Essay for Genesis 18:1
וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃
And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox
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The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox
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The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox
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The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox
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The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox
The announcement of Sara’s impending child is set in the familiar ancient garb of a tale about divine travelers who visit an old couple. Central, as is usual in folklore, is the idea of hospitality, emphasized in the text by the threefold use of “pray” (please) (vv.3–4), “pass on/by” (vv.3–5), and by Avraham’s flurry of activity (he himself “runs” twice, “hastens” three times, and “fetches” four times in serving his guests).
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The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox
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