And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
5. bring again ] Here and in Gen 24:6 ; Gen 24:8 and Gen 22:5 the word “again” is used for “back.” Abraham’s tone is that of a man who is on his death-bed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 5. Peradventure the woman will not be willing] We may see, says Calmet, by this and other passages of Scripture, Jos 9:18, what the sentiments of the ancients were relative to an oath. They believed they were bound precisely by what was spoken, and had no liberty to interpret the intentions of those to whom the oath was made.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Note here the prudence and piety of this good man, who, before he would take an oath, doth diligently inquire into the nature and conditions of it, and expressly mentioneth that exception which might seem to be of course supposed in it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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 done?
must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? that is, must I agree with the woman on these terms, and promise that Isaac shall come and dwell with her in Mesopotamia? Now there was good reason for the servant’s putting this question, since he was neither ignorant of the call of Abraham out of that laud, no more to return to it, nor of the promise of the land of Canaan to him and his posterity: and as for bringing Isaac “again”, where he never had been in person, this may be accounted for by his being in the loins of Abraham when he was there, and came from thence, as Levi is said to be in his loins when he paid tithes to Melchizedek, and to pay them in him, Heb 7:9; and in like manner he might be said to be brought again, or return to Abraham’s country, should he ever go there, as all the seed of Abraham are said in the fourth generation to come to Canaan again, though they had none of them been in person there before, Ge 15:16; besides, as Drusius observes, to bring again, or return, signifies sometimes only to bring on, or to go to some certain place, see Ru 1:10; however, the justness of the expression is confirmed by Abraham’s answer in the next words.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Before taking the oath, the servant asks whether, in case no woman of their kindred would follow him to Canaan, Isaac was to be conducted to the land of his fathers. But Abraham rejected the proposal, because Jehovah took him from his father’s house, and had promised him the land of Canaan for a possession. He also discharged the servant, if that should be the case, from the oath which he had taken, in the assurance that the Lord through His angel would bring a wife to his son from thence.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
5. And the servant said unto him. Since he raises no objection respecting Isaac, we may conjecture that he was so fully persuaded of his integrity as to have no doubt of his acquiescence in his father’s will. We must also admire the religious scrupulosity of the man, seeing he does not rashly take an oath. What pertained to the faithful and diligent discharge of his own duty he might lawfully promise, under the sanction of an oath; but since the completion of the affair depended on the will of others, he properly and wisely adduces this exception, “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
5. The servant said He was cautious and far-sighted, and before taking on himself so solemn an oath he will have an understanding about all contingencies .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Does necessity demand that I bring your son again to the land from where you came?”.’
The steward’s point is well thought out. Which is more important, that Isaac stay in the land or that he marry a relative?
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
Precious instance again of Abraham’s faith. Exo 23:20 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 24:5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
Ver. 5. Peradventure the woman, &c. ] He swears cautiously, he doth not rashly rush upon his oath; he swears not in jest, but in judgment. So must we, Jer 4:2 duly considering the conditions and circumstances; as the nature of an oath, the matter whereabout, the person by whom, and before whom, the time, the place, our calling, and warrant thereunto. “Be not rash”; Ecc 5:2 the best that can come of that is repentance, that fair and happy daughter of an ugly and odious mother. a Swear not in heat and choler, as David did when he was going against Nabal; but soon after blessed Abigail for better counsel. Swear not in jest, lest you go to hell in earnest. Jam 5:12 Swear not petty oaths, those civilised compliments, and interjections of common talk, Faith and truth, &c. Thou must not swear by thy hairs, thou canst not make one of them white or black; much less by faith and truth, that is more worth than hairs. Remember that large roll, ten yards long, and five yards broad, full of curses against the swearer. Zec 5:2 And it rests upon his house, where he thinks himself most secure. When we are called to take a lawful oath, we must be reverently affected (as this good servant in the text), according to the excellency of the duty, and greatness of the person, whom we attest and invocate. The ancient form of taking and imposing an oath was, “Give glory to God”. Jos 7:19 Joh 9:24 And he that took the oath was said to “confess to God”. Isa 45:23 Rom 14:11 Therefore also St Paul, in swearing, useth a word of attention, and saith “Behold,” I speak it “before God”. Gal 1:20 Louis the French king was taken prisoner by Meletisaka the Sultan; and conditions of peace being concluded between them, for more assurance thereof, the Sultan offered to swear, if he failed in performance of anything, to renounce his Mohammed; requiring likewise of the king to swear, if he failed in anything that he had promised, to deny his Christ to be God: which profane oath the king detesting, and wishing rather to die than to give the same, the Sultan wondering at his constancy, took his word without any oath at all, and so published the league. b As on the other side, King John of England, being overcome in his barons’ wars, when he sent ambassadors to the monarch of Morocco for aid, offering to swear fidelity to him, and to receive the law of Mohammed, he grew into such a dislike of our king, that ever after he abhorred the mention of him. c
a ; as the Romans, in Plutarch, said of Pompey.
b Turk. Hist.
c Heyl., Geog., p. 714.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Peradventure: Gen 24:58, Exo 20:7, Exo 9:2, Pro 13:16, Jer 4:2
Reciprocal: Gen 24:8 – only Gen 24:39 – General