Genesis 24:52
in Genesis 24When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth unto Jehovah.
KJV
And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.
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This verse in Genesis 24
Commentary
5 notes on this verseObserve, First, As his good success went on, he went on to bless God. Those that pray without ceasing should in every thing give thanks, and own God in every step of mercy.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Do you see how much care they took in ancient times to obtain wives for their sons? How they looked for nobility ahead of money? None of the agreements, none of the contracts or the other ridiculous things that happen these days, nor those terms committed to writing: If someone dies childless, one says, if this or that happens. Instead, among people of those times things were not like this. Rather, the maid's behavior alone was the most secure contract—no pomp and circumstance. You will realize this when you see the maid led to her nuptials. "Hearing this from the father and the brother … the servant prostrated himself in worship to God." Note how in everything that happened he gave thanks to the Lord of all. You see, it was God who prepared everything in advance and in response to the patriarch's prayer sent his angel ahead of him—he it was who conducted the whole business for him.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And it came to pass, that when Abraham's servant heard these words,.... That Laban and Bethuel said; and no doubt but the mother of Rebekah, and she herself consented that she should be the wife of Isaac, believing it was agreeable to the will of God: he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth; in the most humble manner he prostrated himself before the Lord, acknowledging his kindness, and goodness, his faithfulness and truth, his power and his providence in this affair.
And it came to pass, that when Abraham's servant heard these words,.... That Laban and Bethuel said; and no doubt but the mother of Rebekah, and she herself consented that she should be the wife of Isaac, believing it was agreeable to the will of God: he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth; in the most humble manner he prostrated himself before the Lord, acknowledging his kindness, and goodness, his faithfulness and truth, his power and his providence in this affair.
Observe, First, As his good success went on, he went on to bless God. Those that pray without ceasing should in every thing give thanks, and own God in every step of mercy.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֕י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| שָׁמַ֛ע | shama' | he heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| עֶ֥בֶד | ʾeved | [the] servant of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| אַבְרָהָ֖ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דִּבְרֵיהֶ֑ם | divreihem | words their | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ | vaiyishtachu | and he bowed down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| אַ֖רְצָה | ʾartzah | [the] ground towards | H776 → | 2504 times |
| לַֽיהוָֽה׃ | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיְהִ֕יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
שָׁמַ֛עhe heard
shama'H8085 →1159 times
עֶ֥בֶד[the] servant of
ʾevedH5650 →799 times
אַבְרָהָ֖םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דִּבְרֵיהֶ֑םwords their
divreihemH1697 →1440 times
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּand he bowed down
vaiyishtachuH7812 →172 times
אַ֖רְצָה[the] ground towards
ʾartzahH776 →2504 times
לַֽיהוָֽה׃to Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 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
Psalms 95:6O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
it leads to
- Philippians 2:10
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
- Psalms 100:3
Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- Ephesians 3:14
... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
- Psalms 95:1
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!
- Daniel 6:10
Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on…
- Philippians 2:10
Through
2 Chronicles 20:18Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the LORD to worship Him.
it leads to
- Exodus 4:31
and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 7:3
When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and…
- Exodus 4:31
Through
Genesis 24:26Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD,
it leads to
- Genesis 24:48
Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother…
- Genesis 24:48
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
This page draws on John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 48.26; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.