The Promise of a Son (18:1-15) [J]

"And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as lie sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day" (18:1). The careful attention to details is characteristic of J. In a few words he paints the background of the story- the oaks of Mamre near Hebron, the tent by the side of the road, Abraham sitting by the door, the hot noonday sun, and then the sudden appearance of the Lord! After this introductory statement, Abraham greets three men who appear before him by bowing himself to the ground in true oriental fashion and offering to them his generous hospitality. Throughout this episode and the events which follow in this and the following chapter, the relationship of Yahweh to the three men who visit Abraham is difficult to determine. According to the Hebrew text Abraham addresses his three visitors, "Oh Lord," as though he already recognized Yahweh. With slight change in the Hebrew text, the term can also mean "My lords," referring to the three men as human beings, or "My lord" (as in the Revised Standard Version, 18:3), perhaps addressing the most distinguished of the three visitors, but not recognizing him as Yahweh. For the next few verses (18:4-9) Abraham regards the three men as ordinary travellers, but when the birth of a son is announced (1.8:10-14), the spokesman for the group turns out to be "the LORD." In verse 22 the men who depart toward Sodom are probably two of the visitors, since Abraham is left standing "before the LORD." In 19: 1 the two angels ("the men"' of chapter 18?) arrive at Sodom, but in 19:21-22 again the Lord seems to be speaking. Perhaps the best way to explain these variations in the story is to assume that Yahweh is represented in the three heavenly visitors. By this imprecision the writer is obviously trying to conceal the true identity of Yahweh.

The three visitors accept Abraham's gracious hospitality and partake of a sumptuous bedouin meal which he prepares for them, consisting of bread, made in the form of large, flat discs, tender meat of a calf, and two kinds of milk – curdled, or leban, as it is known among the Arabs today, and fresh. According to Near Eastern custom, Sarah does not appear before the male visitors, and Abraham,, as the host, stands by while his guests eat, to see that they get every attention. After the meal the visitors get down to the business of the day. They bring the startling news to Abraham that Sarah, his wife, who is advanced in years, is going to have a son by the next year (see also 17:21). When Sarah, who is eavesdropping at the tent door, hears these words, she laughs and says, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?" (18:12). Her incredulous laughter, like that of Abraham (17:17), explains the name of Isaac ("he laughs"), the son of promise. In response to Sarah's skepticism the Lord says, "Is anything too hard for the LORD? 17 (18:14). Obviously, there is nothing too difficult or too wonderful (both meanings are associated with the Hebrew word found in this verse) for God to do (see Luke 1: 37). He who created the heavens and the earth and all their host is able to do all things. He can even accomplish his divine purpose by things which are not (I Cor. 1:28).

The Birth of Isaac (21:1-7) [J, E, P]

Isaac is born to Sarah as the Lord had promised ( 17:19). The old age of Sarah and Abraham at the time of Isaac's birth is again noted (21:2, 7; see also 18: 11; 24:36). The naming of the child and his circumcision when eight days old are in accordance with 17:19, 12. The name Isaac, which comes from a Hebrew root meaning "to laugh," was originally part of a full sentence in which the name of the Deity appeared as the subject. It meant, "may the deity laugh [over] the child." Other names which have the same sentence pattern are Ishmael, Jacob, and Israel. In 21:6 there is a combination of two different traditions regarding the meaning of the name Isaac. In one, he is so called because Sarah rejoices over the fact that God has made her fruitful; according to the other, the friends of Sarah will laugh when they hear the news that she has borne a son.