King James Version

Genesis 24:5

And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?

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וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvayomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…אֵלָיו֙elayvamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).הָעֶ֔בֶדhaevedthe servantעֶבֶדdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the servant”, the ordinary formH5650a servant[idiom] bondage, bondman, (bond-) servant, (man-) servant.אוּלַי֙ulayif so beאוּלַיadverb — “if so be”H194if not; hence perhapsif so be, may be, peradventure, unless.לֹאlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…תֹאבֶ֣הtovehbe willingאָבָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “be willing”, an unfinished actionH14to breathe after, i.e. (figuratively) to be acquiescentconsent, rest content will, be willing.הָֽאִשָּׁ֔הhaishahthe eachאִשָּׁהdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the each”, the ordinary formH802a woman(adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.לָלֶ֥כֶתlalekhetto carryיָלַךְpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to carry”, the to-form of the verbH3212to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)[idiom] again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, [phrase] follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, [phrase] pursue,…אַחֲרַ֖יacharayafterאַחַרpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “after”H310properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, [phrase] out (over) live, [phrase] persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, the…אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).הָאָ֣רֶץhaaretsthe earthאֶרֶץdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.הַזֹּ֑אתhazotthe thisזֹאתdefinite article, pronoun, demonstrative, feminine, singular — “the this”H2063this (often used adverb)hereby (-in, -with), it, likewise, the one (other, same), she, so (much), such (deed), that, therefore, these, this (thing), thus.הֶֽהָשֵׁ֤בhehashevagainשׁוּבparticle, interrogative, verb, hiphil, infinitive absolute — “again”, the verb used for emphasisH7725to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) [idiom] again, (cause to) answer ([phrase] again), [idiom] in any case (wise), [idiom] at all, averse, bring (again,…אָשִׁיב֙ashivagainשׁוּבverb, hiphil, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “again”, an unfinished actionH7725to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) [idiom] again, (cause to) answer ([phrase] again), [idiom] in any case (wise), [idiom] at all, averse, bring (again,…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).בִּנְךָ֔binkhasonבֵּןnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “son”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1121a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)[phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, […אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).הָאָ֖רֶץhaaretsthe earthאֶרֶץdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.אֲשֶׁרasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…יָצָ֥אתָyatsatabring forthיָצָאverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “bring forth”, a completed actionH3318to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.[idiom] after, appear, [idiom] assuredly, bear out, [idiom] begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), [phrase] be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail…מִשָּֽׁםmishamfrom thereשָׁםpreposition, adverb — “from there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And the servant said unto him: 'Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land; must I needs bring thy son back unto the land from whence thou camest?'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?

Young’s Literal Translation

And the servant saith unto him, 'It may be the woman is not willing to come after me unto this land; do I at all cause thy son to turn back unto the land from whence thou camest out?'

World English Bible

The servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the land you came from?”

Darby Translation

And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land: must I, then, bring thy son again in any case to the land from which thou hast removed?

Douay-Rheims

The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this land, must I bring thy son back again to the place, from whence thou camest out?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And the servant said unto him: 'Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land; must I needs bring thy son back unto the land from whence thou camest?'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And the servant said to him, Shall I carry back thy son to the land whence thou camest forth, if haply the woman should not be willing to return with me to this land?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ παῖς, μή ποτε οὐ βούληται ἡ γυνὴ πορευθῆναι μετʼ ἐμοῦ ὀπίσω εἰς τὴν γῆν ταύτην, ἀποστρέψω τὸν υἱόν σου εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὅθεν ἐξῆλθες ἐκεῖθεν;