Genesis 18:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

NIV: He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

NASB: He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.

CSB: Then Abraham took curds and milk, as well as the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served them as they ate under the tree.

NLT: When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees.

KJV: And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

NKJV: So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

Finally the meal is ready for Abraham's three visitors, one of whom is the Lord in human form. In the previous verses, Abraham rushed to prepare a royal feast. This included an enormous amount of bread made from fine flour (Genesis 18:6) and a young calf quickly slaughtered and prepared (Genesis 18:7). Now Abraham presents the food, along with some curds and milk, likely a kind of yogurt.

Acts of generous hospitality, along with the contents of the meal, would have been standard among the Bedouin people of the time. It would also have been normal for the host to stand back and allow his guests to eat in peace without him. For this reason, some scholars suggest Abraham may not have known, yet, that this stranger was actually the Lord. According to this view, Abraham was merely exhibiting the qualities of a generous and kind-hearted host. At the same time, Abraham's hospitality here is extravagant.

In either case, Abraham will clearly come to understand who his guest is in the following verses.

Genesis 18:1–8 describes Abraham's initial reaction to three unexpected guests at this tent. These men are actually God, in a temporary human form, and two similarly-formed angels. Abraham rushes to offer an extravagant meal of bread, meat, and cheeses. Whether Abraham is merely expressing common Bedouin hospitality, or knows that he is in the presence of God, his actions are both humble and gracious. In the next passage, the identity of his visitors will become clear.

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 5/13/2024 1:37:48 PM