Genesis 18:1

1 And Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in 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 Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

2 and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,

3 and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

4 let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

5 and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.