Was Abraham Bisexual? What do you make of Genesis 24:2?

Question

24:2 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: (24:2, 9)

"Put ... thy hand under my thigh."

Abraham makes his servant put his hand under his thigh while swearing to God.

Do any Christians still partake of this weird ritual?

Answer 1

You have a misunderstanding of the verse. Thigh meant under his hip.  That was a differant time period. what is wrong with you people?

Why do you always misunderstand, the sciptures in the bible?

Answer 2

Um... wow. That's just... wow... ha..haha...

Well, it says under, not between. So therefore I can only assume it was some weird ritual, the Ancient Jewish equivalent of pinky swearing or spit shaking.

Answer 3

No he was not.

It was a custom/practice that time for swearing.

The word “thigh” applies to the upper part of the leg from the hip to the knee, in which the femur is located. According to the Jewish rabbi Rashbam, this method of swearing was used when a superior adjured an inferior, such as a master his servant or a father his son, who also owes him obedience. And according to another Jewish scholar, Abraham Ibn Ezra, it was the custom in those days for a servant to take an oath in this manner, placing his hand under his master’s thigh, the latter sitting upon his hand. This signified that the servant was under his master’s authority.—The Soncino Chumash, edited by A. Cohen, London, 1956, p. 122.

Nowadays, it is no longer a popular custom/practice in swearing.  One may swear by words.

However Jesus  tells us: "Just let YOUR word Yes mean Yes, YOUR No, No; for what is in excess of these is from the wicked one"

Answer 4

Some scriptures have been mistranslated, and this is one. "Thigh" is supposed to be "hand" according to Joseph Smith's translation.

Answer 5

Are you aware of Jewish custom?  By having physical contact upon the thigh, you were making an oath and covenant with the other party.  It was binding, it was a promise, and this was the manner in which it was made.

Answer 6

Not that unusual

Answer 7

Put your hand under my thigh does not mean "put your todger up me bunghole"

Answer 8

lol Actually thigh was used in place of genitalia. t******e holding was a solemn oath.I'm not kidding.  

Answer 9

Where do you think the word "testimony" comes from?  This was a common way of swearing the truth back in the day.  Most cultures did it:  Guys put their hands on each other's junk houses instead of on Bibles, since Bibles weren't around back then.  Testimony and testify have the same root word as t******e for a reason.

Answer 10

Under common culture, having someone close to you put their hand under your thigh signified a bond of filial (family) love and trust. It also signified a transfer of power of some sort. In the case of Abraham, I think he was trying to put into place the bond between the family of the man and him for a betrothing.