In Genesis 24:2 it reads, “And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:”<\/p>\n
Why did he have to put his hand under his thigh?\u00a0 Was is the meaning of this?<\/p>\n\t
We know very little about the significance of this style of taking a vow. The only other place it is mentioned is in Genesis 47:29. It doesn’t appear in any historical account outside the Bible, so we have nothing with which to compare it.<\/p>\n
The typical guess is that the vow represents being made before the person and his future generations. Another possibility is that since people in ancient days carried a sword at their side, against their thigh (Psalms 45:3), that it might be a symbolic representation of accepting the sword as a consequence for failing to keep the vow. It should also be noted that the one with his hand under the thigh was in an awkward, subservient position, unable to defend himself, so the vow done in this way may indicate a willingness to bend before another person’s will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: In Genesis 24:2 it reads, “And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:” Why did he have to put his hand under his thigh?\u00a0 Was is the meaning of this? Answer: We know very little about…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[189,647],"class_list":["post-18905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-genesis","tag-vows"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11859,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-was-the-significance-of-samson-killing-the-lion-and-eating-honey-from-its-carcass\/","url_meta":{"origin":18905,"position":0},"title":"What was the significance of Samson killing the lion and eating honey from its carcass?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 29, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is the symbolism of Samson killing the lion and\u00a0what was bad about Samson\u00a0giving his parents the honey that the bees had made in the lion's dead carcass? Answer: I don't recall God stating that Samson killing the lion symbolized anything in particular. It did illustrate the strength of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3289,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-all-levitical-priests-left-handed\/","url_meta":{"origin":18905,"position":1},"title":"Were all Levitical Priests left-handed?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 7, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it true that all Levite Priest were left-handed? If so, why? Answer: In Israel, left-handedness was rare enough that it received mention at times. Ehud was left-handed (Judges 3:15). This allowed Ehud to smuggle in a sword to assassinate King Eglon by strapping the sword to his right\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21027,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-paul-be-under-a-nazirite-vow-since-he-shaved-his-head\/","url_meta":{"origin":18905,"position":2},"title":"How could Paul be under a Nazirite vow since he shaved his head?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, You had mentioned in your answer to the question as to why Paul shaved his head in Cenchrea recorded in Acts 18:18, that it was because of the Nazarite Vow (Numbers 6:2-21)? The Nazarite Vow does require that \"no razor touch your head\" (Numbers 6:5). How do you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51808,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-paul-shave-his-head-at-cenchrea-and-not-at-jerusalem-as-was-the-custom\/","url_meta":{"origin":18905,"position":3},"title":"Why did Paul shave his head at Cenchrea and not at Jerusalem as was the custom?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why did Paul shave his head at Cenchrea and not at Jerusalem as was the custom? Answer: \"Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57958,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-lord-of-the-ring\/","url_meta":{"origin":18905,"position":4},"title":"The Lord of the Ring","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kent Heaton \"Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge\" (Hebrews 13:4). During the wedding ceremony, the giving of rings symbolizes the token of pledges made to one another for purity, fidelity, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Wedding-Ring.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2742,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-long-were-the-priests-breeches\/","url_meta":{"origin":18905,"position":5},"title":"How long were the priests’ breeches?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 14, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In one of your articles, you mentioned that\u00a0Exodus 28:42\u00a0means from the waist to and including the thighs. What is your source for this interpretation? 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