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Genesis 24:17

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 24:17 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher.
Genesis 24:17 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 24

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
14And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink. And she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. Let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. And thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.
15And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham`s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her. And she went down to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher.
18And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the servant ran to meet her, etc.] He did not stop her as she went to the well, but stayed till she had been there and filled her pitcher, and then he made all the haste he could to meet her, in order to have the sign and token answered he had requested, which could not be done until she returned: and said, let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher; or taste a little of it, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; or suffer me to swallow a little of it; for it was not so much to quench his thirst that he asked for this, for he could have got, and perhaps had had water out of the well before this time, or however could easily have supplied himself; but this was done to try…”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification