1And Jehovah appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent opening in the heat of the day. 2And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent opening to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3and said, My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your eyes, do not pass on by Your servant. 4Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may strengthen your hearts. After that you may pass on, for this is why you have passed along by your servant. They said, Do as you have said. 6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes. 7And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree. And they ate. 9And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? So he said, Here, in the tent. 10And He said, I will come back to return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening from the tent opening which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and it had ceased to be after the manner of women with Sarah. 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, Being worn out, shall I be delighted, my lord, having also become old? 13And Jehovah said to Abraham, Why has Sarah laughed, saying, Shall I surely give birth, I who have become old? 14Is anything beyond the power of Jehovah? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15But Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh. 16And the men rose up from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his house after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice, that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken to him. 20And Jehovah said, The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is exceedingly heavy. 21I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know. 22And the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before Jehovah. 23And Abraham approached and said, Would You also sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27Then Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five? And He said, If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it. 29And he spoke to Him yet again and said, Suppose there should be forty found there? And He said, I will not do it for the sake of forty. 30Then he said, Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there? And He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there? And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty. 32And he said, Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there? And He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. 33And Jehovah went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 ENTERTAINMENT OF ANGELS. (
Gen 18:1-
Gen 18:8)
the Lord appeared--another manifestation of the divine presence, more familiar than any yet narrated; and more like that in the fulness of time, when the Word was made flesh.
plains of Mamre--rather, terebinth or oak of Mamre; a tall-spreading tree or grove of trees.
sat in the tent door--The tent itself being too close and sultry at noon, the shaded open front is usually resorted to for the air that may be stirring.
2 lift up his eyes . . . and, lo, three men--Travellers in that quarter start at sunrise and continue till midday when they look out for some resting-place.
he ran to meet them--When the visitor is an ordinary person, the host merely rises; but if of superior rank, the custom is to advance a little towards the stranger, and after a very low bow, turn and lead him to the tent, putting an arm round his waist, or tapping him on the shoulder as they go, to assure him of welcome.
3 My Lord, if now I have found favor--The hospitalities offered are just of the kind that are necessary and most grateful, the refreshment of water, for feet exposed to dust and heat by the sandals, being still the first observed among the pastoral people of Hebron.
5 for therefore are ye come--No questions were asked. But Abraham knew their object by the course they took--approaching directly in front of the chief sheik's tent, which is always distinguishable from the rest and thus showing their wish to be his guests.
6 Abraham hastened . . . unto Sarah . . . make cakes upon the hearth--Bread is baked daily, no more than is required for family use, and always by the women, commonly the wife. It is a short process. Flour mixed with water is made into dough, and being rolled out into cakes, it is placed on the earthen floor, previously heated by a fire. The fire being removed, the cakes are laid on the ground, and being covered over with hot embers, are soon baked, and eaten the moment they are taken off.
7 Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf--Animal food is never provided, except for visitors of a superior rank when a kid or lamb is killed. A calf is still a higher stretch of hospitality, and it would probably be cooked as is usually done when haste is required--either by roasting it whole or by cutting it up into small pieces and broiling them on skewers over the fire. It is always eaten along with boiled corn swimming in butter or melted fat, into which every morsel of meat, laid upon a piece of bread, is dipped, before being conveyed by the fingers to the mouth.
8 milk--A bowl of camel's milk ends the repast.
he stood by them under the tree--The host himself, even though he has a number of servants, deems it a necessary act of politeness to stand while his guests are at their food, and Abraham evidently did this before he was aware of the real character of his visitors.
10 REPROOF OF SARAH. An inquiry about his wife, so surprising in strangers, the subject of conversation, and the fulfilment of the fondly cherished promise within a specified time, showed Abraham that he had been entertaining more than ordinary travellers (
Heb 13:2). (
Gen 18:9-
Gen 18:15)
Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him--The women's apartment is in the back of the tent, divided by a thin partition from the men's.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself--Long delay seems to have weakened faith. Sarah treated the announcement as incredible, and when taxed with the silent sneer, she added falsehood to distrust. It was an aggravated offense (
Acts 5:4), and nothing but grace saved her (
Rom 9:18).
16 DISCLOSURE OF SODOM'S DOOM. (
Gen 18:16-
Gen 18:22)
the men rose . . . Abraham went with them--It is customary for a host to escort his guests a little way.
17 the Lord said, Shall I hide--The chief stranger, no other than the Lord, disclosed to Abraham the awful doom about to be inflicted on Sodom and the cities of the plain for their enormous wickedness.
21 I will go down . . . and see--language used after the manner of men. These cities were to be made examples to all future ages of God's severity; and therefore ample proof given that the judgment was neither rash nor excessive (
Ezek 18:23;
Jer 18:7).
23 ABRAHAM'S INTERCESSION. (
Gen 18:23-
Gen 18:33)
Abraham drew near, and said, &c.--The scene described is full of interest and instruction--showing in an unmistakable manner the efficacy of prayer and intercession. (See also
Pro 15:8;
Jas 5:16). Abraham reasoned justly as to the rectitude of the divine procedure (
Rom 3:5-
Rom 3:6), and many guilty cities and nations have been spared on account of God's people (
Matt 5:13;
Matt 24:22).
33 the Lord . . . left communing . . . and Abraham returned unto his place--Why did Abraham cease to carry his intercessions farther? Either because he fondly thought that he was now sure of the cities being preserved (
Luke 13:9), or because the Lord restrained his mind from further intercession (
Jer 7:16;
Jer 11:14). But there were not ten "righteous persons." There was only one, and he might without injustice have perished in the general overthrow (
Eccl 9:2). But a difference is sometimes made, and on this occasion the grace of God was manifested in a signal manner for the sake of Abraham. What a blessing to be connected with a saint of God!
