Genesis18
English Standard Version
1And the Lord to him by the of , as he at the of his in the of the .
2He his and , and , were in of him. When he them, he from the to them and himself to the
3and , O , if I have in your , not by your .
4 a be , and your , and the ,
5while I a of , that you may , and that you may — since you have your . So they , you have .
6And went into the to and , ! of ! it, and .
7And to the and a , and , and it to a , who it .
8Then he and and the that he had , and it them. And he by them the while they .
9They to him, is your ? And he , She is in the .
10The Lord , I will to you about this , and your shall have a . And was at the him.
11Now and were , in . The of had to be with .
12So to , , I am , and my is , shall I have ?
13The Lord to , did and , Shall I a child, now that am ?
14Is too for the Lord? At the I will to you, about this , and shall have a .
15But it, , I did , for she was . He , , but you did .
16Then the from there, and they . And with them to set them on their .
17The Lord , Shall I from I am about to ,
18seeing that shall surely become a and , and the of the shall be in him?
19For I have him, he may his and his to the of the Lord by and , so that the Lord may to he has him.
20Then the Lord , Because the against and is and their is ,
21I will to whether they have according to the that has to me. And , I will .
22So the from there and toward , but the Lord.
23Then drew and , Will you indeed the the ?
24Suppose there the . Will you then sweep away the and the who are in ?
25 be it from you to a , to the to with the , so that the fare as the ! that from you! Shall not the of the what is ?
26And the Lord , I at the , I will the for their .
27 and , , I have to to the , I am but and .
28 of the are . Will you the for lack of ? And he , I will it I .
29 he to him and , are . He , For the of I will not it.
30Then he , let not the be , and I will . are . He , I will it, I .
31He , , I have to to the . are . He , For the of I will it.
32Then he , let not the be , and I will but this . are . He , For the of I will it.
33And the Lord went his , he had to , and to his .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Genesis 18.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The Lord appears to Abraham. (1–8). Sarah's unbelief reproved. (9–15). God reveals to Abraham the destruction of Sodom. (16–22). Abraham's intercession for Sodom. (23–33).
vv1-8
Abraham was waiting to entertain any weary traveller, for inns were not to be met with as among us. While Abraham was thus sitting, he saw three men coming. These were three heavenly beings in human bodies. Some think they were all created angels; others, that one of them was the Son of God, the Angel of the covenant. Washing the feet is customary in those hot climates, where only sandals are worn. We should not be forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares, Heb 13:2; nay, the Lord of angels himself; as we always do, when for his sake we entertain the least of his brethren. Cheerful and obliging manners in showing kindness, are great ornaments to piety. Though our condescending Lord vouchsafes not personal visits to us, yet still by his Spirit he stands at the door and knocks; when we are inclined to open, he deigns to enter; and by his gracious consolations he provides a rich feast, of which we partake with him, Re 3:20.
vv9-15
Where is Sarah thy wife? was asked. Note the answer, In the tent. Just at hand, in her proper place, occupied in her household concerns. There is nothing got by gadding. Those are most likely to receive comfort from God and his promises, who are in their proper place, and in the way of their duty, Lu 2:8. We are slow of heart to believe, and need line upon line to the same purport. The blessings others have from common providence, believers have from the Divine promise, which makes them very sweet, and very sure. The spiritual seed of Abraham owe their life, and joy, and hope, and all, to the promise. Sarah thinks this too good news to be true; she laughed, and therefore cannot as yet find in her heart to believe it. Sarah laughed. We might not have thought there was a difference between Sarah's laughter and Abraham's, ch. 17:17; but He who searches the heart, saw that the one sprung from unbelief, and the other from faith. She denied that she had laughed. One sin commonly brings in another, and it is not likely we shall strictly keep to truth, when we question the Divine truth. But whom the Lord loves he will rebuke, convict, silence, and bring to repentance, and if they sin before him.
vv16-22
The two who are supposed to have been created angels went toward Sodom. The one who is called Jehovah throughout the chapter, continued with Abraham, and would not hide from him the thing he intended to do. Though God long forbears with sinners, from which they fancy that the Lord does not see, and does not regard; yet when the day of his wrath comes, he will look toward them. The Lord will give Abraham an opportunity to intercede with him, and shows him the reason of his conduct. Consider, as a very bright part of Abraham's character and example, that he not only prayed with his family, but he was very careful to teach and rule them well. Those who expect family blessings must make conscience of family duty. Abraham did not fill their heads with matters of doubtful dispute; but he taught them to be serious and devout in the worship of God, and to be honest in their dealings with all men. Of how few may such a character be given in our days! How little care is taken by masters of families to ground those under them in the principles of religion! Do we watch from sabbath to sabbath whether they go forward or backward?
Key Words
רָאָה: to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
אֵלוֹן: an oak or other strong tree
מַמְרֵא: Mamre, an Amorite
יָשַׁב: properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry
פֶּתַח: an opening (literally), i.e. door (gate) or entrance way
אֹהֶל: a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance)
חֹם: heat
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
נָשָׂא: to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative
עַיִן: an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
Cross References
Genesis 18Explicit NT commentary on Abraham entertaining angels unawares in this scene.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Paul quotes the promise 'at this time I will return' to establish sovereign election.
NT analysis of Abraham and Sarah's physical deadness, overcoming through faith.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Gabriel echoes the rhetorical question 'is anything too hard for the Lord' to Mary.
Directly echoes Abraham's appeal to the justice of God as the Judge of all the earth.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Peter praises Sarah calling her husband 'lord' as an example of godly subjection.
Parallels the assertion that 'there is nothing too hard' for God's omnipotent power.
Jesus references sharing secrets with friends, echoing God's decision not to hide things from Abraham.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies the destination of the two men/angels who left Abraham's presence for Sodom.
Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin
Illustrates the power and efficacy of the prayer and intercession of a righteous person.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Supports Abraham's confession of being 'dust and ashes', reflecting Adam's original sentence.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Elisha uses identical phrasing ('according to the time of life') to promise a son.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Contrasts Abraham's laughing of faith with Sarah's internal laugh of disbelief.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Confirms the principle that God does nothing without revealing secrets to His servants.
Highlights Abraham's unique status as the 'Friend of God' who receives divine counsel.
Parallel anthropomorphic expression where God 'goes down' to investigate human wickedness before judging.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Parallels God's willingness to spare a city if even one righteous person is found.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Gideon uses the identical humble plea, 'let not the Lord be angry,' in his intercession.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Repeats the foundational Abrahamic covenant promise of universal blessing.
NT confirmation that the gospel was preached to Abraham in this covenant promise.
Parallels Abraham's commitment to rule his household well with Joshua's family pledge.
Parallels how God spares or shortens judgments on places for the sake of the elect.
Supported by JFB
Parallels Abraham's self-abasement with Job's repentance in dust and ashes before God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Illustrates persistence in prayer and intercession, mirroring Abraham's progressive bargaining.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Direct connection to the execution of the judgment announced here against Sodom.
Grounds the truth that God does not need to 'go down' to know, as all is open to Him.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Thematic contrast where God looks for someone to stand in the gap, as Abraham did.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Shows Abraham returning to the exact place where he stood interceding before the Lord.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The origin of man from the dust, grounding Abraham's 'dust and ashes' expression.
Supported by Matthew Poole