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What does Abraham meant when he said 'Put I pray thee thy hand under my thigh' in Genesis 24 v2?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
When one swore an oath in Old Testament times, one would put one's hand under the thigh of the person you were swearing it to. It's an equivalent of putting one's hand on one's heart in modern terms.
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Close, yet not quite there. Abraham was the patriarch of his tribe. This may be a KJV delicate way of alluding to what he was instructing his eldest servant to do. Which was for him to reach down and grasp his (Abraham's) lower manhood, then to swear an oath upon the seed of their tribe, that he would make every effort to adhere to the promise he was to make.
We find similar oath taking in the ancient courts of Rome, where a man was required to take hold of the aforementioned, with his right hand and swear an oath to tell the absolute truth before the court. The appropriate penalty for perjury was castration. It is from this practice that the word "testimony" derives, as the Latin root "testi" refers to the glans from which the seeds of life, and each man's future progeny/legacy, hails.
Thus, as Abraham required his servant not to take hold of his (the servant's own) groin while making his pledge, but that of Abraham's, it symbolically stood for that of every member of their tribe. He was instilling in his servant the grave importance that Abraham himself invested in what was being demanded of his servant. It may be interpreted as implying Abraham was staking the future of his entire tribe on this one oath.
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∙ 13y ago
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What President was Abraham Lincoln born under?
Pres. Abraham Lincoln was born under Pres. Thomas Jefferson in 1809.
What is the most tender part of a chicken?
the thigh
Can you briefly trace the events that led to the Exodus?
The Israelites emigrated from Canaan to Egypt because of a famine (Genesis 46). At first they were respected and were under the protection of Joseph, a powerful Israelite; but later, the Egyptians enslaved them under a pretext (Exodus ch.1), and God brought ten plagues upon Egypt (Exodus ch.7-12), in accord with an ancient promise He had made to Abraham (Genesis 15). The plagues compelled the Egyptians to permit the Israelites to leave Egypt (Exodus 12).
What is this reddish brown ring around and under the vaginal and upper thigh?
Maybe ringworm?
Why didn't Abraham want Isaac to marry a Canaanite?
Because a canaanite women would not be a servant of the Most High God, and she might lead Isaac away from the faith.
What was Abraham Lincoln hiding under his hat?
He keeps an extra ballsack under it
Was Abraham a Jew or Gentile?
The first "Jew" was one of Abraham's great grandchildren. His name was "Judah" from which the nickname "Jew" is derived. So, technically, Abraham was not a "Jew" [that is, descended from Judah. Judah descended from Abraham]. Neither are the majority of Abraham's descendants through Isaac Jews, with the one exception, his great-grandson Judah [whose eleven brothers no doubt called him "Jew."].But this deceived world recognizes no such distinction among Abraham's children descended through Isaac. To the peoples of this world, they're all Jews. It's a distinction upon which few people dwell.The distinction of being a "Gentile," however is merely a physical matter of not having been "circumcised." A state in which Abram [and every other male throughout man's generations] started out in the world; a physical state that has nothing to do with the spirit, Faith or Righteousness:"...'Blessed is the man of whose sin the LORD will not take account.' This declaration of blessedness, then, does it come simply to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? For Abraham's Faith - so we affirm - was placed to his credit as Righteousness."What then were the circumstances under which this took place? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before?"Before, not after. And he received circumcision as a sign, a mark attesting the reality of the Faith - Righteousness which was his while still uncircumcised, that he might be the forefather of all those who believe even though they are uncircumcised, namely of those who not merely are circumcised, but also walk in the steps of the Faith which our forefather Abraham had while he was yet uncircumcised."Again, the Promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his posterity conditioned by Law, but by Faith - Righteousness." (Rom.4:8-13 WEY Weymouth's New Testament)Abraham was also the father of Ishmael, whose descendants are the Arab people. Ishmael, also, was born a Gentile, but later circumcised [Gen.17:23]. And no Jew or Arab today in their right mind would refer to an Arab as a Jew.Abraham's son Isaac also had another son other than Jacob; Esau, whose descendants became the nation of Turkey today. Are the Turks Gentiles or Jews?"That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, 'I have made you the father of many nations.'..." (verse 17).Abraham is the forefather of many so-called "Gentile" nations as well as the scattered few who practice the Jewish religion. The world little suspects or cares about all the nations that have descended from Faithful Abraham... Truth be known.Fortunately, God doesn't Judge man according to his appearance... but by what He sees in a man's heart... and by the works that are manifested from those things in a man's heart."See, I AM coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to repay all according to their deeds." (Rev.22:12 NLT New Living Translation)And for that reason God doesn't refer to Abraham as a Gentile or Jew, but:"...'Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be Righteous.' He was even called 'the friend of God.' So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by Faith alone." (Heb.11:23-24 NLT)ANSWERAbraham was from Ur of the Chaldees and was born in 1996 BC , while the Jews were named after Judah who was not born until over 241years later in 1755 BC. The word "gentile" is not in the original but is an English translation of the Hebrew word "goy" meaning "nation," "race", or "people.", and the tribes of Israel became a nation in 1446 BC when they left Egypt in the Exodus. Abraham was called "Abram" when he was born 550 years earlier in the Chaldees, so Abraham was a Chaldean: he was definitely not Jew or Gentile. [All dates Ussher].
