What does "put his hand under my thigh" mean between men?

Question

Gen.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:
9 And the servant put his HAND UNDER MY THIGH of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

Gen.47:29 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy HAND UNDER MY THIGH, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

Answer 1

Get a hold of yourself because this is going to be a little hard to believe. What you have stumbled upon,is the sign of the covenant according to ancient Hebrew Rabies and is referring to Abraham's genitals. In its most basic form, it is an oath.
Genesis 17:11
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
the only other place is in
Genesis 47:29
And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
It is the equivalent of raising your hand and swearing an oath.

Answer 2

He's showing that you're attractive to him. Five years is not much of a difference nowadays, so the main question to ask yourself is if you like him back. If you do, then all the signs are pointing to you to go ahead and try to initiate something. If you don't like him back, then try telling him that you think he's nice, but aren't interested right now. You can bring up several reasons for this (career goals, experiencing life, etc). This should give him the sign to stop showering you signs of affection. Good luck

Answer 3

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RE:
What does "put his hand under my thigh" mean between men?
Gen.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:
9 And the servant put his HAND UNDER MY THIGH of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

Gen.47:29 And the time drew nigh that...

Answer 4

It's related to oaths or covenants, after all, reproductive ability is sacred to most people, and it is also near the place where a Jewish man has his symbol of his covenant with God (Brit Milah AKA circumcision). Whether it was a literal or symbolic gesture depends on which commentary you read, as no one today can really attest to activities 3500 years ago without referring to a commentary.

Answer 5

It was matter of trust between the two people. No one ever would put their hand under a thigh of someone intentionally. So, they used this seldom and rarely touched part of the body to make it a sincere oath or promise or agreement between the parties. Thanks for the question, and have a great day!

Answer 6

It was a symbol and/or seal of a vow. Handing someone your sandal sealed a deal between 2 parties. The ancient meaning I think is lost to us, but we get the general idea.

Answer 7

It was a greeting and or pack that was made between man back in those days.
Much like the hand shake today is done by all as a greeting so was that as well as for making covenants(promises)

Answer 8

If I remember correctly, it was a gesture of swearing an oath... like raising your right hand in court or "crossing your heart" would be today.

Answer 9

in ancient times they use to hold the testicles when they made an oath. the words testate, testimony, and testament all have this same root.

also this is were the saying "got you by the balls" comes from.

before you mark me down because you dont believe me, google it and you will see what I am saying is true.

Answer 10

For instance:

As Avraham (Abraham) nears the end of his life, he must find a suitable wife for his beloved son Yitzchak (Isaac). Since Avraham might not live to see this happen, he elicits a commitment from his chief servant, whom the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba 59:5) identifies as Eliezer:

And Avraham said to his servant, the senior member of his household, who administered all that was his: “Place, now, your hand under my thigh. And I make you swear (V’ASHBI’ACHA) by Hashem, G-d of the heavens and G-d of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose midst I dwell” (Bereshit - Genesis 24:2-3).

Then, Avraham clarifies the additional terms of the pledge: to try to select a wife from his relatives in Charan, but under no circumstances to take Yitzchak out of Canaan. And the servant placed his hand under his master Avraham’s thigh, and he swore to him about this matter (verse 9).

The Tanach cites a number of ways for one to demonstrate a commitment, including removing a shoe (Rut 4:7), and a handshake (Yechezkel 17:18; Mishlei 17:18, 22:26).

Rashbam (R. Shmuel ben Meir, c. 1080-1174) and Haamek Davar (R. Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin, “Netziv,” 1817- 1893) say that such actions occur between equals. “Placing the hand under the thigh,” on the other hand, is reserved for relationships of inequality, like master and servant. This accounts for the only other recorded instance of this action, but this time between a father and son:

And the days approached for Yisrael to die, and he called for his son, for Yosef (Joseph), and he said to him: “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please place your hand under my thigh. And you shall render me kindness and truth: please do not bury me in Egypt.” … And he said, “Swear to me!” And he swore to him (Bereshit - Genesis 47:29, 31). (It is reasonable to assume that Yosef obeyed his father.) Netziv points out that, as his master, Avraham is able to compel Eliezer to swear (V’ASHBI’ACHA); but Yosef is a free man, so Yaakov (Jacob) only requests him to swear. What is the meaning of “placing the hand under the thigh”? What connection is there between this action and swearing?

Some commentaries separate this act from the swearing that follows. It is purely an acknowledgement of subservience, as if to say, “behold my hand is in your domain to do as you will.” Ibn Ezra says this practice continues in India. Hirsch (Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, 1808-1888) interprets the gesture contrarily:
“A dying man, or one whose end is approaching, … exacts a promise from one who will outlive him, to carry something out, without which he feels he cannot die in peace. … ‘Let me rest on your hand.’”