Genesis 18:30

18:30 Then Abraham ¹  said, “May the Lord not be angry ²  so that I may speak! ³  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Genesis 18:32

18:32 Finally Abraham ⁴  said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

Genesis 18:2

18:2 Abraham ⁵  looked up ⁶  and saw ⁷  three men standing across ⁸  from him. When he saw them ⁹  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ¹⁰  to the ground. ¹¹ 

Genesis 14:12

14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ¹²  Lot and his possessions when ¹³  they left, for Lot ¹⁴  was living in Sodom. ¹⁵ 

Job 33:31

33:31 Pay attention, Job – listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

Acts 2:29

2:29 “Brothers, ¹⁶  I can speak confidently ¹⁷  to you about our forefather ¹⁸  David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

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

² tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

³ tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

⁹ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

¹⁰ 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).

¹¹ 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.

¹² tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”

¹³ tn Heb “and.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁵ tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.

¹⁶ tn Since this represents a continuation of the address beginning in v.14 and continued in v. 22, “brothers” has been used here rather than a generic expression like “brothers and sisters.”

¹⁷ sn Peter’s certainty is based on well-known facts.

¹⁸ tn Or “about our noted ancestor,” “about the patriarch.”