Genesis 18
Introduction
Genesis 18 is one of the richest chapters in the patriarchal narratives, weaving together three scenes that reveal different facets of Abraham's character and God's nature. The chapter opens with a theophany at the oaks of Mamre: the LORD appears to Abraham in the form of three visitors, and Abraham responds with lavish hospitality — running, bowing, preparing a feast of curds, milk, and freshly slaughtered calf. The visitors ask for Sarah, and the LORD announces that she will have a son within a year. Sarah, listening behind the tent door, laughs in disbelief. The LORD's response — "Is anything too difficult for the LORD?" — is one of the defining questions of Scripture.
The scene then shifts dramatically. As the visitors depart toward Sodom, the LORD deliberates aloud whether to disclose His plans to Abraham. He reveals that the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah has reached Him and He intends to investigate. What follows is one of the most extraordinary dialogues in the Bible: Abraham intercedes for Sodom, negotiating God down from fifty righteous to ten as the threshold for sparing the city. The exchange reveals Abraham as a bold intercessor, God as a patient and just judge, and the theological principle that the righteous presence in a community can avert judgment upon the whole. The chapter closes with the LORD departing and Abraham returning home — but Sodom's fate is now in motion.
The Three Visitors at Mamre (vv. 1–8)
1 Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. 2 And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 "My lord," said Abraham, "if I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant's way. After that, you may continue on your way." "Yes," they replied, "you may do as you have said." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and bake some bread." 7 Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.
1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing before him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth. 3 And he said, "O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves — since you have come to your servant's way. After that you may pass on." They said, "Do as you have said." 6 And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes." 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Notes
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְהוָה ("And the LORD appeared to him") — The narrator identifies the visitor as Yahweh from the outset, though Abraham initially seems to perceive three human travelers. The interplay between the singular ("the LORD") and the plural ("three men") is one of the most discussed features of this passage. At times the text uses singular verbs (v. 10: "he said"), at other times plural (v. 9: "they said"). The early church fathers saw a Trinitarian foreshadowing in the three visitors; other interpreters identify one as the LORD and two as angels who will proceed to Sodom in Genesis 19:1.
כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם ("in the heat of the day") — The noonday heat, when travelers rest and activity ceases. Abraham is sitting at the tent entrance — the customary place for receiving guests. His immediate, energetic response to the visitors contrasts with the sleepy stillness of the hour: he runs, hurries, bows — the verbs pile up with kinetic energy.
Abraham's hospitality is extravagant despite his modest language. He offers "a little water" and "a morsel of bread" but actually provides a feast: three seahs of fine flour (about twenty pounds — enough bread for a large group), a tender calf, curds, and milk. The understatement followed by lavish provision is a hallmark of ancient Near Eastern hospitality. Hebrews 13:2 alludes to this scene: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
וְהוּא עֹמֵד עֲלֵיהֶם תַּחַת הָעֵץ וַיֹּאכֵלוּ ("he stood by them under the tree while they ate") — Abraham does not sit and eat with them but stands in attendance, serving like a waiter to his guests. The verb וַיֹּאכֵלוּ ("and they ate") is striking — the divine visitors consume human food. This detail has generated much theological discussion: does God eat? The text presents it without comment, leaving the mystery intact.
Sarah Laughs at the Promise (vv. 9–15)
9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked. "There, in the tent," he replied. 10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!" Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. 11 And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 So she laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" 13 And the LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Can I really bear a child when I am old?' 14 Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you — in about a year — and Sarah will have a son." 15 But Sarah was afraid, so she denied it and said, "I did not laugh." "No," replied the LORD, "but you did laugh."
9 They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "There, in the tent." 10 He said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?" 13 The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."
Notes
The visitors ask "Where is Sarah?" — using her new name, which God had just given in Genesis 17:15. They know her name before being told, betraying their divine knowledge.
שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ כָּעֵת חַיָּה ("I will surely return to you about this time next year") — The infinitive absolute שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב ("returning I will return") emphasizes certainty. The phrase כָּעֵת חַיָּה is difficult — literally "at the time of life/living" — and is generally understood as "about this time next year" or "when the time comes round again."
חָדַל לִהְיוֹת לְשָׂרָה אֹרַח כַּנָּשִׁים ("the way of women had ceased to be with Sarah") — A delicate euphemism: Sarah had gone through menopause. The promise is not merely improbable; it is biologically impossible. The narrator ensures the reader understands that any child born to Sarah will be a miracle.
וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה בְּקִרְבָּהּ ("Sarah laughed within herself") — The verb צָחַק echoes Abraham's laughter in Genesis 17:17. Her inner response includes עֶדְנָה ("pleasure, delight") — a word related to Eden — and acknowledges both her own deterioration (בְלֹתִי, "after I am worn out") and Abraham's age. The laughter is private and interior, yet the LORD knows it.
הֲיִפָּלֵא מֵיְהוָה דָּבָר ("Is anything too hard for the LORD?") — The verb פָּלָא means "to be wonderful, extraordinary, beyond reach." The question expects the answer "no" — nothing is beyond God's power. This rhetorical question echoes through Scripture: Jeremiah 32:17 ("Nothing is too hard for You"), Luke 1:37 (Gabriel to Mary: "Nothing will be impossible with God"). It is the theological answer to every biological, political, and historical impossibility that stands between God's promise and its fulfillment.
