Genesis 24:3

3 I want you to swear by the LORD God of heaven and earth that you will not get my son a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I'm living.

Genesis 24:3 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 24:3

And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and
the God of earth
The Maker and possessor of heaven and earth, by whom Abraham used to swear whenever he did, and by whom only men should swear, see ( Genesis 14:22 ) . The Targum of Jonathan is,

``I will make thee swear by the name of the Word of the Lord God,''
which strengthens the sense given of the rite before observed: that thou wilt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the
Canaanites, among whom I dwell;
these being not only idolaters, and very wicked people, degenerated yet more and more, but were the seed of the accursed Canaan; and who in process of time would be dispossessed of the land, and be destroyed. Now though Isaac was forty years of age, and one would think at an age sufficient to have chosen a wife for himself; but as Abraham knew that he had a great respect for this servant, and would be influenced by him in such a choice, and especially as this affair was now about to be committed to his care, and no doubt with the consent of Isaac, therefore he thus charges and adjures him.

Genesis 24:3 In-Context

1 By now Abraham was old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
2 So Abraham said to the senior servant of his household who was in charge of all that he owned, "Take a solemn oath.
3 I want you to swear by the LORD God of heaven and earth that you will not get my son a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I'm living.
4 Instead, you will go to the land of my relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."
5 The servant asked him, "What if the woman doesn't want to come back to this land with me? Should I take your son all the way back to the land you came from?"
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.