a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute + directional suffix
Sarah
שָׂרָ֑הsa.Rah
H8283
Sarah · proper noun, a woman's name
said
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvai.Yo.mer
H559
to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
quickly
מַהֲרִ֞יma.ha.Ri
H4116
properly · verb, piel imperative, 2nd person feminine singular
three
שְׁלֹ֤שׁshe.Losh
H7969
three · cardinal number, both genders singular construct
measures
סְאִים֙se.'Im
H5429
a seah · noun, common masculine plural absolute
fine
סֹ֔לֶתSo.let
H5560
flour (as chipped off) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
meal
קֶ֣מַחKe.mach
H7058
flour · noun, common masculine singular absolute
knead
ל֖וּשִׁיLu.shi
H3888
to knead · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person feminine singular
make
וַעֲשִׂ֥יva.'a.Si
H6213
to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal imperative, 2nd person feminine singular
cakes
עֻגֽוֹתu.Got
H5692
an ash-cake (as round) · noun, common feminine plural absolute
hearth
עָשָׂהʻâsâh
H6213
to do or make
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till t…
Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Isaiah 32:8 But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.
Luke 10:38-40 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house,…
Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
1 Peter 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Genesis 18:1-8
The appearance of God to Abraham seems to have had in it more of freedom and familiarity, and less of grandeur and majesty, than those we have hitherto read of; and therefore more resembles that great visit which, in the fullness of time, the Son of God was to make to the world, when the Word would be flesh, and appear as one of us. Observe here,
I. How Abraham expected strangers, and how richly his expectations were answered (Gen 18:1): He sat in the tent-door, in the heat of the day; not so much to repose or divert himself as to seek an opportunity of doing good, by giving entertainment to strangers and travellers, there being perhaps no inns to accommodate them. Note, 1. We are likely to…
Abraham hastened . . . unto Sarah . . . make cakes upon the hearth--Bread is baked daily, no more than is required for family use, and always by the women, commonly the wife. It is a short process. Flour mixed with water is made into dough, and being rolled out into cakes, it is placed on the earthen floor, previously heated by a fire. The fire being removed, the cakes are laid on the ground, and being covered over with hot embers, are soon baked, and eaten the moment they are taken off.
Adam Clarke on Genesis 18:6
Three measures of fine meal - The סאה seah, which is here translated measure, contained, according to Bishop Cumberland, about two gallons and a half; and Mr. Ainsworth translates the word peck. On this circumstance the following observations of the judicious and pious Abbe Fleury cannot fail to be acceptable to the reader. Speaking of the frugality of the patriarchs he says: "We have an instance of a splendid entertainment in that which Abraham made for the three angels. He set a whole calf before them, new bread, but baked on the hearth, together with butter and milk. Three measures of meal were baked into bread on this occasion, which come to more than two of our bushels, and nearly to fi…
He says therefore to his wife Sarah: "Hasten to the tent, and sprinkle three measures of fine flour, and make loaves baked in the ashes." This in Greek is called ἐγχρυφίας, which indicates hidden or concealed loaves.
He sets forth therefore loaves sprinkled with "three measures of fine flour." He received three men, he sprinkled loaves with "three measures of fine flour." The whole of what he does is mystical, the whole is filled with sacraments.
(Chapter 18, Verse 6) And he said to him: Hurry, mix three measures of wheat flour. Because three measures are explicitly mentioned here, and the measure is uncertain: therefore I added that in Hebrew it has three sata, that is, three amphoras: so that we may understand the same mystery here and in the Gospel, where a woman is said to have fermented three measures of wheat flour (Matthew 13:33).
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Angel — A word signifying, both in the Hebrew and Greek, a “messenger,” and hence employed to denote any agent God sends forth to execute his purposes. It is used of an ordinary messenger (Job 1:14: 1 Sam.…
Bake — The duty of preparing bread was usually, in ancient times, committed to the females or the slaves of the family (Gen. 18:6; Lev. 26:26; 1 Sam. 8:13); but at a later period we find a class of public…
Bread — Among the Jews was generally made of wheat (Ex. 29:2; Judg. 6:19), though also sometimes of other grains (Gen. 14:18; Judg. 7:13). Parched grain was sometimes used for food without any other…
Cook — A person employed to perform culinary service. In early times among the Hebrews cooking was performed by the mistress of the household (Gen. 18:2-6; Judg. 6:19), and the process was very…
Flour — Grain reduced to the form of meal is spoken of in the time of Abraham (Gen. 18:6). As baking was a daily necessity, grain was also ground daily at the mills (Jer. 25:10). The flour mingled with water…
Food — Originally the Creator granted the use of the vegetable world for food to man (Gen. 1:29), with the exception mentioned (2:17). The use of animal food was probably not unknown to the antediluvians.…
Hearth — Heb. ah (Jer. 36:22, 23; R.V., “brazier”), meaning a large pot like a brazier, a portable furnace in which fire was kept in the king’s winter apartment. Heb. kiyor (Zech. 12:6; R.V., “pan”), a…
Knead — To prepare dough in the process of baking (Gen. 18:6; 1 Sam. 28:24; Hos. 7:4).
