What Does Genesis 24:16 Mean in the King James?

And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

Genesis 24:16 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

In Hebrew, being “good to look upon” and being “known” are separate realities: the gaze does not equal intimacy.

THE MEANING

Your appearance does not contain your whole life: being seen is distinct from being intimately known. The woman in the verse is also in motion, she goes down to the spring, fills her pitcher, and comes up.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

The lie this undoes is that appearance tells the whole truth about a person’s intimacy.

THE ROOT

יְדָעָהּ

yeda'ah

GROWS FROM

ידע

To know, recognize, or perceive through relationship or encounter.

English “known” can sound like information, but Hebrew yada describes personal knowing and, in this construction, sexual intimacy. The verse keeps being seen distinct from being intimately known.

ALSO GROWS

yadaʿ: Know, recognize, experience; also used for sexual intimacy.

יָדַע

In Genesis 4:1, the same verb describes Adam knowing Eve, making the intimate sense explicit.

daʿat: Knowledge, understanding.

דַּעַת

This related form shows that the root can name knowledge while still carrying the sense of knowing through encounter.

הָעַיְנָה

haʿayinah

GROWS FROM

עין

Eye; spring or water source.

The Hebrew word translated “well” also names an eye. Beside the description of her appearance, the spring becomes an opening that gives water, while the eye is an opening through which we see.

ALSO GROWS

ʿayin: Eye.

עַיִן

The same Hebrew word names the organ of sight, echoing the verse’s attention to appearance.

maʿyan: Spring, fountain.

מַעְיָן

This related word names a flowing water source and keeps the spring sense within the same word family.

THE PATTERN

Scripture uses “know” for relational encounter, including sexual intimacy, recognition, and personal familiarity.

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

Genesis 4:1 · KJVThe same Hebrew verb explicitly describes sexual intimacy, showing that “know” can name embodied relation.

Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

Exodus 1:8 · KJVHere, “knew” describes a lack of personal recognition, showing the word reaches beyond information.

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Matthew 1:25 · KJVMatthew uses ⁨ἐγίνωσκεν⁩ (eginōsken, “he knew/perceived”) for the same intimate sense, carrying this relational register into Greek.

THE THREAD

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Psalm 139:1 · KJV

The Hebrew verb is ⁨ידע⁩ (yādaʿ, “know or perceive”), the same root used for “knew her” here. In the psalm, it describes God’s close personal knowing, extending the word beyond sexual intimacy without flattening its force.

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