Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Genesis 24:23/אור החיים על בראשית כ״ד:כ״ג

אבַּת מִי אַתְּ הַגִּידִי וְגוֹ׳. סָמַךְ שְׁתֵּי הַשְּׁאֵלוֹת, לְהַגִּיד כִּי לֹא נִסְתַּפֵּק אִם הִיא מִבְּנֵי מִשְׁפַּחַת אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁאִם הָיָה מְסֻפָּק לֹא הָיָה לוֹ לִשְׁאוֹל הֲיֵשׁ מָקוֹם עַד שֶׁיֵּדַע אִם דֶּרֶךְ נָכוֹן לְפָנָיו, אֶלָּא וַדַּאי שֶׁהֶאֱמִין בַּה׳ כִּי הִצְלִיחַ דַּרְכּוֹ, וּמַה שֶׁשָּׁאַל ״בַּת מִי אַתְּ״ הוּא מָה שֵׁם אָבִיהָ וְגוֹ׳, וְקוֹדֶם שֶׁתָּשִׁיב אָמַר ״הֲיֵשׁ בֵּית אָבִיךְ״ וְגוֹ׳ כִּי לֹא יִשְׁתַּנֶּה דָּבָר זֶה בְּהַגָּדַת בַּת מִי וְגוֹ׳, וְהָבֵן:
1 בת מי את, הגידי, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, etc." The Torah lumps both these questions together to show that Eliezer did not entertain any doubts that the girl must belong to Abraham's family. Had he entertained such doubts he could not have enquired immediately about the chance of lodging in her parents' home until he had clarified who her parents were. He merely wanted to know her father's name. He added his enquiry about staying at her parents' overnight to emphasise that this had nothing to do with her father's name, that he was convinced G'd had guided him to the right family.