Genesis Chapter 18 — The Three Visitors and Intercession
Abraham hosts three divine visitors who announce that Sarah will have a son, and he later pleads for mercy on the city of Sodom.
1The LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood near him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,
3and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant.
4Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5I will get a piece of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant.”
6Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three seahs*1 seah is about 7 liters or 1.9 gallons or 0.8 pecks of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.”
7Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.
8He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.
9They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?”
10He said, “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.”
11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
13The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I am old?’
14Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will have a son.”
15Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid.
16The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.
17The LORD said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do,
18since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?
19For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.”
20The LORD said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,
21I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know.”
22The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23Abraham came near, and said, “Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?
24What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?
25May it be far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26The LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27Abraham answered, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, although I am dust and ashes.
28What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?”
29He spoke to him yet again, and said, “What if there are forty found there?”
30He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?”
31He said, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?”
32He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?”
33The LORD went his way as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Genesis 18:14
“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will have a son.”
This verse affirms God's omnipotence and his ability to fulfill promises despite human limitations.
Genesis 18:25
“May it be far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?”
This verse highlights Abraham's appeal to the moral nature and justice of God.
Chapter Summary
While Abraham is resting by the oaks of Mamre, three men appear before him. He responds with exceptional hospitality, preparing a feast of fine meal and a tender calf. During the meal, one of the visitors promises that Sarah will give birth to a son within a year. Sarah, hearing this from the tent, laughs to herself because of her advanced age, but the Lord responds by asking if anything is too hard for Him. As the men depart toward Sodom, the Lord chooses to reveal His plan to investigate the city's grievous sins. Abraham, concerned for the righteous living there, enters into a famous dialogue with the Lord. He asks if the city would be spared for the sake of fifty righteous people, eventually bargaining the number down to ten. The Lord agrees that for the sake of ten righteous people, He will not destroy the city.
Frequently Asked Questions
The text identifies the visitors as the Lord appearing to Abraham, accompanied by others who are later referred to as angels in the following chapter.
Sarah laughed because both she and Abraham were very old, and she believed she was physically past the age of childbearing.
Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare Sodom if as few as ten righteous people were found within the city.
Study Note
The Hebrew measure 'seah' used for the fine meal indicates that Sarah prepared a massive amount of bread, highlighting the scale of Abraham's hospitality.
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