Sarah's denial and the LORD's gentle correction ("No, but you did laugh") reveals both her fear and God's patience. She is not condemned for laughing — the child will be named after laughter — but she is not permitted to deny the reality of her response. God insists on honesty even when He shows mercy.
God Reveals His Plans to Abraham (vv. 16–21)
16 When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them off. 17 And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised." 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous, 21 I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out."
16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has promised him." 20 Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to Me. And if not, I will know."
Notes
הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם ("Shall I hide from Abraham?") — God's deliberation is remarkable: He pauses to consider whether Abraham should be informed of the coming judgment. The answer is yes — because of Abraham's covenantal status and his role in blessing the nations. This moment establishes Abraham as a prophetic intercessor: one to whom God reveals His plans. Amos 3:7: "Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets."
כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו ("For I have chosen him" — literally "For I have known him") — The verb יָדַע ("to know") in this context means intimate, elective knowledge — "I have known him, chosen him, singled him out." The purpose of this choosing: לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו וְשָׁמְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט ("that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice"). Abraham is chosen not for passive reception of blessing but for active transmission of justice. The words צְדָקָה ("righteousness") and מִשְׁפָּט ("justice") are the twin pillars of the prophetic vision of God's kingdom.
זַעֲקַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה כִּי רָבָּה ("the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great") — The word זַעֲקָה ("outcry, cry of distress") is the cry of the oppressed — the same word used for Israel's cry under Egyptian bondage (Exodus 3:7). The outcry has "come to" God, as if ascending to heaven. The sin is כָבְדָה מְאֹד ("very heavy/grievous") — the same root kaved used for Abraham's wealth in Genesis 13:2, now applied to sin.
אֵרֲדָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה ("I will go down and see") — This echoes the Babel narrative: "The LORD came down to see" (Genesis 11:5). God does not judge from a distance or on hearsay; He investigates personally. The language is anthropomorphic — God does not need to "go down" to know — but it communicates that God's judgment is careful, deliberate, and based on full knowledge.
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom (vv. 22–33)
22 And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Abraham stepped forward and said, "Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing — to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?" 26 So the LORD replied, "If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place." 27 Then Abraham answered, "Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord — though I am but dust and ashes — 28 suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?" He replied, "If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it." 29 Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, "Suppose forty are found there?" He answered, "On account of the forty, I will not do it." 30 Then Abraham said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?" He replied, "If I find thirty there, I will not do it." 31 And Abraham said, "Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there?" He answered, "On account of the twenty, I will not destroy it." 32 Finally, Abraham said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?" And He answered, "On account of the ten, I will not destroy it." 33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will You then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing — to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" 26 And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will You destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And He said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." 29 Again he spoke to Him and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." 30 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 He said, "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." 33 And the LORD went His way, when He had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
Notes
וְאַבְרָהָם עוֹדֶנּוּ עֹמֵד לִפְנֵי יְהוָה ("but Abraham still stood before the LORD") — The two angels depart toward Sodom, but Abraham remains in God's presence. An ancient Jewish scribal tradition (one of the tiqqune soferim, "corrections of the scribes") suggests the original reading may have been "the LORD still stood before Abraham" — implying that God waited for Abraham to speak. Whether or not this is correct, the effect is the same: God makes Himself available for dialogue.
הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע ("Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?") — Abraham's intercession is grounded in a principle of divine justice: God cannot treat the righteous the same as the wicked. The verb סָפָה means "to sweep away, destroy" — an image of total, indiscriminate annihilation. Abraham argues that such indiscrimination is incompatible with God's character.
חָלִלָה לְּךָ ("Far be it from You!") — The expression חָלִלָה means "profanity! sacrilege!" — it is an exclamation of moral horror. Abraham is saying, in effect, "It would be profane for You to do this." He appeals to God's own character as the ground of his argument.
הֲשֹׁפֵט כָּל הָאָרֶץ לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט ("Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?") — This is one of the most important theological statements in Genesis. Abraham identifies God as שֹׁפֵט כָּל הָאָרֶץ ("the Judge of all the earth") and asserts that the Judge must do מִשְׁפָּט ("justice"). Abraham does not merely beg; he reasons. He holds God to God's own standard — and God accepts the argument.
עָפָר וָאֵפֶר ("dust and ashes") — Abraham describes himself with two words for insignificance and mortality. עָפָר ("dust") recalls the creation of humanity from the ground (Genesis 2:7) and the curse of returning to dust (Genesis 3:19). אֵפֶר ("ashes") suggests what remains after fire has consumed everything. Together they express radical humility: Abraham knows he is nothing before God, yet he dares to speak.
The negotiation descends: 50 → 45 → 40 → 30 → 20 → 10. Each reduction is accompanied by increasing deference: "may the Lord not be angry," "let me speak once more." Abraham stops at ten — perhaps because he assumes Lot's family would account for at least ten righteous souls in Sodom (Lot, his wife, his two daughters, his sons-in-law). The tragic revelation of Genesis 19 is that not even ten can be found. The city cannot be spared.
The theological principle established here is profound: the righteous presence of even a small number can preserve a whole community from judgment. This principle runs through Scripture: God preserves Israel for the sake of a faithful remnant (Isaiah 1:9, Romans 9:29). Yet the ultimate extension of the principle is Christ: one perfectly righteous Man whose presence — and sacrifice — averts judgment for the whole world.