But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by the oath: only bring not my son back thither again.
וְאִם־לֹ֨א תֹאבֶ֤ה הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ לָלֶ֣כֶת אַחֲרֶ֔יךָ וְנִקִּ֕יתָ מִשְּׁבֻעָתִ֖י זֹ֑את רַ֣ק אֶת־בְּנִ֔י לֹ֥א תָשֵׁ֖ב שָֽׁמָּה׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Should it occur (which is unlikely!) that your wife does not consent to accompany you, you shall be released from your commitment. However, do not return my son to that place. I am confident that the Lord will bestow His grace upon you. In this way, the patriarch demonstrates his complete trust in God's might by instructing his servant not to take Isaac there.
When the servant inquired whether he should take his master's son if the girl refused to accompany him, Abraham cautioned, "Be careful not to bring my son back there! The Lord God of heaven and the God of earth has taken me from my father's house and my birthplace. He assured me with an oath, stating, 'I will give this land to you and to your descendants.' He will send His angel before you, and you shall find a wife for my son from there. If the woman is unwilling to come with you to this land, you shall be released from this vow. Take heed of where this is leading. You must not take a wife from among those of a different faith.
Certainly, if she embraces Christianity, you will be honored through her; but if she declines this path, do not let your desire for marriage draw you away from your faith. Thus the scriptures instruct. Abraham instructed his servant to seek out the one willing to follow him, and for those who resisted, they were not to be pursued, nor was his son to return there. The Lord, who had delivered him from his homeland, would surely provide guidance for those earnestly seeking the soul of the girl. As a prophet, Abraham spoke of his son’s endeavors and, as a moral teacher, urged reliance on the Lord, who assists those striving to deepen their faith.
Simply avoid sending my son back to that place. In other words, do not enter into a marriage agreement that includes such a stipulation. While Abraham is an alien among the nations, he is even more of a stranger to his homeland, as God has brought him out from there.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS