Genesis 24:3
in Genesis 24and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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:
KJV
And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
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This verse in Genesis 24
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThus God swears his servants to their work, that, having sworn, they may perform it. Honour is here done to the eternal God; for he it is that is sworn by, to whom alone these appeals ought to be made. And some think honour is done to the covenant of circumcision by the ceremony here used of putting his hand under his thigh.
This site's exposition
a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites
on Genesis 24:3-4
The bar on Canaanite wives becomes house policy for three generations, and Isaac lays the same charge on Jacob in chapter 28. Abraham is guarding the line the promise runs through. The family he sends back to serves other gods, and Joshua 24:2 says so of the fathers beyond the River.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of earth,.... The Maker and possessor of heaven and earth, by whom Abraham used to swear whenever he did, and by whom only men should swear, see Gen 14:
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
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.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
I will make thee swear - See note on Gen 24:9. Of the Canaanites - Because these had already been devoted to slavery, etc., and it would have been utterly inconsistent as well with prudence as with the design of God to have united the child and heir of the promise with one who was under a curse, though that curse might be considered to be only of a political nature. See the curse of Canaan, Gen 9:25 (note).
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַשְׁבִּ֣יעֲךָ֔ | veashbiakha | so I may make swear you | H7650 → | 186 times |
| בַּֽיהוָה֙ | bayahweh | by Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֣י | ʾelohei | [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וֵֽאלֹהֵ֖י | velohei | and [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִקַּ֤ח | tikach | you will take | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אִשָּׁה֙ | ʾishah | a wife | H802 → | 781 times |
| לִבְנִ֔י | livni | for son my | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| מִבְּנוֹת֙ | mibenot | from [the] daughters of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י | hakenaani | the Canaanite[s] | H3669 → | 73 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָנֹכִ֖י | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | 359 times |
| יוֹשֵׁ֥ב | yoshev | [am] dwelling | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃ | bekirbo | in midst its | H7130 → | 227 times |
וְאַשְׁבִּ֣יעֲךָ֔so I may make swear you
veashbiakhaH7650 →186 times
בַּֽיהוָה֙by Yahweh
bayahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵ֣י[the] God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וֵֽאלֹהֵ֖יand [the] God of
veloheiH430 →2601 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִקַּ֤חyou will take
tikachH3947 →966 times
אִשָּׁה֙a wife
ʾishahH802 →781 times
לִבְנִ֔יfor son my
livniH1121 →4930 times
מִבְּנוֹת֙from [the] daughters of
mibenotH1323 →588 times
הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔יthe Canaanite[s]
hakenaaniH3669 →73 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhom
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָנֹכִ֖יI
ʾanokhiH595 →359 times
יוֹשֵׁ֥ב[am] dwelling
yoshevH3427 →1079 times
בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃in midst its
bekirboH7130 →227 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
Genesis 28:8And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,
it leads to
- Genesis 26:34–35
When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
- Genesis 28:1
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded.
- 1 Samuel 8:6
But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.
- Genesis 26:34–35
Through
Nehemiah 13:25I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not…
it leads to
- Nehemiah 13:17
Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day?
- Nehemiah 10:29–30
hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes…
- Deuteronomy 7:3
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,
- Ezra 10:5
So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said. And they took the oath.
- Nehemiah 13:11
So I rebuked the officials and asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their posts,
- Nehemiah 13:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.