Genesis 12:1

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said ¹  to Abram, ² 

“Go out ³  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ⁴ 

Genesis 18:1-33

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ⁵  by the oaks ⁶  of Mamre while ⁷  he was sitting at the entrance ⁸  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ⁹  looked up ¹⁰  and saw ¹¹  three men standing across ¹²  from him. When he saw them ¹³  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ¹⁴  to the ground. ¹⁵ 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ¹⁶  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ¹⁷  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ¹⁸  you may all ¹⁹  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ²⁰  a bit of food ²¹  so that you may refresh yourselves ²²  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ²³  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ²⁴  three measures ²⁵  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ²⁶  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ²⁷  who quickly prepared it. ²⁸  18:8 Abraham ²⁹  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ³⁰  before them. They ate while ³¹  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ³²  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ³³  said, “I will surely return ³⁴  to you when the season comes round again, ³⁵  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ³⁶  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ³⁷  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ³⁸  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ³⁹  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ⁴⁰  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ⁴¹  especially when my husband is old too?” ⁴² 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ⁴³  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ⁴⁴  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ⁴⁵  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ⁴⁶  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ⁴⁷ 

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ⁴⁸  they looked out over ⁴⁹  Sodom. (Now ⁵⁰  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ⁵¹  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ⁵²  18:18 After all, Abraham ⁵³  will surely become ⁵⁴  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁵⁵  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ⁵⁶  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ⁵⁷  the way of the Lord by doing ⁵⁸  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁵⁹  to Abraham what he promised ⁶⁰  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ⁶¹  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ⁶²  18:21 that I must go down ⁶³  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ⁶⁴  If not, ⁶⁵  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ⁶⁶  and headed ⁶⁷  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ⁶⁸  18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare ⁶⁹  the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ⁷⁰  of the whole earth do what is right?” ⁷¹ 

18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord ⁷²  (although I am but dust and ashes), ⁷³  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ⁷⁴  the whole city because five are lacking?” ⁷⁵  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ⁷⁶  spoke to him again, ⁷⁷  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ⁷⁸  said, “May the Lord not be angry ⁷⁹  so that I may speak! ⁸⁰  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ⁸¹  said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

18:32 Finally Abraham ⁸²  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.”

18:33 The Lord went on his way ⁸³  when he had finished speaking ⁸⁴  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ⁸⁵ 

[12:1]  ¹ sn The Lord called Abram while he was in Ur (see Gen 15:7; Acts 7:2); but the sequence here makes it look like it was after the family left to migrate to Canaan (11:31-32). Genesis records the call of Abram at this place in the narrative because it is the formal beginning of the account of Abram. The record of Terah was brought to its end before this beginning.

[12:1]  ² tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.

[12:1]  ³ tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”

[12:1]  ⁴ sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

[18:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁶ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ⁷ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[18:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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.

[18:3]  ¹³ tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the Lord, may have put the proper pointing with the word instead of the more common אֲדֹנִי (’adoni, “my master”).

[18:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”

[18:4]  ¹⁷ tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.

[18:4]  ¹⁸ tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.

[18:5]  ²¹ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ²² tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.

[18:5]  ²³ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”

[18:6]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[18:7]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the young man.”

[18:7]  ³⁰ tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”

[18:8]  ³³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:8]  ³⁴ tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:8]  ³⁵ tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.

[18:9]  ³⁷ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.

[18:10]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.

[18:10]  ⁴² tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.

[18:10]  ⁴³ tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

[18:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

[18:10]  ⁴⁵ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

[18:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “days.”

[18:11]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”

[18:12]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “saying.”

[18:12]  ⁵⁰ tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.

[18:12]  ⁵¹ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:13]  ⁵³ tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

[18:13]  ⁵⁴ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

[18:14]  ⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”

[18:14]  ⁵⁸ sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.

[18:15]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:16]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”

[18:16]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “toward the face of.”

[18:16]  ⁶⁷ tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.

[18:16]  ⁶⁸ tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.

[18:17]  ⁶⁹ tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.

[18:18]  ⁷³ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”

[18:18]  ⁷⁴ tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.

[18:18]  ⁷⁵ tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[18:19]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

[18:19]  ⁷⁹ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

[18:19]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[18:20]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.

[18:20]  ⁸² tn Heb “heavy.”

[18:21]  ⁸⁵ tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ⁸⁷ sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[18:22]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the Lord was the third visitor, who remained behind with Abraham here. The words “from there” are not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:22]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “went.”

[18:22]  ⁹¹ tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the Lord remained standing before Abraham.” This reading is problematic because the phrase “standing before” typically indicates intercession, but the Lord would certainly not be interceding before Abraham.

[18:24]  ⁹³ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ⁹⁸ sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[18:27]  ¹⁰¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[18:27]  ¹⁰² tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

[18:28]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.

[18:28]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “because of five.”

[18:29]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29]  ¹¹⁰ tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”

[18:30]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

[18:30]  ¹¹⁵ tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

[18:31]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:32]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:33]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “And the Lord went.”

[18:33]  ¹²⁶ tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[18:33]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “to his place.”