Mixed with the Nephilim. App-23 . I. Emph. in contrast with the Canaanites. Hence Abraham's horror of mixing the holy seed with that of the Nephilim. read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Genesis 24:4

my kindred. Gentiles thus expressly excluded from this chapter, if regarded as a type. Compare verses: Genesis 24:3 , Genesis 24:4 , Genesis 24:7 , Gen 3:37 , Gen 3:38 . See also Genesis 26:35 ; Genesis 27:46 ; Genesis 28:1 , Genesis 28:8 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 24:1-9

I. Abraham Sends a Messenger to Procure Isaac's Bride"And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: and I will make thee swear by Jehovah, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country,... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 24:3

Genesis 24:3. That thou shalt not take a wife, &c.— Abraham apprehending probably his own death, and being anxious about his son Isaac, resolved to intrust the great charge of his matrimonial alliance to this faithful and long-approved servant, whom we are not to consider in a low light, but as the first and principal person under so great a man as Abraham. And certified of Isaac's consequence, as being the appointed father of the promised Seed, he was solicitous that he should not enter... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 24:3

3. thou shalt not take a wife, &c.—Among pastoral tribes the matrimonial arrangements are made by the parents, and a youth must marry, not among strangers, but in his own tribe—custom giving him a claim, which is seldom or never resisted, to the hand of his first cousin. But Abraham had a far higher motive—a fear lest, if his son married into a Canaanitish family, he might be gradually led away from the true God. :-. THE JOURNEY. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 24:1-9

The thigh may be a euphemism for the genitals (Genesis 24:2). [Note: Ibid., p. 254; cf. Waltke, Genesis, p. 327.] The ancients considered the "thigh" to be the source of posterity and the seat of power (cf. Genesis 47:29)."By putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh, the servant was touching his genitals and thus giving the oath a special solemnity. In the ancient Orient, solemn oaths could be taken holding some sacred object in one’s hand, as it is still customary to take an oath on the Bible... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 24:1-67

The Marriage of Isaac and RebekahA charming picture of patriarchal marriage customs. It is very characteristic of the Primitive source.2. Put.. thy hand under my thigh] a form of taking an oath, only mentioned again in Genesis 47:29. ’It is from the thighs that one’s descendants come, so that to take an oath with one hand under the thigh would be equivalent to calling upon these descendants to maintain an oath which has been fulfilled, and to avenge one which has been broken’ (D.). Modern... read more

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