Gen 18

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Three men appear at Abraham's tent

1 And the Lord appeared to him in the vale of Mambre as he was sitting at the door of his tent, in the very heat of the day. 2 And when he had lifted up his eyes, there appeared to him three men standing near him: and as soon as he saw them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and adored down to the ground. 3 And he said: Lord, if I have found favour in your sight, pass not away from your servant: 4 But I will fetch a little water, that you may wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will set a morsel of bread, so that you strengthen your heart, afterwards you shall pass on: for therefore are you come aside to your servant. And they said: Do as you have spoken.

A son again promised to Sara

6 Abraham made haste into the tent to Sara, and said to her: Make haste, combine together three measures of flour, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7 And he himself ran to the herd, and took from there a calf very tender and very good, and gave it to a young man: who made haste and boiled it. 8 He took also butter and milk, and the calf which he had boiled, and set before them: but he stood by them under the tree. 9 And when they had eaten, they said to him: Where is Sara your wife? He answered: Lo, she is in the tent. 10 And he said to him: I will return and come to you at this time, life accompanying and Sara your wife shall have a son. Which when Sara heard, she laughed behind the door of the tent. 11 Now they were both old, and far advanced in years, and it had ceased to be with Sara after the manner of women. 12 And she laughed secretly, saying: After I am grown old and my lord is an old man, shall I give myself to pleasure? 13 And the Lord said to Abraham: Why did Sara laugh, saying: Shall I who am an old woman bear a child indeed ? 14 Is there any thing hard to God? according to appointment I will return to you at this same time, life accompanying, and Sara shall have a son. 15 Sara denied, saying: I did not laugh: for she was afraid. But the Lord said, Yes: but you did laugh:

Wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrha

16 And when the men rose up from there, they turned their eyes towards Sodom: and Abraham walked with them, bringing them on the way. 17 And the Lord said: Can I hide from Abraham what I am about to do: 18 "Seeing he shall become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed? 19 For I know that he will command his children, and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord, and do judgment and justice: that for Abraham's sake the Lord may bring to effect all the things he has spoken to him. 20 And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous. 21 I will go down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come to me: or whether it be not so, that I may know. 22 And they turned themselves from there, and went their way to Sodom: but Abraham as yet stood before the Lord.

Abraham pleads for the just

23 And drawing near he said: Will you destroy the just with the wicked? 24 If there be fifty just men in the city, shall they perish withal? and will you not spare that place for the sake of the fifty just, if they be therein? 25 Far be it from you to do this thing, and to slay the just with the wicked, and for the just to be in like case as the wicked, this is not beseeming you: you who judge all the earth, will not make this judgment. 26 And the Lord said to him: If I find in Sodom fifty just within the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake. 27 And Abraham answered, and said: Seeing I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord, whereas I am dust and ashes. 28 What if there be five less than fifty just persons? will you for five and forty destroy the whole city? And he said: I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty. 29 And again he said to him: But if forty be found there, what will you do? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of forty. 30 He said, Lord, be not angry, I beseech you, if I speak: What if thirty shall be found there? He answered: I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 Seeing, he said, I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty. 32 I beseech you, he saith, be not angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more: What if ten should be found there ? And he said: I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. 33 And the Lord departed, after he had left speaking to Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place.

Commentary for Genesis 18

18:1-2 St. Justin Martyr (Dia Try), Origen (Hom Gen) and Theodoret of Cyrus (Com Heb) believed the three to be two angels and the Lord Jesus, while St. Augustine (Cit God) believed them to all be angels. Philo of Alexandria (On Abr 22.113) assumed that "Abraham imagined them to be either some prophets or angels who had changed their spiritual and soul-like essence, and assumed the appearance of men."

Abraham adored them, thinking that they were holy men sent from God. But he adored them with adoration called dulia, which is shown to saints; and he offered them food, as though they were men. (St. Thomas Aquinas Com Heb 13:2)

18:9 when they had eaten: The food taken by angels was neither changed into the assumed body, nor was the body of such a nature that food could be changed into it; consequently, it was not a true eating, but figurative of spiritual eating. This is what the angel said to Tobias: "When I was with you, I seemed indeed to eat and to drink; but I use an invisible meat and drink" (Tobit 12:19). (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 51.3)

18:10 Isaac therefore was not born according to ordinary carnal birth, because Abraham was so old and Sara’s womb was dead, but he was born through the power of the promise. (William of St. Thierry Com Rom 9:9) This prefigures Christ, because Christ was promised to Abraham as a future son, in whom the word of the promise would be fulfilled, that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him. For when the promise was made to Abraham and he heard that in your seed shall all the nations be blessed, Christ was also promised to him in the descent of Isaac, in whom we see this promise fulfilled. (Ambrosiaster Com Rom 9:9)

18:12 laughed secretly: In regard to Abraham, his laughing was not due to doubt, but to wonder: ‘He staggered not by distrust; but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.

Most fully knowing that whatsoever he has promised, he is able also to perform’ (Rom. 4:20). Hence, his laughter is not reproved by God, Who knows the hearts of all. But Sarah at first doubted in the first promise, but when the angel referred to the power of God, when he said: ‘Is there anything hard to God?’ (Gen. 18:14), she then believed; and this was, as it were, a second promise. Therefore, he says that he re-promised, because when He promised the first time, she did not believe, but only when He re-promised. (St. Thomas Aquinas Com Heb 11:11)

18:16-33 The unnatural lust in which the Sodomites indulged was homosexuality, which is wrong because it cannot lead to procreation. (Oecumenius Com Jud 7) The sin of Sodom is reckoned amongst the worst sins, but in the catalogue of lusts, or sins against the natural law of chastity only, for, in other respects, it is certain that there are worse sins, such as heresy, infidelity, blasphemy, sacrilege, despair, hatred of God. Those therefore who rejected the Apostles, and in so doing rejected the grace and salvation of Christ, sinned far worse than the Sodomites, and that, not by a single, but by a manifold sin, 1. by the sin of infidelity, 2. of disobedience, 3. of ingratitude, 4. of inhospitality, 5. of rebellion and contumacy against God, contrary to the law of nature, and of God, and against His grace so benevolently and liberally offered to them, and confirmed by so many miracles and benefits. (Cornelius A. Lapide Com Matt 10:15)

18:20 Sodom and Gomorrha: The Dead Sea is said in Scripture to have arisen from the exercise of divine wrath against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, for their unexampled iniquity. (Augustin Calmet Dic Bible)

18:21 But not in ignorance did He say this, but that He might teach us never to be positive, till we are present at the very deeds. (St. John Chrysostom Hom Mat 77)

Subpages (1): Gen 19

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