CHAPTER XVIII.

_The Theophany at Hebron: Abraham’s Intercession for Sodom_ (Yahwist).

Under the terebinths of Mamre, Abraham hospitably entertains three mysterious visitors (¹⁻⁸), and is rewarded by the promise of a son to be born to Sarah in her old age (⁹⁻¹⁵). The three ‘men,’ whose true nature had been disclosed by their supernatural knowledge of Sarah’s thoughts, then turn towards Sodom, accompanied by Abraham (¹⁶), who, on learning Yahwe’s purpose to destroy that city (¹⁷⁻²¹), intercedes eloquently on its behalf (²²⁻³³).

The first half of the chapter (¹⁻¹⁶) shows at its best the picturesque, lucid, and flexible narrative style of Yahwist, and contains many expressions characteristic of that document: יהוה‎, ‎ ¹ᐧ ¹³ᐧ ¹⁴; רוּץ לִקְרַאת‎, ² (only in Yahwist 24¹⁷ 29¹³ 33⁴); מָצָא חַן‎, ³; ‎ נָא‎, ³ᐧ ⁴; עַבְדְּךָ‎ (for 1st person), ³ᐧ ⁵; כִּי־עַל־כֵּן‎, ⁵; לָמָּה זֶּה‎, ¹³; השקיף‎, ¹⁶. The latter part (¹⁷⁻³³) is also Yahwistic (יהוה‎, ²⁰ᐧ ²²ᐧ ²⁶ᐧ ‎ ³³; [הִנֵּה]־נָא‎, ²⁷ᐧ ³⁰ ᶠᶠᐧ; חָלִלָה‎, ²⁵; הַפַּעַם‎, ³²), but contains two expansions of later date than the primary narrative. Wellhausen (_Die Composition des Hexateuchs und der historischen Bücher des Alten Testaments_² 27 f.) appears to have proved that the original connexion between 18¹⁵ and 19¹ consists of ¹⁶ᐧ ²⁰⁻²²ᵃᐧ ³³ᵇ; and that ¹⁷⁻¹⁹ᐧ ²²ᵇ⁻³³ᵃ are editorial insertions reflecting theological ideas proper to a more advanced stage of thought (see below). A more comprehensive analysis is attempted by Kraetzschmar in _Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft_, xvii. 81 ff., prompted by the perplexing alternation of the singular ([יהוה‎] ¹ᐧ ³ᐧ ¹⁰ᐧ ¹³ᐧ ¹⁴ᐧ ¹⁵ᐧ ¹⁷⁻²¹ᐧ ²²ᵇ⁻³³) and plural (²ᐧ ⁴ᐧ ⁵ᐧ ⁸ᐧ ⁹ᐧ ¹⁶ᐧ ²²ᵃ)¹ in the dialogue between Abraham and his guests. The theory will repay a closer examination than can be given to it here; but I agree with Gunkel in thinking that the texture of ¹⁻¹⁶ is too homogeneous to admit of decomposition, and that some other explanation of the phenomenon in question must be sought than the assumption of an interweaving of a singular and a plural recension of the legend (see on verse ¹ and page 303 below).² With Gunkel also, we may regard the chapter as the immediate sequel to 13¹⁸ in the legendary cycle which fixes the residence of Abraham at Hebron (Yahwistᴴᵉᵇʳᵒⁿ). The conception of Abraham’s character is closely akin to what we meet throughout that section of Yahwist, and differs appreciably from the representation of him in 12¹⁰⁻²⁰ and 16.

¹ It is important, however, to observe that in _The Samaritan Recension of the Pentateuch_ (if we except the introductory ¹ᵃ) the singular does not appear till ¹⁰, but after that regularly up to ¹⁵.

² The same solution had occurred to Ball (_The Sacred Books of the Old Testament_, 1896), but was rightly set aside by him as unproved.

=1‒8. The entertainment of the three wayfarers.=――The description “presents a perfect picture of the manner in which a modern Bedawee sheikh receives travellers arriving at his encampment. He immediately orders his wife or women to make bread, slaughters a sheep or other animal, and dresses it in haste; and, bringing milk and any other provisions that he may have at hand, with the bread and the meat that he has dressed, sets them before his guests: if they are persons of high rank he also stands by them while they eat” (Lane, _An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians_⁵ i. 364: from Driver).――=1.= _Yahwe appeared, etc._] This introductory clause simply means that the incident about to be related has the value of a theophany. In what way the narrator conceived that Yahwe was present in the three men――whether He was one of the three, or whether all three were Yahwe in self-manifestation (Delitzsch)――we can hardly tell. The common view that the visitors were Yahwe accompanied by two of His angels does not meet the difficulties of the exegesis; and it is more probable that to the original Yahwist the ‘men’ were emissaries and representatives of Yahwe, who was not visibly present (see page 304 f.).――כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם‎] at the hottest (and drowsiest) time of the day (2 Samuel 4⁵).――=2.= _and behold_] The mysteriously sudden advent of the strangers marks them as superhuman beings (Joshua 5¹³), though this makes no impression on Abraham at the time. The interest of the story turns largely on his ignorance of the real character of his guests.――=3.= The Massoretic pointing אֲדֹנָי‎ implies that Abraham recognised Yahwe as one of the three (Tuch, Delitzsch, al.); but this we have just seen to be a mistake. The correct form is either ‎אֲדֹנִי‎ (as 23⁶ᐧ ¹¹, etc.: so Dillmann, Driver), or (better, as 19²) אֲדֹנַי‎: _Sirs!_――restoring (with _The Samaritan Recension of the Pentateuch_) the plural throughout the verse.――The whole of Abraham’s speech is a fine example of the profuse, deferential, self-depreciatory courtesy characteristic of Eastern manners.――=4.= _wash your feet_] Compare 19² 24³² 43²⁴, Judges 19²¹, 2 Samuel 11⁸, Luke 7⁴⁴, 1 Timothy 5¹⁰.――_recline yourselves_] not at meat (Gunkel), but during the preparation of the meal. Even in the time of Amos (6⁴) reclining at table seems to have been a new-fangled and luxurious habit introduced from abroad: contrast the ancient custom 27¹⁹, Judges 19⁶, 1 Samuel 20⁵ᐧ ²⁴, 1 Kings 13²⁰.――=5.= _support your heart_] with the food, Judges 19⁵ᐧ ⁸, 1 Kings 13⁷, Psalms 104¹⁵; compare bread the ‘staff’ of life, Leviticus 26²⁶, Isaiah 3¹.――_seeing that, etc._] Hospitality is, so to speak, the logical corollary of passing Abraham’s tent.――=6‒8.= The preparation of a genuine Bedouin repast, consisting of hastily baked _cakes_ of bread, _flesh_, and _milk_ in two forms. On the items, _v.i._――=8.= _and they ate_] So 19³――the only cases in Old Testament where the Deity is represented as eating (contrast Judges 6²⁰ ᶠᐧ 13¹⁶). The anthropomorphism is evaded by Josephus (_Antiquities of the Jews_