Genesis 18:2

18:2 Abraham ¹  looked up ²  and saw ³  three men standing across ⁴  from him. When he saw them ⁵  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ⁶  to the ground. ⁷ 

Genesis 33:3

33:3 But Jacob ⁸  himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached ⁹  his brother.

Genesis 33:1

Jacob Meets Esau

33:1 Jacob looked up ¹⁰  and saw that Esau was coming ¹¹  along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants.

Genesis 20:1

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ¹²  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ¹³  in Gerar,

Genesis 25:23

25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ¹⁴  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

³ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.

⁴ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

⁵ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

⁶ tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).

⁷ sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the Lord and two angels (see Gen 19:1). It is not certain how soon Abraham recognized the true identity of the visitors. His actions suggest he suspected this was something out of the ordinary, though it is possible that his lavish treatment of the visitors was done quite unwittingly. Bowing down to the ground would be reserved for obeisance of kings or worship of the Lord. Whether he was aware of it or not, Abraham’s action was most appropriate.

⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.

¹⁰ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”

¹¹ tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

¹² tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

¹³ tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

¹⁴ sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.