Genesis 18 contains an intriguing mystery. Before we examine it let’s look at the chapter’s plot line.
The chapter begins with three men visiting Abraham and predicting that Sarah will have a son in one year’s time. The men and Abraham then walk toward Sodom and the Lord shares his plan with Abraham: he will check on Sodom and see if it is as wicked as he has heard.
Abraham then pleads with the Lord to spare the city for the sake of fifty righteous people. After the Lord concedes, Abraham continues pleading until the Lord promises, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it” (v. 32).
The Lord, however, couldn’t find ten righteous people, so he destroyed Sodom. But prior to city’s destruction, the Lord rescued the righteous people who were in it—Lot and his family. In that way, God’s actions are a direct answer to Abraham’s urgent question—”Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (v. 25). God did what was right. He destroyed the wicked and saved the righteous.
With the point of the story firmly set, we can move on to the mysterious detail in Genesis 18—the identity of the three men. In the list below, notice how closely the three men and the Lord are intertwined.
The Appearance (vv. 1–2)
- The Lord appears to Abraham while he was sitting outside his tent (v. 1).
- Abraham looks up and sees three men standing nearby (v. 2).
The Question and Promise (vv. 8–14)
- The men eat then ask, “Where is Sarah your wife?” (vv. 8-9)
- Abraham answers (v. 9)
- One of the men says, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son” (v. 10).
- Sarah laughs.
- The Lord asks, “Why did Sarah laugh? (vv. 13-14)
The Departure (18:16–19:1)
- The men get up to leave (v. 16).
- While Abraham walks out with the men, the Lord asks, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (vv. 17–18).
- The Lord says what he’s going to Sodom (vv. 20–21).
- The men go toward Sodom (v. 22).
- Abraham remains standing before the Lord (v. 22).
- The Lord leaves (v. 33).
- The two angels arrive in Sodom (19:1).
Identifying the Three Men
In seeking to identify the visitors, the key clue is Genesis 19:1, which says “The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening.” Based on that verse and the account leading up to it, we can conclude that two of the three men are angels. How do we know? Because in one scene the men are heading toward Sodom and in the next scene two angels arrive in Sodom. The narrator wants us to connect the two scenes and that means we should identify at least two of the three men as angels. (Angels usually appear as men in the Bible.)
But what about the other man? Was the other visitor also an angel? Possibly.
However, because of the way the Lord is interwoven into the account—when we expect the three men to speak, the Lord speaks, and when the Lord says he’s going to do something, the men do it—some think the other visitor is the Lord.
I think that view makes the most sense of the story. If that is correct, Genesis 18 gives us one of the earliest appearances of God in the Bible. (Theophany is the technical term for an appearance of God.) And what do we learn from this early theophany?
- God appeared as a man.
- God had his feet washed and then rested (18:4).
- God ate (18:8).
- God talked with Abraham and Sarah.
Christians believe God became human in the person of Jesus, but that downward movement was not entirely new. God was descending to meet with humans long before Jesus was born.
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.
But verse 18:2 says that Abraham ‘ bowed low to the ground.’ Why would a man bow down before an angel?
One of them had to be God.
This is wrong. There are many other passages where individuals bow down on the ground to regular people: Gen 23:12; Ex 18:7.
Please stop spreading misinformation that is not researched properly.
You”ve Sald it: Other passages. In this one it is very clear to everybody that it was God in 3 beings
The angelic being Michael is the chief appointed to oversee all which is done by other angelic beings who manifest into our realm.. he then therefore is the governor of these beings who are to carry out a task. The word “Lord” is a word meaning ,”Master” signifying the greater position that the holder of that particular title possesses. It says that Abraham spoke with the Lord but you have to think “The Lord of what and over who”?. That’s the first question to ask!🤔🤔 If you are employed on a job the manager of the shift is actually the shift Lord is he/she not? What about the guy or lady that you pay your rent to are they not the land Lords.
If you read Genesis 18:12 Sarah Addresses her husband as lord spelt with a small ‘l’ and in verse 13 one of the 3 is spelt Lord with a capitol. Lord is also translated in original texts as LORD meaning Yshua. Meaning God in Hebrew.
But an Michael the angel doesn’t not have the power of the Lord of Lords to give Sarah a baby at 99 years old.
Very interesting point which to me means Michael has to be Jesus… As only He has the power to create life. And only He has the power to conquer Satan.
The only time Lord is capitalized in the Bible is if it’s God or Jesus.
The name “LORD” when spelled with all capitalized letters (or small capitalized letters) refers to Yahweh, which is the Divine Name. When Moses was at the burning bush, Moses asked God His name so that Moses may tell the Israelites who has sent him. God told Moses to take off his sandals for he is standing on holy ground. God then said His name is “I am who I am” or “I am.”
