Bible Strands

Genesis 24:21

Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Abraham’s servant stands at the well in Canaan, watching Rebekah immediately after she has drawn water for him and his camels. He remains quiet to observe whether Yahweh has validated his prayer for a successful mission.

The words — The Hebrew מַחֲרִ֕ישׁ (macha.Rish) describes the servant’s deliberate silence while he waits for confirmation. He watches מִשְׁתָּאֵ֖ה (mishta.'Eh), indicating a fixed, expectant gaze rather than casual observation.

The thread — The servant’s silent observation directly answers his petition for divine guidance in Genesis 24:12. This posture of waiting for Yahweh’s intervention aligns with the reflective attention commanded in Psalms 107:43 and David’s measured response in 2 Samuel 7:18.

Why it lands — The text states that success depends on Yahweh’s action, not the servant’s speed, requiring patient observation before movement. Readers must assess whether they trust divine timing or attempt to manufacture confirmation through their own urgency.

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

וְהָאִ֥ישׁve./ha./'Ishand/ the/ manמִשְׁתָּאֵ֖הmish.ta.'Eh[was] gazingלָ֑הּLa/hto <the>/ herמַחֲרִ֕ישׁma.cha.Rishbeing silentלָדַ֗עַתla./Da.'atto/ knowהַֽהִצְלִ֧יחַha./hitz.Li.ach¿/ had he made successfulיְהוָ֛הYah.wehYahwehדַּרְכּ֖וֹdar.K/ojourney/ hisאִם־'im-or?לֹֽא׃Lo'not

King James Version

And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.

Cross-references