181 And Jehovah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he sat at the tent-door in the heat of the day. 2 And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men standing near him. And when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, Lord, if now I have found favour in thine eyes, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. 4 Let now a little water be fetched, that ye may wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread; and refresh yourselves; after that ye shall pass on; for therefore have ye passed on towards your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast said. 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, Knead quickly three seahs of wheaten flour, and make cakes. 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf tender and good, and gave [it] to the attendant; and he hasted to dress it. 8 And he took thick and sweet milk, and the calf that he had dressed, and set [it] before them; and he stood before them under the tree, and they ate.
9 And they said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return to thee at [this] time of the year, and behold, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening at the tent-door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old [and] advanced in age: it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am become old, shall I have pleasure, and my lord old? 13 And Jehovah said to Abraham, Why is this, that Sarah laughs, saying, Shall I indeed bear, when I am become old? 14 Is [any] matter too wonderful for Jehovah? At the time appointed I will return to thee, at [this] time of the year, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 And Sarah denied, saying, I did not laugh; for she was afraid. And he said, No; but thou didst laugh.
16 And the men rose up thence, and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to conduct them. 17 And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? 18 Since Abraham shall indeed become a great and mighty nation; and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. 19 For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice, in order that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham what he hath spoken of him. 20 And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grievous, 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me; and if not, I will know [it]. 22 And the men turned thence, and went towards Sodom; and Abraham remained yet standing before Jehovah.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also cause the righteous to perish with the wicked? 24 There are perhaps fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not forgive the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 Far be it from thee to do so, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous should be as the wicked—far be it from thee! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And Jehovah said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have ventured to speak unto the Lord; I, who am dust and ashes. 28 Perhaps there may want five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city on account of the five? And he said, If I shall find forty-five there, I will not destroy [it]. 29 And he continued yet to speak with him, and said, Perhaps there may be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty's sake.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 18:1-29
Commentary on Genesis 18:1-8
(Read Genesis 18:1-8)
Abraham was waiting to entertain any weary traveller, for inns were not to be met with as among us. While Abraham was thus sitting, he saw three men coming. These were three heavenly beings in human bodies. Some think they were all created angels; others, that one of them was the Son of God, the Angel of the covenant. Washing the feet is customary in those hot climates, where only sandals are worn. We should not be forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares, Revelation 3:20.
Commentary on Genesis 18:9-15
(Read Genesis 18:9-15)
Where is Sarah thy wife? was asked. Note the answer, In the tent. Just at hand, in her proper place, occupied in her household concerns. There is nothing got by gadding. Those are most likely to receive comfort from God and his promises, who are in their proper place, and in the way of their duty, 17; but He who searches the heart, saw that the one sprung from unbelief, and the other from faith. She denied that she had laughed. One sin commonly brings in another, and it is not likely we shall strictly keep to truth, when we question the Divine truth. But whom the Lord loves he will rebuke, convict, silence, and bring to repentance, and if they sin before him.
Commentary on Genesis 18:16-22
(Read Genesis 18:16-22)
The two who are supposed to have been created angels went toward Sodom. The one who is called Jehovah throughout the chapter, continued with Abraham, and would not hide from him the thing he intended to do. Though God long forbears with sinners, from which they fancy that the Lord does not see, and does not regard; yet when the day of his wrath comes, he will look toward them. The Lord will give Abraham an opportunity to intercede with him, and shows him the reason of his conduct. Consider, as a very bright part of Abraham's character and example, that he not only prayed with his family, but he was very careful to teach and rule them well. Those who expect family blessings must make conscience of family duty. Abraham did not fill their heads with matters of doubtful dispute; but he taught them to be serious and devout in the worship of God, and to be honest in their dealings with all men. Of how few may such a character be given in our days! How little care is taken by masters of families to ground those under them in the principles of religion! Do we watch from sabbath to sabbath whether they go forward or backward?
Commentary on Genesis 18:23-33
(Read Genesis 18:23-33)
Here is the first solemn prayer upon record in the Bible; and it is a prayer for the sparing of Sodom. Abraham prayed earnestly that Sodom might be spared, if but a few righteous persons should be found in it. Come and learn from Abraham what compassion we should feel for sinners, and how earnestly we should pray for them. We see here that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Abraham, indeed, failed in his request for the whole place, but Lot was miraculously delivered. Be encouraged then to expect, by earnest prayer, the blessing of God upon your families, your friends, your neighbourhood. To this end you must not only pray, but you must live like Abraham. He knew the Judge of all the earth would do right. He does not plead that the wicked may be spared for their own sake, or because it would be severe to destroy them, but for the sake of the righteous who might be found among them. And righteousness only can be made a plea before God. How then did Christ make intercession for transgressors? Not by blaming the Divine law, nor by alleging aught in extenuation or excuse of human guilt; but by pleading HIS OWN obedience unto death.