The name “LORD” appearing in all capital letters means Yahweh. The Hebrew word for “I AM” is translated as “YHWH.” These four constants are referred to as the “Tetragrammaton” or “four-lettered name.” These four consonants are rendered Yahweh. This name is considered so sacred among ancient Jews that some refused even to speak it. In ancient Judaism, the name YHWH was referred to as “the name,” “the unutterable name,” “the holy name,” and the “Divine Name.” Because it was so sacred, some Jewish scribes would not cross or blot out the name.
In the Old Testament, the name Yahweh appears in English as “LORD” with all capital letters, as distinguished from “Lord” (with only an initial capitalized letter), which refers to another Hebrew name for God, “Adonai.” The Hebrew word “Adonai” means master and owner and is almost always used in the Old Testament in the plural form, pointing to the Trinity. It is related to the Greek word “kurios” (“Lord”) used in the New Testament. The word “kurios” as used in the New Testament has several meanings, including God, Jesus, and the Messiah, as well as other different meanings, such as husband, master, and sir. A noted Bible scholar explained the relationship between the names “Yahweh” and “Adonai” and the translation of these names in the Bible:
“Careful readers will notice that here and there in the Old Testament the word LORD (or in certain cases GOD) is printed in capital letters. This represents the traditional manner in English versions of rendering the Divine Name, the ‘Tetragrammaton’ [YHWH]…, following the precedent of the ancient Greek and Latin translators and the long established practice in the reading of Hebrew Scriptures in the synagogue. While it is almost if not quite certain that the Name was originally pronounced ‘Yahweh,’ this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes [certain Jewish scholars of the 6th to 10th centuries A.D.] added vowel sounds to the consonantal Hebrew text. To the four consonants YHWH of the Name, which had come to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced, they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place should be read the Hebrew word Adonai meaning ‘Lord’ (or Elohim meaning ‘God’). Ancient Greek translators employed the word Kyrios (‘Lord’) for the Name. The Vulgate [Latin version of the Bible] likewise used the Latin word Dominus (‘Lord’).”
Therefore, the names “LORD” and “GOD” when appearing in all capital letters refer to Yahweh (“I am who I am”), the Divine Name, also known as the Tetragrammaton” [YHWH]. The name “Lord” (initial capital letter only) refers to the name “Adonai,” which is one of the many names of God. In the New Testament, the name “Lord” (again, initial capital letter only) is used to refer to God, Jesus, and the Messiah, as well as other different meanings, such as husband, master, and sir.
If you look into the original Hebrew the word translated here as “the Lord” is actually Yahweh
really enjoyed this study
Abram must have been bowing to God because that was who he saw first according to the first verse of Gen 18”the Lord appeared to….He must have distinguished between the appearance of God and that of Angel just like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3v24&25.
Abram as was his original name was from the land of ur of the chaldeas. He was Chaldean which is a region of ancient Mesopatamia. The Mesopatamian civilization practiced polytheism and not monotheism as we have today. They did not refer to divine beings as Angels like we do today or refer to the creator as God. The Mesopatamians seen them all as divine deities who were somewhat manifestations of their very ownselves. So it was acceptable to worship multiple beings of your choice because in doing so you were gradually learning yourself.. God created man in his image and in his own likeness.. what does this mean?🤔🤔🤔 This means you are a reflection of your Creator!! In your ancestors records they say that you were created by a corporation of beings who worked together as one. You can see this in Genesis 1:26 where God is refered to in the plural as US and OUR..
When humans would bow to angels(and in all the encounters I read about they were afraid),they would bow but angel would correct them and tell them not to bow,
Yes but in this text the 2 men didn’t correct Abram.. I’m confused because he praised the 3 not just the Lord… If that so this just means that it’s either that 3 men is one or that the 2 are angels but wouldn’t dare to correct Abram because the Lord is there…. And also Jesus said Before Abram was born, I am.. meaning that he visited Abram during his time….
Amen, I agree. I believe it could be one of two things. either 2 of the three were angels and the other God manifesting himself, or another thought could be that this was the trinity, Father, son and Holy spirit. Just thought.
I have this thought that Jesus was mentioned many times In Old testament with God but since Jesus’s name needed to be kept a secret for his covenant to fulfill that’s why Jesus never tells anyone who will betray him instead he warns them what will happen…
The Father clearly states to Moses that he could not look on Him face to face. The N.T. says that the Father lives in unapproachable light, and that no one has ever seen Him.
And yet here is the LORD!
I believe this is the LORD who walked in the garden with Adam and Eve and Enoch.
This is the commander of the LORD’s army who spoke to Joshua,
who appeared to Midian and the parents of Samson, who wrestled with Jacob and who walked in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego!
And then, in Gen 19:24, it says, “Then the LORD rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah-from the LORD out of the heavens.”
I interpret this to mean that the pre-incarnate Christ came with 2 angels to visit Abraham and declare judge-ment, which Christ called upon the Father to execute.
