Genesis 24:9
in Genesis 24So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning this matter.
KJV
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
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This verse in Genesis 24
Commentary
5 notes on this verse(Chapter 24, Verse 9) And the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore to him concerning this matter. The Hebrews say that he swore at his consecration, that is, at his circumcision. But we say that he swore by the seed of Abraham, that is, by Christ, who was to be born from him, according to the Gospel of Matthew, which says: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).
This site's exposition
the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham
on Genesis 24:9-10
The oath is sworn and the man leaves with ten camels and all manner of good things in hand. He rides for Nahor's hometown in Aram-naharaim. Rebekah's birth had already been reported to Abraham at 22:23, in the notice about Nahor's children. The bride was named in the same breath as the son he had received back.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
But when he has the desired success, he worships God, not the angel. Whatever benefit we have by the ministration of angels, all the glory must be given to the Lord of the angels, Rev. xxii.
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master,.... Or "then" or "therefore the servant", &c. (n) 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 Gen 24:2, and sware to him concerning that matter; of taking a wife to his son, engaging to do everything he had directed and enjoined him relative to it. (n) וישם "posuit ergo", V. L. "igitur", Tigurine version; "itaque", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "ita", Drusius; "tum", Schmidt.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Put his hand under the thigh of Abraham - This form of swearing has greatly puzzled the commentators; but it is useless to detail opinions which I neither believe myself, nor would wish my readers to credit. I believe the true sense is given in the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, and that called the Jerusalem Targum. In the former it is said, Put now thy hand בגזית מהולתי bigzirath mehulathi, in sectione circumcisionis meoe; in the latter תחות ירך קימי techoth yerech keyami, sub femore foederis mei.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Rashi comments: “This refers to a deed of gift of all his possessions which he wrote in favor of Isaac so that they would be eager to send him their daughter.” And so it is also stated in Bereshith Rabbah, 106:15. “He carried with him a disposition of property.
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
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּ֤שֶׂם | vaiyasem | and he put | H7760 → | 584 times |
| הָעֶ֙בֶד֙ | haeved | the servant | H5650 → | 799 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יָד֔וֹ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| תַּ֛חַת | tachat | under | H8478 → | 505 times |
| יֶ֥רֶךְ | yerekh | [the] thigh of | H3409 → | 34 times |
| אַבְרָהָ֖ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֑יו | ʾadonav | master<s> his | H113 → | 333 times |
| וַיִּשָּׁ֣בַֽע | vaiyishava' | and he swore an oath | H7650 → | 186 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַדָּבָ֖ר | hadavar | the matter | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וַיָּ֤שֶׂםand he put
vaiyasemH7760 →584 times
הָעֶ֙בֶד֙the servant
haevedH5650 →799 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יָד֔וֹhand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
תַּ֛חַתunder
tachatH8478 →505 times
יֶ֥רֶךְ[the] thigh of
yerekhH3409 →34 times
אַבְרָהָ֖םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
אֲדֹנָ֑יוmaster<s> his
ʾadonavH113 →333 times
וַיִּשָּׁ֣בַֽעand he swore an oath
vaiyishava'H7650 →186 times
ל֔וֹto <the> him
lo
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַדָּבָ֖רthe matter
hadavarH1697 →1440 times
הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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 24:2So Abraham instructed the chief servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh,
it leads to
- Genesis 47:29
When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise…
- Genesis 39:4–6
Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned.
- Genesis 15:2
But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
- Genesis 39:8–9
But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care.
- Genesis 44:1
Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack.
- Genesis 47:29
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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Hebrew Questions on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.