Genesis 24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:4

But thou shalt go unto my country ,.... Not Canaan, which though his by promise, yet not in possession, but Mesopotamia, as appears from Genesis 24:10 ; which taken largely included the Chaldea, see Acts 7:2 , the country where Abraham was born, and from whence he came: and to my kindred ; the family of Nahor his brother, which now dwelt at Haran in Mesopotamia, called the city of Nahor, Genesis 24:10 ; see Genesis 29:4 ; of the increase of whose family Abraham had heard a few... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:5

And the servant said unto him ,.... Before he would take the oath, being cautious of it, and desirous of knowing how far it reached, and what it would or would not oblige him to, which was prudently done: peradventure the woman will not be to follow me into this land ; supposing this should be the case, as it is not unlikely that the woman would object to coming along with him to the land of Canaan, and insist upon Isaac's coming into her country, and dwelling there, what must then be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:6

And Abraham said unto him ,.... Not blaming him for putting such a question, nor charging him with impertinence, but plainly seeing the propriety of it: and in order to clear up this matter to him, gives the following instructions: beware thou, that thou bring not my son thither again ; for the command to come out of the land of Chaldea, never to return more, and to come into the land of Canaan, and there abide, respected both Abraham and his posterity; and besides, it was dangerous for... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:7

The Lord God of heaven, which took from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred ,.... Jarchi distinguishes between his father's house, and the land of his kindred; the former he takes to be Haran, in which he seems to be right; for his father and his family came with him from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran, and there stayed, from whence Abraham was taken and separated from them; by the latter he understands Ur of the Chaldees, interpreting the phrase of the land in which he was born,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:8

And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee ,.... Or "but" if F13 ואם "sin autem", V. L. , which is said by Abraham, not as doubting she would be willing, of which he was satisfied, being persuaded that that God that had made him willing to leave his own country, and his father's house, would make her willing to do the like, and come and settle with his son in the land that God had given him; but this, and what follows, he said to make the mind of his servant easy, who had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:9

And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master ,.... Or "then" or "therefore the servant", &c.; F14 וישם "posuit ergo", V. L. "igitur", Tigurine version; "itaque", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "ita", Drusius; "tum", Schmidt. being satisfied of the nature and extent of his oath, and thoroughly understanding how he was to act upon it, readily took it by using this rite; see Gill on Genesis 24:2 , and sware to him concerning that matter ; of taking a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:10

And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master , and departed ,.... Camels were much in use in the eastern countries; where, as Pliny F15 Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 18. says, they were brought up among their herds of cattle, and their riches much consisted in them. Arabia abounded with them; Job had three thousand of them, Job 1:3 ; how many Abraham had is not said, only ten of them his servant took, being sufficient for his present purpose, and which he took with his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:11

And he made his camels to kneel down ,.... Which these creatures are used to do when they are loaded and unloaded, and also when they take rest, and it was for the sake of the latter they were now made to kneel. It seems that this is what is not natural to them, but what they are learned to do: it is said F18 Calmet's Dictionary in the word "Camel". ,"as soon as a camel is born they tie his four feet under his belly, put a carpet over his back, and stones upon the borders of it, that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:12

And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham ,.... He does not call the Lord his God, though no doubt he was, since he appears throughout the whole to be a good man; but the God of Abraham, because God had often manifested and renewed his covenant with Abraham in an eminent manner, and had bestowed many favours upon him, and admitted him to much nearness and communion with him; and it was not on his own account, but on his master's business he now was: I pray thee, send me good speed this... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 24:13

Behold, I stand here by the well of water ,.... Wishing, hoping, and expecting that something would turn out that would direct and instruct what further to do, and that would lead on to the business he came about: and the daughters of the men of the city came out to draw water ; which was the usual custom in those parts about that time. So Homer speaks F23 Odyss. 10. ver. 109. of meeting a girl before the city υδρευουση , drawing or fetching water. And this was a principal... read more

Group of Brands