Genesis 18:1

Yahweh Appears to Abraham as a Man

1 And Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he was sitting in the doorway of the tent at the heat of the day.

Genesis 18:1 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 18:1

And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre
That is, to Abraham; and very likely this appearance of God was quickly after the affair of the circumcision, to show his approbation of his ready obedience to his command; and at this time he was in the plains, or at the oaks of Mamre, the oaken grove there, as has been observed on ( Genesis 13:18 ) ; and which seems to be the best rendering of the words, since in ( Genesis 18:4 Genesis 18:8 ) ; mention is made of a tree to sit and stand under; and Abraham might choose this place for his habitation, because of the shadiness of it, in those hot countries:

and he sat in the tent door, in the heat of the day;
partly to cool and refresh himself, and partly to observe if any passengers passed by, to invite them in; this being a time of day when such needed refreshment, and it was proper for them to lie by a while, and not proceed on their journey until it was cooler: or rather to or "near" the tent door, as Noldius ^F7, or before it, without or under the shade of the tree, after mentioned.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 13.

Genesis 18:1 In-Context

1 And Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he was sitting in the doorway of the tent at the heat of the day.

2 And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing near him. And he saw [them] and ran from the doorway of the tent to meet them. And he bowed down to the ground.

3 And he said, "My lord, if I have found favor in your eyes do not pass by your servant.

4 Let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest under the tree.

5 And let me bring a piece of bread, then refresh {yourselves}. Afterward you can pass on, {once} you have passed by with your servant." Then they said, "Do so as you have said."

Footnotes

• [a]. Abraham