Genesis 18:1

1 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part 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 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day,

2 he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground,

3 he said, "Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you.

4 Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree.

5 I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honored me by coming to my home, so let me serve you." They replied, "Thank you; we accept."