good, and gave it unto 4 young hide from Abraham that thing nian, and he hasted to dress it. which I do; 8 And he took butter and milk, 18 Seeing that Abraham shall and the calf which he had dressed, surely become a great and mighty and set it before them; and he nation, and all the nations of the stood by them under the tree, and earth shall be blessed in him? they did eat. 19 For I know him that he will 9 And they said unto him, command his children and his Where is Sarah thy wife? And houshold after him, and they shall he said, Behold in the tent. keep the way of the LORD to do 10 And he said, I will certainly justice and judgment; that the return unto thee according to the LORD may bring upon Abraham time of life; and lo, Sarah thy that which he hath spoken of him. wife shall have a son. And Sarah 20 And the LORD said, Because heard it in the tent-door which the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was behind him. is great, and because their sin is 11 Now Abraham and Sarah very grievous; were old, and well stricken in age : 21 I will go down now, and see and it ceased to be with Sarah whether they have done altogether after the manner of women. according to the cry of it, which 12 Therefore Sarah laughed is come unto me; and if not, I within herself, * saying, After I will know. am waxed old, shall I have plea- 22 And the men turned their sure, my lord being old also faces from thence, and went to 13 And the LORD said unto wards Sodom: but Abraham stood Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah yet before the LORD. laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety 23 And Abraham drew near, bear a child, which am old ? and said, Wilt thou also destroy 14 Is any thing too hard for the the righteous with the wicked. LORD? at the time appointed will 24 Peradyenture there be fifty I return unto thee, according to righteous within the city: $ wilt the time of life, and Sarah shall thou also destạoy and not spare the have a son. place for the fifty righteous that 15 Then Sarah denied saying, are therein. I laughed not: for she was afraid. 25 That be far from thee to do And he said, Nay, but thou didst after this manner, to slay the laugh. 1 righteous with the wicked; and 16 | And the men rose up from that the righteous should be as thence, and looked towards So- the wicked, that be far from thee: dom: and Abraham went with Shall not the judge of all the earth them to bring them on the way. do right? 17 And the LORD said, shall I 26 And the LORD said, If I find of the sixth hour; he might then with propriety have offered them bread: but as they did not immediately proceed to eat, Abraham in order to hơnour them, got ready a good tender calf, and before it could be brought to them, it was afternoon; for which reason, he did not bring any bread: and as to his hastening Sarah to get ready three measures of fine meal, and make cakes, that was for the guests whom he imagined might stay till the eyen of the Passover. * Nachmanides observes, that the laughter within one's self, is by way of derision, but to laugh outright, is by way of joy for some benefit received, and which is not blameable, agreeable to what the Psalmist says, " Then was our mouth filled with laughter." Psalın, cxxix. verse 2. Of the former, was Sarah's, who said that, although she might be enabled to have a child, yet, was there another impediment, i.e. her lord was old. 5 As there is mention made of city and place, it is thought by some that he interceded at first for Sodom cnly: but it may be persumed that Sodon (and which is particularly mentioned in God's answer) was called the city by way of eminence, and under which, all the rest were comprehended, as being perlaps subject, or subordinate to it. 12 JT 14 JTT ST T 16 : וַיָּקָה בֶּן־בָּקָר רַךְ וָטוֹב וַיִּתֵּן אֶל־הַנַּעַר וַיְמַהֵר לַעַטְוֹת אתו : 8 ויקח חֶמְאָה וְחָלָב וּבֶן־הַבָּקָר אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּתֵּן לִפְנֵיהֶם וְהוּא־עמֶד עֲלֵיהֶם תַּחַת הָעֵץ וַיֹּאכֵלוּ : מרץ 9 וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו אַיֵּה שָׂרָה אִשְׁתִּךְ וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה בָאֹהֶל : 10 וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁוֹב אָשָׁוּב אֵלִיךְ כָּעֵת חַיָּה וְהִנֵּה-בֵן לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתִּךְ וְשָׂרָה שֹׁמַעַת פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וְהוּא אַחֲרֶיי : 11וְאַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה זְקֵנִים בָּאִים בַּיָּמִים חָדַל לִהְיוֹת לשרה אֹרַח כַּנָּשִׁים: 12 וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה בְּקִרְבָּהּ לֵאמֹר אַחֲרֵי בְלֹתִי הָיְתָה־לִי עֶרְנָה וַאדֹנָי זָקֵן: 13 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־ אַבְרָהָם לָמָּה זֶה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר הַאַף אָמְנָם אֵלֶד וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי: 14 הֲיִפָּלֵא מֵיהוָה דָבָר לַמּוֹעֵד אֲשֶׁוּב אליך שני כָּעֵת חַיָּה וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן: 15 וַתְּכַחֵשׁ שָׂרָה לֵאמֶר לֹא צָחַקְתִּי כִּי יָרְאָה וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא כִּי צָחָקְתִּ: 16 וִיקָמוּ מִשָּׁם הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיַּשְׁקְפוּ עַל־פְּנֵי סְדֹם וְאַבְרָהָם הלֵךְ עִמָּם לְשַׁלְחָם: 17 וַיהוָהֶאָמָר הַמֶכַסֶה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עשֶׁה: 18 וְאַבְרָהָם הָיוֹ יִהְיֶה לְגִוֹי גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם וְנִבְרְכוּ־בוֹ כָּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ: 19 כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצוּה אֶת־בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו וְשָׁמְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט לְמַעַן הָבִיא יְהוָה עַל־אַבְרָהָם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר עָלָיו: 20 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָהזעקת סְלֹסועמֹרָהכִּי־רָבָּה וְחַטָאתָם כִּי כָבְדָה מְאֹד: 21 אֵרַדָה־נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי עָשׂוּי כָּלָה וְאִם־לֹא אֵדְעָה: 22 וַיִּפְנוּ מִשָּׁם הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיֵּלְכוּ סְדְמָה וְאַבְרָהָם עוֹדֶנוּ עֹמֵד לִפְנֵי יְהוָה : 23 וַיִּגַּשׁ אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמַר הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם־רָשָׁע : 24 אוּלַי יֵשׁ חֲמִשִׁים צַדִיקִם בְּתוֹךְ הָעִיר הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה וְלֹא־תִשָׂא לַמָּקוֹם לְמַעַן חֲמִשִׁים הַצַדִיקִם אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבָּהּ: 25 חָלִלָה לִךְ מֵעֲשְׂתוּ כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְהָמִית צַדִיק עַכְ־רָשָׁע וְהָיָה כַצַּדִּיק כָּרָשָׁע חָלָלָה לָךְ הֲשֹׁפֵט כָּל־ הָאָרֶץ לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט: 28 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אִם־אֶמְצָא IT 18 : 19 ) :1 :1 old? and shall Sarah, that is Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael ninety years old, bear? ́ his son. § 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee !! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. * : 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation ; 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 23 ¶ And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin, in the self-same day, as God had said unto him. 圈 24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. CHAP. XVIII. 1 Abraham entertaineth three angels. 9 Sarah's laughter. 17 Sodom's destruction revealed to Abraham. 23 His intercession. AND the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent-door in the heat of the day. 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. 4 Let a little water, I pray you be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast said. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And Abraham ran unto the 26 In the self-same day was herd, and fetched a calf tender and *Hence we may observe the truth of the Mosaical dispensation, and which so agrees with the other prophecies; for although after our being driven out of our land, it was possessed by the descendants of Ishmael, yet, is it to be restored to us in the latter days. § Here we have an example of Abraham's ready obedience to God's command, and in which he was followed by all his houshold; and the reason of its being mentioned again, (for it is already noticed in verse 23) is to inform us that on the self-same day in which he circumcised every male in his house, he also circumcised himself, and his son Ishmael: or, as Jarchi observes on that same day Abraham accomplished his ninety ninth year, and Ishmael his thirteenth. It may perhaps appear strange, that after Abraham had mentioned that he would fetch a morsel of bread, we do not find that he brought any; for in verse 8, it says, "And he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had dressed." But no mention is made of bread. This hath induced the Rabbins to observe, that it was the day preceding the Passover, when it is lawful to eat leaven till noon after which, neither leaven, or unleaven is to be eaten till even. Now, as the time when the three men came was the heat of the day, which we may compute to be about the beginning |