Genesis 18 Study Notes

18:1 For the third time in Abraham’s life the Lord appeared to him (12:7; 17:1). Mamre, near Hebron, was Abraham’s preferred abode in Canaan (13:18; 14:13). This divine encounter must have taken place within three months after the events of the previous chapter (see note at 18:9-10).

18:2-8 Abraham is presented as the ideal host. He sees three men—actually God and two angels (19:1)—to whom he eagerly extended greeting and showed proper respect by calling them “my lord” (Hb ’adonai; a term that can refer to God) and bowing to the ground. Then he provided water, rest, and a feast that included bread baked from twenty-one quarts of flour and a tender, choice calf. Abraham’s behavior shows him to be a better host than Lot (19:1-3).

18:9-10 In keeping with western Asian customs still practiced in traditional Muslim culture today, the host’s wife was not permitted to be in the presence of male visitors. But since her tent walls were thin and the conversation was interesting, Sarah was listening to every word. During or after the meal the Lord confirmed the promise made in 17:21, that in about a year’s time . . . Sarah would already have given birth to a son. This promise was fulfilled (21:1-2).

18:11-15 For the sixth time in the Abraham narratives the writer emphasizes the advanced ages of Abraham and Sarah (12:4; 16:16; 17:1,17,24). Sarah’s laughter expressed her skepticism, but the Lord, who heard her laugh and knew her heart, reminded Abraham and Sarah through the use of a rhetorical question that nothing is impossible for the Lord.

18:16-19 The Lord and the two angels—referred to here as the men because of their man-like appearance—headed in the direction of Sodom, Lot’s home since 13:12. The exact location of Sodom is unknown, but it, along with Gomorrah and Zoar, were in the area of the Dead Sea. Abraham, the ideal host, accompanied them to see them off. Treating Abraham like a prophet (20:7), the Lord did not want to hide . . . from him what he intended to do to the place where his nephew lived. God gave two reasons for revealing his plans to the patriarch: the fact that Abraham had been chosen to become a great . . . nation through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed, and the fact that God had “known” (CSB, chosen—that is, had a personal relationship with) Abraham to establish a people who would keep the way of the Lord.

18:20-21 The Lord would investigate Sodom and Gomorrah for two reasons: the outcry coming from their victims was immense, and the cities’ sin was extremely serious. According to Ezk 16:49-50, the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah included self-centered pride, neglect of the poor and needy, and doing unnamed detestable things. According to Gn 19:5-9, one of the “detestable acts” was attempted homosexual gang rape. Through his appointed representatives the Lord would experience what justified the cry that had come up to him.

18:22-32 This passage is one of the three greatest illustrations of petitionary prayer in the OT (cp. Ex 32:11-14; Am 7:1-6). Abraham got the Lord to agree to spare Sodom if six successively smaller totals of righteous people could be found within the city. Clearly evident in the section are Abraham’s respect for God (exemplified by him standing before the Lord, v. 22; cp. v. 27), his confidence in God’s power and justice (vv. 23,25), and the patriarch’s compassionate concern for Lot and the other inhabitants of Sodom. At the same time the Lord’s extravagant mercy is seen in his willingness to spare the entire city on account of ten righteous people who lived there.

18:33 The Lord did not accompany the angels. His destination remains a mysterious part of the narrative.