Nowhere in Scripture have we heard of, nor seen, the Holy Spirit taking on human form. I don’t think it is warranted here.
In my opinion the third person should have been Jesus who was also travelling along in the old testament. Moses stuck the rock, it was Jesus, Apostle Paul says in the I Corinthians 10th chapter. Only difference between God and Jesus when he appeared on the earth was the glory. Jesus came down to earth leaving his glory in the heaven. After the death, burial and resurrection, he ascended to heaven and got back his glory. Here, the one appeared before Abraham was without glory. Whereas when God appeared before Moses, He was in his glory. Therefore, the third person should have been Jesus only.
The LORD stay with Abraham – and the other 2 men go to Sodom – follows Genesis 19 two angels arrive at Sodom (So they were angels – not the rest of the trinity) and also in Genesis 19 the LORD in heaven v 24 detroys Sodom and Gomorrah – For me and my interpretation based on the historic specifying Yahweh in Genesis 18 – I Would believe the following:
Jesus (Theophany) appears to Abraham while God the Father (The Lord in Heaven) destroys Sodom and Gomorrah
If my reasoning is flawed – I’m always willing to learn.
I concur wholeheartedly!
I would whole heartedly agree.
Bowed also Means respect, greeting, or shame.
For God: We can take it as Worship and pray,
For Angels and Humans: We can take it as for respect, greeting
Before The Foundation Of The Earth. Jesus Was There. Possibly The Third Man Was Jesus.
Can Somebody Explain To Us The Identity Of The Two Angels?…. In The Ministry Of Repentance And Holiness In Kenya, It Is Said They Were Moses And Elijah. Were They?
How can it be Moses and Elijah. They were not born yet before Abraham. Moses is in the book of Exodus and Elijah is in the book of Kings. Abraham is in the book of Genesis which is the first book of the Old Testament.
They are saying that they are not human beings(Moses and Elijah). That they are angels… That they are the same angels that guarded the tree of life in the garden of Eden… It is also believed in the Ministry Of Repentance and Holiness that Prophet Dr. Owuor is both Elijah and Moses…. Kindly should we trust that teaching?
It shouldn’t be them they’re still not alive during Abrams life…. I can only conclude 2 things about this.. either the 3 visitors are God or the 2 of them are the angels that helps destroy sodom and Gomorrah.. but it’s highly likely that those 3 are the Lord…
From reading the passage and listening to Jewish opinions it could be argued that there were three ‘apparent men’ and the Lord (verse 1). Into chapter 19 clearly two of the ‘apparent men’ are angels. But in this scenario what then happened to the third ‘apparent man’?
It makes much more sense that one was a theophany, Yahweh or Jehovah, the other two were angels. I am not sure that it was actually Jesus. I think Yahweh can appear as a man, as perhaps He did with Yacov at Peniel Genesis 32: 24-30. I wonder too who Adam and Eve saw walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and hid from Him.. Genesis 3:8-21… Might have been our Lord, might have been a theophany..
one of them was GOD HIMSELF, not jesus. people need to get it right. first they say jesus was the angel of the Lord then they say HE was one of the men visiting Abraham. along with two angels. so which is it? clearly people believe what they want to believe and go with it without thinking. obviously one of was GOD the father. it was a theophany, GOD appearing in human form. it was not Jesus.
But the problem is, as according to the Scripture (such as John 1:18, and I Tim 6:16) – nobody has ever seen God the Father. So how could it possibly be Him?
I think the most reasonable answer would be the Son of God
Exactly. If God is spirit and no one has ever seen Him then the only logical conclusion is that it was the Son of God – God the Son. Same as in Eden. He’s still the one true and living God. By their nature, all theophonies are christophonies.
The explanation was clear enough to be understood.
The one that spoke to Abraham was God Himself. For if it was an angel he would have stated that the Lord has heard terrible things about sodom and wants to visit the town. The two angels went to carry out orders from God. Guage the way they
spoke.
From the context of the Bible it is unmistable the first person was God.
I also believe that the third person that was with Abraham when the two left was God himself, becouse remember before the third visitor stated their mission to Abraham he said can I hide anything from Abraham? And the man spoke with so much confidence for me to believe and convinced he was God in form of a man.
Enjoyed the discussion above ..The thoughts standing out in mind after seeing all of the above is: Two angels , in the form of men and Christ in the form of the third man.No one has ever seen God seems to imply , God the Father not seen by any man except Christ who came from Heaven.In Eden they see Christ then perhaps , as no one also includes surely Adam and Eve.Having written thus much seems what i think is THE right interpretation.But surely there may be a better clearer understanding of the written Word.In the beginning was the Word. Man made in the image of God..so would this mean God the Son had an image as that given to Man in creation even before creating man ? No one has ever seen God would mean God the Father?
who was the forth figure in the fire