Genesis 22:5

Summary

Abraham instructs his servants (ne'arim, H5288) to remain behind with the donkey while he and "the lad" (also na'ar, H5288) continue on. He states the purpose of their continued journey — to bow down — and affirms that they will return to the servants afterward.

Key words

• ne'arai ("servants", H5288) — masculine plural construct with 1st-person suffix, showing the group belongs to Abraham ("his young men/servants").
• ha-na'ar ("the lad", H5288) — same root as above, but singular with definite article, distinguishing one particular young person from the group of servants.
• shevu ("remain", H3427) — qal imperative plural, a direct command addressed to "you all" (the servants).
• nishtachaveh ("we may bow down", H7812) — hishtaphel form (a bowing-down stem) with vav, marking this action as the purpose or continuation of the journey "to there" (koh, H3541).
• nashuvah ("we will return", H7725J) — qal form describing the return to the servants after the bowing down is completed.

What the text says

The verse opens with the narrative vav on va-yomer ("and he said", H0559), continuing the storyline. Abraham addresses his ne'arim with the imperative shevu-lakhem poh — "remain for yourselves here" — the reflexive-style construction with lakhem ("for yourselves", H9005+H9036) intensifying the command as directed at their own benefit or situation, paired with the donkey (ha-chamor, H2543).

The sentence then shifts subject: va-ani ve-ha-na'ar ("and I and the lad") sets up a contrast between the group left behind (plural servants) and the two who continue — Abraham himself and "the lad," using the same noun na'ar as the servants but in the singular with the definite article, marking him as a specific, known individual rather than one of the group. The verbs nelekhah ("we will go") and later nishtachaveh ("we may bow down") and nashuvah ("we will return") are chained with the conjunction ve (H9002), presenting a sequence: going, bowing down, returning. The destination is marked only by the adverb koh ("there", H3541) preceded by ad ("to", H5704), without further specification in the Hebrew text itself.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders shevu ("remain") as Καθίσατε ("sit down"), a related but distinct action from simply "remaining." Where the Hebrew has nelekhah ("we will go"), the LXX uses διελευσόμεθα ("we will pass through/cross over"), a verb suggesting traversal rather than simple movement. The Vulgate's expectate ("wait/expect") for shevu similarly shifts nuance from "remain" toward anticipatory waiting.