Genesis 24:39-41

24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go ¹  with me?’ ²  24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, ³  will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath ⁴  if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’

¹ tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.

² tn Heb “after me.”

³ tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).

⁵ tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).