This was the name of the man who owned the oak trees.
"at the opening of the tent" or "at the entrance of the tent"
"he was surprised because he saw"
"nearby" or "there." They were near him, but far enough away for him to run to them.
This is a title of respect. Possible meanings are 1) Abraham knew that one of these men was God or 2) Abraham knew that these men came on behalf of God.
"if you have evaluated me and approve" or "if you are pleased with me"
Abraham is speaking to one of the men.
"please do not keep on going past"
"me." Abraham refers to himself this way in order to show respect to his guest.
"Let me bring you some water" or "My servant will bring you some water"
This custom helped tired travelers to refresh themselves after walking long distances.
Abraham speaks to all three of the men, so "you" and "your" are plural.
about 22 liters
This bread was probably cooked quickly on a hot stone. It may have been flat or round like small loaves or rolls.
"the servant hurried"
"to cut it up and roast it"
This refers to the solid part of fermented milk. It may have been yogurt or cheese.
"the roasted calf"
"before the three visitors"
"Then they said to Abraham"
The word "He" refers to the man whom Abraham called "Lord" in Genesis 18:3.
"when this same season comes next year" or "about this time next year"
The word "see" here alerts us to pay attention to the surprising information that follows.
"at the opening of the tent" or "at the entrance of the tent"
"I am worn out and my master is old, so I cannot believe that I will experience the joy of having a child.""
"I am too old to conceive a child"
This means "since my husband, Abraham is also old."
"Sarah was wrong to laugh and say, 'I will not bear a child because I am too old!'"
"There is nothing that I, Yahweh, cannot do!"
"Yahweh replied"
"Yes, you did laugh." This means "No, that is not true; you did in fact laugh."
"I should not and will not hide from Abraham what I am about to do" or "I should and will tell Abraham what I am about to do"
"This is because ... him"
"I will bless all the nations of the earth through Abraham"
"will be blessed because of Abraham" or "will be blessed because I have blessed Abraham."
"that he will direct" or "so that he will command"
"to obey what I, Yahweh, require ... I, Yahweh, may bring ... I have said"
"to obey the commands of Yahweh"
"by doing righteousness and justice." This tells how to keep the way of Yahweh.
"so that Yahweh may bless Abraham just as he said he would." This refers to the covenant promise to bless Abraham and make him a great nation.
"so many people have been accusing the people of Sodom and Gomorrah of doing evil things"
"they have sinned so much"
"go down to Sodom and Gomorrah to find out" or "go down there to decide"
"as wicked as those who are accusing them say that they are"
"If they are not as wicked as the outcry suggests"
"went out from Abraham's camp"
"Abraham and Yahweh remained together"
"approached Yahweh and said" or "stepped closer to Yahweh and said"
"destroy"
"the righteous people with the wicked people"
"Suppose there are"
"I think you would not sweep it away. Instead, you would spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are there"
"destroy the people who live there"
Abraham was hoping that God would say "I will let the people live for the sake of the fifty righteous people there."
"I would never want you to do something like that" or "You should not want to do something like that"
"such a thing as killing" or "such a thing, that is, killing"
"you should treat the righteous the same way you treat the wicked"
"The Judge of all the earth will certainly do what is just!" or "Since you are the Judge of all the earth, you will surely do what is right!"
God is often referred to as a judge because he is the one perfect judge who makes the final decisions about what is right or wrong.
"Please listen carefully: I" See how you translated this phrase in Genesis 12:11.
"Pardon me for being so bold as to speak to you" or "Excuse me for daring to speak"
"to you, my Lord"
"only a mortal man" or "as unimportant as dust and ashes"
"only forty-five righteous people"
"if there are five fewer righteous people"
"I will not destroy Sodom"
"Abraham spoke to Yahweh"
"for the sake of the forty righteous people" or "if I find forty righteous people there"
"Yahweh answered"
"I will not destroy the cities if I find forty righteous people there"
"you will find thirty righteous people there"
"you will find twenty righteous people there"
"for the sake of the twenty righteous people" or "if I find twenty righteous people there"
"Perhaps you will find ten righteous people there"
"Perhaps ten righteous people" or "ten good people"
"And Yahweh answered"
"if I find ten righteous people there"
"Yahweh departed" or "Yahweh continued on his journey"