Genesis 18:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way.

NIV: When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way.

NASB: Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off.

CSB: The men got up from there and looked out over Sodom, and Abraham was walking with them to see them off.

NLT: Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.

KJV: And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

NKJV: Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.

In the previous verses, three strange men arrived near Abraham's tent, apparently traveling and on their way to somewhere else. Abraham had urged them to stay and rest, to allow him to provide for them a meal. After the meal, it became abundantly clear that one of the men was the Lord in human form. He confirmed this by restating for Sarah's benefit what He had promised to Abraham in the previous chapter: By this time next year, Sarah will have a son.

Now the three men return to their mysterious journey. As a good host seeing his guests off, Abraham walks with them for some distance. They would have walked through the hills near Hebron and come to a good spot for glimpsing the city of Sodom in the distance. This city, like Gomorrah, had already established a reputation for moral depravity (Genesis 13:13).

When we saw him last in Genesis 14, Abraham's nephew Lot had been rescued from foreign invaders and returned to his home in Sodom. Lot's place in that town will become central to the rest of this chapter.

Genesis 18:16–21 is an example of God using human language, and human behavior, to more clearly explain His will. Taking on a temporary human form, God speaks with Abraham about the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This process reveals that God not only intends to keep His promises—all His promises—but that His judgment on Sodom is well-deserved. God does not need to justify His actions to mankind, but in this passage, He does exactly that, for our benefit, and for our learning.

Abraham hurries to offer respect and hospitality to three men who appear near his tent. Over the course of the chapter, the men reveal themselves to be the Lord and two angels in human form. As He had told Abraham in the previous chapter, the Lord now reveals to Sarah that she will have a son within the year. Later, the Lord poetically says He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham's nephew Lot lives. Abraham asks, and the Lord agrees, not to destroy Sodom if God finds 10 righteous people there.

God appeared to Abraham in the previous chapter revealing, in part, that Sarah would bear Abraham a son within a year's time. Now the Lord appears again, this time in human form and accompanied by two disguised angels. He reveals to Sarah the same promise. She laughs, and the Lord insists that even her age isn't too hard for Him to overcome. Next the Lord reveals to Abraham that He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham receives the Lord's promise not to destroy Sodom (where Abraham's nephew lives) if He finds 10 righteous people in the city. Unfortunately, the city is beyond saving, and the next chapter details its utter destruction.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/12/2024 2:14:01 PM