Genesis 24:39

Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The servant recounts a past conversation to Rebekah’s family in Haran, recalling his question to Abraham about securing a wife for Isaac.

The words — The Hebrew phrase אֻלַי לֹא תֵלֵךְ (ulai lo telekh) literally translates to “perhaps she will not go,” capturing the servant’s conditional worry about the woman’s refusal to follow.

The thread — This exact contingency appears in Genesis 24:5, where the servant initially poses the same question to Abraham before departing for Mesopotamia.

Why it lands — The text records a practical objection to a divine commission, establishing the servant’s need for reassurance before he relies on God’s promised guidance.

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

וָאֹמַ֖רva./'o.Marand/ I said אֶל־'el-to אֲדֹנִ֑י'a.do.N/imaster/ my אֻלַ֛י'u.Laiperhaps לֹא־lo'-not תֵלֵ֥ךְte.Lekhshe will go הָאִשָּׁ֖הha./'i.Shahthe/ woman אַחֲרָֽי׃'a.cha.Ra/iafter/ me

King James Version

And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me.

Cross-references

Genesis 24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”