Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Parallel translations
- WEB He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
Abraham serves the meal and stands attentively as his guests eat.
Overview
He takes the posture of a servant, standing by while they eat rather than reclining with them. That the visitors eat real food underscores the genuine, embodied nature of this appearance. The scene of God being hosted at a man's table is a remarkable picture of divine condescension.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Gen 19:3But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
- Deut 32:14with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine.
- Neh 12:44And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
- Luke 24:30While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them.
- Judg 5:25He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
- Acts 10:41not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
- Luke 12:37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them.
- Luke 17:8Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’?
- John 12:2So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him.
- Rev 3:20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
- Judg 13:15“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”
- Luke 24:43and He took it and ate it in front of them.
- Gal 5:13For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 18:8 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.