The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse is a powerful reminder that true greatness isn't just about accumulating possessions. Abraham's immense wealth—flocks, herds, silver, gold, servants, and beasts of burden—is presented as the result of God's blessing, not the source of his worth or standing.
The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes in the middle of a crucial mission: Abraham's servant has traveled to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham's own family, as instructed. After successfully identifying Rebekah and receiving her family's blessing, the servant now recaps the immense blessings God has bestowed upon his master, Abraham, emphasizing his great wealth and status. This declaration serves to reassure Rebekah's family of the prestigious and prosperous future that awaits her if she agrees to marry Isaac.
Abraham's servant doesn't just list his master's possessions; he declares their divine origin. Discover what this reveals about true human achievement.
The servant's declaration in Genesis 24:35 isn't just a status report; it's a theological statement. He doesn't say, 'Abraham earned all this,' but 'The LORD has blessed my master greatly.'
God's Role in Prosperity
Abraham is described as 'great.' Was this solely due to his riches, or was there something more? Explore the connection between possessions and true character.
Abraham's 'greatness' mentioned in Genesis 24:35 is multifaceted. While the servant enumerates Abraham's immense wealth as evidence of God's favor, this prosperity is presented as a consequence and reflection of Abraham's character and his covenant relationship with God.
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Beyond the Riches
Understand the original words
gadal · Hebrew Verb
Possessions, property, or prosperity granted by God, often viewed as a tangible evidence of divine favor and stewardship. In the context of the patriarchs, it included livestock and precious metals.
This verse, spoken by Abraham's servant, highlights the immense material wealth Abraham had accumulated. This prosperity wasn't just worldly success; it was a sign of God's blessing and a crucial element in making Isaac an attractive and suitable husband for a woman from Abraham's own extended family, ensuring the continuation of God's covenant promises.
c. 2000 BC
Abraham lives in Canaan
Abraham and his family, having been called by God, settled in the land of Canaan. While they were relatively prosperous, they were still a migrating people, not yet possessing the land as an inheritance.
c. 1990 BC
Birth of Ishmael
Abraham's son Ishmael was born to Hagar, a servant. This event highlighted the complexities of lineage and inheritance within Abraham's household, prompting Abraham to seek a wife for Isaac from his own kindred.
c. 1975 BC
Birth of Isaac
Isaac, the promised son of Abraham and Sarah, was born. This marked a crucial step in God's covenant plan, as Isaac was to be the heir through whom God's promises would be passed down.
c. 1955 BC
Death of Sarah
Sarah, Abraham's wife and Isaac's mother, passed away. Her death left Isaac without a mother and underscored the urgency for him to marry and continue the family line.
c. 1950 BC— this verse
Abraham sends servant to find wife for Isaac
Abraham, old and concerned for his son's future, sent his chief servant (traditionally named Eliezer) to his homeland in Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from among his relatives. This mission was critical to maintaining the purity of the lineage through which God's promises would continue.
c. 1950 BC
Rebekah chosen and agrees to marry Isaac
The servant successfully identified Rebekah through a divinely guided test at a well. Her family agreed to the marriage, and Rebekah herself consented to leave her home to marry Isaac.
c. 1950 BC
Isaac marries Rebekah
Rebekah journeyed to Canaan and met Isaac. She became his wife, bringing comfort to Isaac after his mother's death and continuing the lineage through whom God's promises would be fulfilled.
This verse describes Abraham as 'very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.' It highlights the immense wealth that God had already bestowed upon Abraham, setting the stage for the later declaration of blessing in Genesis 24:35.
Deuteronomy 8:18This passage reminds the Israelites that 'it is he who gives you power to get wealth,' emphasizing that all prosperity, including Abraham's great riches, ultimately comes from the Lord. It reinforces the theological understanding behind Abraham's abundant blessings.
Psalm 115:14-15The psalmist declares, 'May the LORD give you increase, you and your children! May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth!' This echoes the sentiment of divine blessing on Abraham and his lineage, connecting God's favor to the prosperity of His people.
Proverbs 10:22This proverb states, 'The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no sorrow with it.' It directly links God's blessing to material prosperity, much like the description of Abraham's wealth in Genesis 24:35, affirming that such blessings are pure and from the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:7The words of Hannah's prayer, 'The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts,' offer a parallel to Abraham's situation. They illustrate the principle that God is the ultimate source of one's status and possessions, whether poverty or wealth.
cambridgeGenesis 24:35: "And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses."
35 . hath blessed ] Cf. Genesis 24:1 . The servant recounts the wealth of Abraham of which we have heard in Genesis 12:16 , Genesis 13:2 . The servant’s first object is to represent that, from a worldly point of view, a marriage with Abraham’s son would be not only prudent, but desirable.
calvinGenesis 24:1-67: "And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things."
The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
Iehova Deus coeli, qui tulit me e domo patris mei, et e terra cognationis meae, et qui loquutus est…
The verse is a powerful reminder that true greatness isn't just about accumulating possessions. Abraham's immense wealth—flocks, herds, silver, gold, servants, and beasts of burden—is presented as the result of God's blessing, not the source of his worth or standing.
This verse comes in the middle of a crucial mission: Abraham's servant has traveled to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham's own family, as instructed. After successfully identifying Rebekah and receiving her family's blessing, the servant now recaps the immense blessings God has bestowed upon his master, Abraham, emphasizing his great wealth and status. This declaration serves to reassure Rebekah's family of the prestigious and prosperous future that awaits her if she agrees to marry Isaac.
This verse comes in the middle of a crucial mission: Abraham's servant has traveled to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham's own family, as instructed. After successfully identifying Rebekah and receiving her family's blessing, the servant now recaps the immense blessings God has bestowed upon his master, Abraham, emphasizing his great wealth and status. This declaration serves to reassure Rebekah's family of the prestigious and prosperous future that awaits her if she agrees to marry Isaac.
"The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys." — The verse is a powerful reminder that true greatness isn't just about accumulating possessions. Abraham's immense wealth—flocks, herds, silver, gold, servants, and beasts of burden—is presented as th…
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Last reviewed October 2026