Genesis 12:8

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel ¹  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. ² 

Genesis 13:3

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ³  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ⁴  He returned ⁵  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁶  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.

Genesis 13:18

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live ⁷  by the oaks ⁸  of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

Genesis 18:1-2

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ⁹  by the oaks ¹⁰  of Mamre while ¹¹  he was sitting at the entrance ¹²  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ¹³  looked up ¹⁴  and saw ¹⁵  three men standing across ¹⁶  from him. When he saw them ¹⁷  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ¹⁸  to the ground. ¹⁹ 

Genesis 18:6

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ²⁰  three measures ²¹  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ²² 

Genesis 18:9

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ²³  in the tent.”

Genesis 25:27

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ²⁴  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ²⁵ 

[12:8]  ¹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[12:8]  ² tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[13:3]  ³ tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

[13:3]  ⁴ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:3]  ⁵ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

[13:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “he came and lived.”

[13:18]  ⁸ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ¹¹ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ¹² tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[18:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ¹⁵ 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.

[18:2]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

[18:2]  ¹⁷ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ¹⁸ 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).

[18:2]  ¹⁹ 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.

[18:6]  ²⁰ tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.

[18:6]  ²¹ sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.

[18:6]  ²² sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[18:9]  ²³ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.

[25:27]  ²⁴ tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ²⁵ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”