What year did Abraham found Judaism?
I read an interesting reference to Abraham bringing Genesis from southern India, in the Tamil region. This reference was in a book on the origins of language - author Godfrey Higgins. I have forgotten the title, but another reference by the same author may be helpful: Anacalypsis: An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis; or an Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions (Two Volume Set, complete) (Hardcover)by Godfrey Higgins (Author)This book appears to be of similar subject matter, but its purchase price is quite high. You may wish to see if it is available at your public library, or more likely at a local university library - which may transfer the book for loan to your public library. I hope this has been helpful.
Does Abraham Lincoln live under your bed?
Not mine.
How did Abraham become an instrument of salvation?
Abraham was singlehandedly responsible for rolling back the suffocating blanket of ubiquitous idolatry that had covered the world. It took time for his worship of God to spread very far, but it was he who taught the belief in the One God to the world. In that sense, he brought salvation to whoever learned his beliefs. Maimonides writes that even during his lifetime, tens of thousands of people came under Abraham's influence. We cannot overestimate his importance in the spiritual history of mankind. Abraham believed God (Genesis 15:6).
What is Genesis labeled under what Bible heading?
Simply, The Book of Genesis. Some have 'Book of Beginnings' or Beginnings. It is the first book of the Old Testament.
Who is credited with establishing Judaism?
The Israelites lived under the Mosaic law, given to Moses by God, which was/is called the covenant. As history progressed, ten tribes broke away, leaving only the people of Judah and the Benjamin. The northern ten tribes of Israel wandered into idolatry and were captured and scattered throughout the then-known world by the Assyrians.Answer:Abraham, Jacob and Isaac.Answer:moses.Answer:Tradition states that Abraham (18th century BCE) founded Judaism, and Moses later received the Torah from God.Abraham (18th century BCE), tenth-generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and forefather of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to actively spread belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).Abraham came from ancestry that had been aware of God a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). By the time of Abraham, the area where he lived was full of pagan cults; they were polytheistic, worshiping multiple deities.Abraham became the first to advance the idea of ethical monotheism: the worship of One God, and the appropriate ethical code of conduct.Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the confluence of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where he raised his family.He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses.Abraham became the greatest thinker of all time. His originality, perseverance, strength of conviction, and influence, cannot be overestimated.Abraham, with God's help, trounced the supremacy of the evil Nimrod.He received God's promise of inheriting the Holy Land (Genesis ch.13).He strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19); and God eventually blessed his efforts, granting him numerous descendants (ibid., ch.16, 21 and 25), in keeping with His promise (Genesis ch.17).Abraham founded the Jewish people and lived to see his work live on in the persons of Isaac and Jacob; and he taught many other disciples as well (Talmud, Yoma 28b).He saved the population of the south of Canaan from invading foreign kings (Genesis 14); and he was feared by neighboring kings (ibid., ch.12 and 20).Abraham gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), entered into a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22). He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).The gravesite of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives (Genesis 49:29-32) is located in Hebron and has been known and attested to for many centuries.All of the above practices of Abraham were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham understood through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants (unlike idolatry, which had no moral character; with worship of the gods accompanied by things such as human sacrifice, "sacred" prostitution, and animal worship).It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. (However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.)Moses was an Israelite, a great-great grandson of Jacob. He was born 245 years after the death of Abraham. The time when Moses was born was when the Pharaoh had ordered his people to kill all Israelite male infants because he (Pharaoh) was afraid that the Israelites would become too strong for him (Exodus ch.1-2).Moses' mother didn't want him to die. So she made a basket for him and put him in it to float in the Nile reeds. He was found by Pharaoh's daughter, who took pity on him (Exodus ch.2) and raised him as her own son.Moses was forced to flee after killing a cruel Egyptian taskmaster, and went to Midian, where he wedded the daughter of Jethro.He eventually achieved the highest level of prophecy (Deuteronomy ch.34) and was called upon by God (Exodus ch.3). He brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery (Exodus ch.12). He received the Torah from God (Exodus 24:12) and later recorded it in writing (Deuteronomy 31:24). He went up on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights (Deuteronomy ch.9-10) and brought down the Two Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 31:18). He brought the Israelites into the covenant with God (Exodus ch.19 and ch.24), and he oversaw the building of the Tabernacle (Exodus ch.35-40). He was the humblest of men and the greatest of prophets (Numbers ch.12).
