Genesis 24:1
in Genesis 24By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things.
KJV
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
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This verse in Genesis 24
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThe old age of Abraham was indeed yet green, as we shall see hereafter; but when he reckoned up his own years he deemed it time to consult for the welfare of his son.
This site's exposition
old and well along in years
on Genesis 24:1-2
This is the last act of Abraham's life the book tells at length, and it is about his son's marriage. Sarah is buried, and the son the promise runs through has no wife. The oath is sworn with a hand under his thigh. The gesture touches the sign of the covenant carried in his own body, the sign the promised seed was to come through.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
So let us listen to sacred Scripture's account to us: "Abraham was old, advanced in years. The Lord had blessed Abraham in every respect." Why did it mention this to us? Since he was about to give good care and attention to Isaac, to the point of bringing him a bride, accordingly it mentioned to us the patriarch's age.
The Reformation1 voice
The old age of Abraham was indeed yet green, as we shall see hereafter; but when he reckoned up his own years he deemed it time to consult for the welfare of his son.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The care he took of a good son, to get him married, well married. It was high time to think of it now, for Isaac was about forty years old, and it had been customary with his ancestors to marry at thirty, or sooner, ch. xi. Abraham believed the promise of the building up of his family, and therefore did not make haste; not more haste than good speed.
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age,....
That he himself was likely to leave the world quickly, for he was old, and well-stricken in age, and it would be a satisfaction to him to see his son settled before he died; and, 2.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
And Abraham was old . . . take a wife--His anxiety to see his son married was natural to his position as a pastoral chief interested in preserving the honor of his tribe, and still more as a patriarch who had regard to the divine promise of a numerous posterity.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
And Abraham was old . . . take a wife--His anxiety to see his son married was natural to his position as a pastoral chief interested in preserving the honor of his tribe, and still more as a patriarch who had regard to the divine promise of a numerous posterity.
And Abraham was old - He was now about one hundred and forty years of age, and consequently Isaac was forty, being born when his father was one hundred years old. See Gen 21:5; Gen 25:20.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
- The Marriage of Isaac 26. 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. Gen 24:1-9 Abraham binds the chief servant of his house to seek a wife for his son Isaac among his kindred.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Scripture reiterates [Abraham’s old age although it has already mentioned it] 57 Above,:11. in order to inform us of the reason that he adjured his servant.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Avraham was old, advanced in days [years], and Adonoy had blessed Avraham in all things.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם | veavraham | and Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| זָקֵ֔ן | zaken | he was old | H2204 → | 27 times |
| בָּ֖א | ba' | he had come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בַּיָּמִ֑ים | baiyamim | in <the> days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| וַֽיהוָ֛ה | vayahweh | and Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בֵּרַ֥ךְ | berakh | he had blessed | H1288 → | 330 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אַבְרָהָ֖ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| בַּכֹּֽל׃ | bakol | in <the> everything | H3605 → | 5413 times |
וְאַבְרָהָ֣םand Abraham
veavrahamH85 →175 times
זָקֵ֔ןhe was old
zakenH2204 →27 times
בָּ֖אhe had come
ba'H935 →2568 times
בַּיָּמִ֑יםin <the> days
baiyamimH3117 →2304 times
וַֽיהוָ֛הand Yahweh
vayahwehH3068 →6520 times
בֵּרַ֥ךְhe had blessed
berakhH1288 →330 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אַבְרָהָ֖םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
בַּכֹּֽל׃in <the> everything
bakolH3605 →5413 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 6:33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
it leads to
- Luke 12:31
But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you.
- Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
- John 6:27
Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of…
- Psalms 34:9–10
Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
- Psalms 84:11–12
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- Luke 12:31
Through
Proverbs 10:22The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.
it leads to
- Psalms 107:38
He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; He does not let their herds diminish.
- Genesis 26:12
Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,
- 1 Samuel 2:7–8
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
- Psalms 107:38
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 48.7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.