^24:2Abraham said to his servant, the senior one³ in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh⁴^24:3so that I may make you solemnly promise⁵ by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire⁶ a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. ^24:4You must go instead to my country and to my relatives⁷ to find⁸ a wife for my son Isaac.”

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Footnotes

3 The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
4 Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh—the Patriarchal Oath,” 2 (1976): 2–4, 42.
5 Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
6 Heb “because you must not take.”
7 Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
8 Heb “and take.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh, and I will have you swear by the Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live, but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

NLTNew Living Translation

One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh that I may make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose midst I am dwelling, but that you will go to my land and to my family, and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

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