Measure — Several words are so rendered in the Authorized Version. (1.) Those which are indefinite. (a) Hok, Isa. 5:14, elsewhere “statute.” (b) Mad, Job 11:9; Jer. 13:25, elsewhere “garment.” (c) Middah, the…
Mill — For grinding corn, mentioned as used in the time of Abraham (Gen. 18:6). That used by the Hebrews consisted of two circular stones, each 2 feet in diameter and half a foot thick, the lower of which…
on Genesis 18:6
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah,.... In order to acquaint her with his guests, and to give proper instructions for providing food for them; and this he hasted to do, being hearty in the entertainment of them, and that he might not keep them too long from their journey:
and said, to Sarah his wife:
make ready quickly three measures of fine meal; which was ready sifted from the bran, and was the finest flour that was in the house, and only wanted to be mixed and kneaded and made up into cakes; and he ordered three measures or seahs of them, each of which held more than our peck, and all three made an ephah or bushel, being willing to have enough, and to make a generous entertai…
And Abraham hastened into the tent Abraham's care in entertaining his guests is here recorded; and Moses, at the same time, shows what a well-ordered house he had. In short, he presents us, in a few words, with a beautiful picture of domestic government. Abraham runs, partly, to command what he would have done; and partly, to execute his own duty, as the master of the house. Sarah keeps within the tent; not to indulge in sloth, but rather to take her own part also, in the labor. The servants are all prompt to obey. Here is the sweet concord of a well-conducted family; which could not have thus suddenly arisen, unless each had, by long practice, been accustomed to right discipline. A question…
When the three men had accepted the hospitable invitation, Abraham, just like a Bedouin sheikh of the present day, directed his wife to take three seahs (374 cubic inches each) of fine meal, and back cakes of it as quickly as possible (עגּות round unleavened cakes baked upon hot stones); he also had a tender calf killed, and sent for milk and butter, or curdled milk, and thus prepared a bountiful and savoury meal, of which the guests partook. The eating of material food on the part of these heavenly beings was not in appearance only, but was really eating; an act which may be attributed to the corporeality assumed, and is to be regarded as analogous to the eating on the part of the risen and…
My lord: The Hebrew text uses ’adonay (“Lord”), the word that is usually reserved for God. In Hebrew tradition, it was spoken in places where the holy name Yahweh (the Lord) was in the text. Perhaps the text uses ’adonay rather than the more common ’adoni to show that this was the angel of the Lord—i.e., the Lord himself (see study note on 16:7). We don’t know whether Abraham knew his visitors’ identity at the outset, but by the story’s end Abraham certainly knew he had been talking with God.
Oven — Heb. tannur, (Hos. 7:4). In towns there appear to have been public ovens. There was a street in Jerusalem (Jer. 37:21) called “bakers’ street” (the only case in which the name of a street in…
Weights And Measures — A. WEIGHTS.—The general principle of the present inquiry is to give the evidence of the monuments the preference on all doubtful points. All ancient Greek systems of weight were derived, either…
Woman — Was “taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. “The head of the woman is the man;” but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, “as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Cor. 11:3,…
Abraham · Angels appear to — Angels appear to
Bread · .Knea — .Knea
Communion · .Abraham — .Abraham
Condescension Of God · Enters into covenant with Abraham — Enters into covenant with Abraham
Entertainments · Preparations made for — Preparations made for
God · .To Abraham — .To Abraham
Hearth · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Hospitality · .Abraham to the angels — .Abraham to the angels
Isaac · 1. The miraculous — 1. The miraculous
Mamre · .Entertains three angels, and is promised a — .Entertains three angels, and is promised a
Measure · 8. A seah, about a peck and a half — 8. A seah, about a peck and a half
Travellers · Generally treated with great hospitality — Generally treated with great hospitality
Wife · Domestic duties of — Domestic duties of
Woman · Often engaged in: Domestic employments — Often engaged in: Domestic employments
Women · Domestic duties of — Domestic duties of
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
