Bible Strands
Genesis 24:14
Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abraham’s servant stands beside a town spring (Genesis 24:13) and prays to God for a specific, observable sign to identify the woman chosen for Isaac.
The words — The Hebrew הַנַּעֲרָ (ha-na‘ara, “the young woman”) and הַטִּי־כַדֶּךָּ (ha-ti-kaddekha, “bend down your jar”) frame the precise physical action requested.
The thread — The servant’s request for a tangible confirmation parallels Gideon’s sign requests in Judges 6:17 and Judges 6:37, as well as Abraham’s inquiry in Genesis 15:8.
Why it lands — The text records a man asking God to validate a chosen spouse through a specific, verifiable action. It requires the reader to note how divine guidance is sought through concrete signs rather than abstract assurances.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
Cross-references
- Judges 6:37 then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
- Judges 6:17 Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.
- Genesis 15:8 But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”
- 2 Samuel 5:24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
- 2 Kings 20:8 Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”
- Isaiah 7:11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”
- Exodus 4:1 Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”
- Judges 18:5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
- 1 Samuel 14:8 “Very well,” said Jonathan, “we will cross over toward these men and show ourselves to them.
- Proverbs 19:14 Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.