And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Parallel translations
- WEB He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,
- BSB And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
- NKJV So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
- NASB When he raised his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed down to the ground,
- NLT He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Three men suddenly appear, and Abraham runs to welcome them with deep respect.
Overview
The 'three men' are the LORD and two accompanying angels (19:1), and Abraham's eager running and bowing model wholehearted hospitality. His reverence hints that he senses these are no ordinary visitors. The scene displays the welcome God's people are to extend to strangers (Hebrews 13:2).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Heb 13:2Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
- Gen 18:22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
- Judg 13:3And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
- Gen 19:1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
- Gen 23:7And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
- Josh 5:13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
- Gen 18:16And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
- Gen 43:26And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
- Gen 43:28And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
- Gen 44:14And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.
- Gen 32:24And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
- Gen 33:3–7And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
- Judg 13:6–11Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
- 1 Pet 4:9Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
- Ruth 2:10Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
- 2 Kgs 2:15And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
- Rom 12:13Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 18:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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