Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 24:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The servant runs to meet Rebekah and politely asks for a little water from her jar. His request activates the precise situation described in the prayer without revealing the larger mission to her.
Read It With
- Genesis 24:10–28
Read verses 17–20 together. Verse 17 asks only for a little water; verses 18–20 show Rebekah first meeting that request and then freely offering the much larger service of watering the camels.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The servant initiates the requested scenario with the small request he described in prayer.
Read Genesis 24:17–20 together
Why these verses belong together: The servant's small request, Rebekah's immediate response, voluntary camel offer, and completed work form the central hospitality action.
Verse 17. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
Verse 18. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
Verse 19. 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
Verse 20. 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
What Remains True
A small, honest request can reveal more than a manipulated test because the other person's voluntary response remains visible.
How It Can Shape Life
- Ask directly for what you actually need instead of disguising a demand or steering another person toward a secretly predetermined response.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 24:10–28 — The Servant Meets Rebekah at the WellSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, unit boundary, narrative sequence, prayer, Rebekah's actions, jewelry, kinship, worship, later retelling, willingness, and well-scene comparisons.
Exact location: Genesis 24:10–28 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 22:20–24; 24:1–9, 29–67; 29:1–14; and Exodus 2:15–22
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Geography terminology, prayer wording, covenant kindness, appointment, descriptions of Rebekah, verse 21 uncertainty, success, ring, faithfulness, and guidance.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 24:10–28; lemmas and morphology for Aram-naharaim, qarah, hesed, yakhach, na'arah, betulah, shaat, tsalach, nezem, emet, and nachah
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation clarification, lexical uncertainty, prayer syntax, characterization, jewelry terminology, and guidance language.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 24:10–28 and translator notes, especially city of Nahor, cause-it-to-happen prayer, appointed, repeated haste, verse 21's difficult verb, ring/nose ring, and mercy/faithfulness
Open NET Genesis 24 ↗