Judges 19:18

19:18 The Levite ¹  said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem ²  in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. ³  But no one has invited me into their home.

Genesis 18:2-8

18:2 Abraham ⁴  looked up ⁵  and saw ⁶  three men standing across ⁷  from him. When he saw them ⁸  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ⁹  to the ground. ¹⁰ 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ¹¹  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ¹²  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ¹³  you may all ¹⁴  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ¹⁵  a bit of food ¹⁶  so that you may refresh yourselves ¹⁷  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ¹⁸  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ¹⁹  three measures ²⁰  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ²¹  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ²²  who quickly prepared it. ²³  18:8 Abraham ²⁴  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ²⁵  before them. They ate while ²⁶  he was standing near them under a tree.

Genesis 19:2-3

19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night ²⁷  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ²⁸  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ²⁹ 

19:3 But he urged ³⁰  them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate.

Matthew 25:35

25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

Matthew 25:43

25:43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

Hebrews 13:2

13:2 Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. ³¹ 

[19:18]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:18]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:18]  ³ tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the LORD I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the LORD,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.”

[18:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”

[18:4]  ¹³ tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.

[18:4]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[18:7]  ²² tn Heb “the young man.”

[18:7]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:8]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.

[19:2]  ²⁷ tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.

[19:2]  ²⁸ tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”

[19:2]  ²⁹ sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.

[19:3]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.

[13:2]  ³¹ sn This is a vague allusion to people described in scripture and extra-biblical literature and may include Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18:2-15), Lot (Gen 19:1-14), Gideon (Judg 6:11-18), Manoah (Judg 13:3-22), and possibly Tobit (Tob 12:1-20).