A Bride for Isaac
But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.” Genesis 24:56 · Berean Standard Bible
The servant asked them not to delay him—the Lord had blessed his journey, and he needed to return to Abraham quickly.
The servant had a mission to complete. He'd been on the road for weeks already, and Abraham was waiting. Delaying would mean Rebekah's family got more attached, making the departure harder. The servant was thinking practically and mercifully, wanting to move forward.
Abraham's servant
The servant understood that sometimes kindness means not making goodbyes longer than they need to be. He'd accomplished what he was sent to do, and now it was time to go home.
The servant refuses the delay, requesting immediate departure since the LORD has granted him success in his mission.
The servant's refusal—'Do not delay me' (al-te'achasrun oti)—invokes the urgency of the divine mission. By appealing to 'the LORD has made my journey a success' (YHWH hitsliach darkhi), he subordinates the family's legitimate desire to the transcendent purpose. This creates theological tension: both the family's desire and the divine mission are real; the servant privileges the latter. Speiser notes this represents the patriarchal narratives' consistent prioritization of covenant obligation over domestic comfort.
Abraham's servant, refusing the family's request for delay
The refusal establishes that covenant commitment transcends even legitimate family ties. The patriarchal narratives repeatedly demonstrate that God's purposes require individuals to leave family structures behind—a theme threading from Abraham onward.
54Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there.
55But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.”
56But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.”
57So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.”
58They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”
Read all of Genesis 24 — A servant, a prayer, a woman at a well. One of the Bible's most beautiful stories of providence unfolds in the smallest details.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad