And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth.
6. into the tent unto Sarah ] Sarah does not appear before the strangers. She is occupied with the baking. Abraham and his servant are responsible for the selection and killing of a calf, the cooking of the meat, and the procuring of butter and milk from the herd. A meal in which meat is provided is a rarity in a Bedouin’s life, and is the sign of the offering of hospitality.
three measures of fine meal ] A “measure” is a seah, or one-third of an ephah. The amount, therefore, represented by three seahs was one ephah. It is the same quantity mentioned by our Lord in Mat 13:33, “the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal.” The seah contained nearly a peck and a half.
fine meal ] Two words are here used, ema and sleth, meaning “meal,” “fine flour.”
cakes ] These would be baked on flat hot stones placed in the clay oven, or in the hot ashes which were sometimes heaped up over them; hence LXX , Lat. panes subcinericii. Cf. 1Ki 19:6.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 6. Three measures of fine meal] The seah, which is here translated measure, contained, according to Bishop Cumberland, about two gallons and a half; and Mr. Ainsworth translates the word peck. On this circumstance the following observations of the judicious and pious Abbe Fleury cannot fail to be acceptable to the reader. Speaking of the frugality of the patriarchs he says: “We have an instance of a splendid entertainment in that which Abraham made for the three angels. He set a whole calf before them, new bread, but baked on the hearth, together with butter and milk. Three measures of meal were baked into bread on this occasion, which come to more than two of our bushels, and nearly to fifty-six pounds of our weight; hence we may conclude that men were great eaters in those days, used much exercise, were probably of a much larger stature as well as longer lives than we. Homer (Odyss. lib. xiv., ver. 74, c.) makes his heroes great eaters. When Eumaeus entertained Ulysses, he dressed two pigs for himself and his guest.
‘So saying, he girded quick his tunic close,
And issuing sought the styes thence bringing two,
Of the imprisoned herd, he slaughtered both,
Singed them and slash’d and spitted them, and placed
The whole well roasted, banquets spits, and all,
Reeking before Ulysses.’
COWPER.
On another occasion a hog of five years old was slaughtered and served up for five persons: –
‘ – His wood for fuel he prepared,
And dragging thither a well-fatted brawn
Of the fifth year:
Next piercing him, and scorching close his hair,
The joints they parted,’ c.
Ibid. ver. 419. COWPER.
Homer’s heroes wait upon themselves and guests in the common occasions of life the patriarchs do the same. Abraham, who had so many servants, and was nearly a hundred years old, brought the water himself to wash the feet of his guests, ordered his wife to make the bread quickly, went himself to choose the calf from the herd, and came again to serve them standing. I will allow that he was animated on this occasion with a desire of showing hospitality, but the lives of all the rest of the patriarchs were similar to this.”
Make cakes upon the hearth.] Or under the ashes. This mode is used in the east to the present day. When the hearth is strongly heated with the fire that has been kindled on it, they remove the coals, sweep off the ashes, lay on the bread, and then cover it with the hot cinders.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Three measures, containing each the third part of an ephah. See Exo 16:36.
Upon the hearth; upon the coals, or in the warm cinders, or in an oven. He had doubtless other bread ready, but he would have new bread for them, which he thought most grateful.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. Abraham hastened . . . unto Sarah. . . make cakes upon the hearthBread is baked daily, no morethan is required for family use, and always by the women, commonlythe wife. It is a short process. Flour mixed with water is made intodough, and being rolled out into cakes, it is placed on the earthenfloor, previously heated by a fire. The fire being removed, the cakesare laid on the ground, and being covered over with hot embers, aresoon baked, and eaten the moment they are taken off.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah,…. In order to acquaint her with his guests, and to give proper instructions for providing food for them; and this he hasted to do, being hearty in the entertainment of them, and that he might not keep them too long from their journey:
and said, to Sarah his wife,
make ready quickly three measures of fine meal; which was ready sifted from the bran, and was the finest flour that was in the house, and only wanted to be mixed and kneaded and made up into cakes; and he ordered three measures or seahs of them, each of which held more than our peck, and all three made an ephah or bushel, being willing to have enough, and to make a generous entertainment for them; this he enjoined Sarah to do, but not of herself, but by her maids, and no doubt, for quicker dispatch, she might assist herself, wherefore it follows:
knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth; after the fine flour was made dough and kneaded, it was made into round cakes, and these were put upon an hearth made hot, and then covered with hot embers, by which means they were soon baked and fit to eat; this was done “upon hot stones” n; and a traveller o into those parts some years ago reports, that, passing through the deserts of Arabia, when they chose to eat new bread, instead of, or for want of biscuits, they made a paste of flour and water, and wrought it into broad cakes about the thickness of a finger, and put them in a hot place on the ground, heated on purpose by fire, and covered them with ashes and coals, and turned them several times until they were enough, and that these cakes were savoury and good to eat: some of the Arabians, he says: have in their tents stones or copper plates, made on purpose to bake them, and gives p an instance of a woman they met with in a country lying between Mesopotamia and Media, making such cakes for them in the same manner.
n Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 34. col. 328. o Rauwolff’s Travels, par. 2. ch. 4. p. 120. p Ib. c. 9. p. 163.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When the three men had accepted the hospitable invitation, Abraham, just like a Bedouin sheikh of the present day, directed his wife to take three seahs (374 cubic inches each) of fine meal, and back cakes of it as quickly as possible ( round unleavened cakes baked upon hot stones); he also had a tender calf killed, and sent for milk and butter, or curdled milk, and thus prepared a bountiful and savoury meal, of which the guests partook. The eating of material food on the part of these heavenly beings was not in appearance only, but was really eating; an act which may be attributed to the corporeality assumed, and is to be regarded as analogous to the eating on the part of the risen and glorified Christ (Luk 24:41.), although the miracle still remains physiologically incomprehensible.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
6. And Abraham hastened into the tent Abraham’s care in entertaining his guests is here recorded; and Moses, at the same time, shows what a well-ordered house he had. In short, he presents us, in a few words, with a beautiful picture of domestic government. Abraham runs, partly, to command what he would have done; and partly, to execute his own duty, as the master of the house. Sarah keeps within the tent; not to indulge in sloth, but rather to take her own part also, in the labor. The servants are all prompt to obey. Here is the sweet concord of a well-conducted family; which could not have thus suddenly arisen, unless each had, by long practice, been accustomed to right discipline. A question, however; arises out of the assertion of Moses, that the angels did eat. Some expound it, that they only appeared as persons eating; which fancy enters their minds through the medium of another error; since they imagine them to have been mere spectres, and not endued with real bodies. But, in my judgment, the thing is far otherwise. In the first place, this was no prophetical vision, in which the images of absent things are brought before the eyes; but the angels really came into the house of Abraham. Wherefore, I do not doubt that God, — who created the whole world out of nothing, and who daily proves himself to be a wonderful Artificer in forming creatures, — gave them bodies, for a time, in which they might fulfill the office enjoined them. And as they truly walked, spoke, and discharged other functions; so I conclude, they did truly eat; not because they were hungry, but in order to conceal themselves, until the proper time for making themselves known. Yet as God speedily annihilated those bodies, which had been created for a temporary use; so there will be no absurdity in saying, that the food itself was destroyed, together with their bodies. But, as it is profitable briefly to touch upon such questions; and, as religion in no way forbids us to do so; there is on the other hand, nothing better than that we should content ourselves with a sober solution of them.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) Three measures.Heb. three seahs, the seah being a little more than a peck. It is still usual on the arrival of a stranger to make this hasty preparation for his entertainment, the ordinary meal even of a wealthy sheik consisting of flour and some camels milk boiled together. Cakes such as those here described, baked amid the embers on the hot hearth-stone, are considered a delicacy (1Ki. 19:6). Flesh is seldom eaten; but if a traveller arrives, sweet milk and rice are added to the meal, and if he be a person of distinction a lamb or kid is killed. Abrahams calf, tender and good, shows that he regarded his visitors as persons of more than ordinary high rank; and the quantity of food cooked seems to show that the three travellers had numerous attendants. The calf would be cut into small portions, and a meal like this is, we are told, got ready in a very short time.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Abraham hastened The haste or rapidity with which a hospitable feast is prepared by an Oriental for his guest is notable . See on 1Sa 28:24. The words make ready quickly are, in the Hebrew, but the same word , hasten .
Three measures of fine meal The measure, or seah, is supposed to have been about one peck, and accordingly the large quantity of flour taken shows the bounty of Abraham’s hospitality . He would prepare a royal feast .
Cakes upon the hearth Such were usually baked among the coals .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and fetched a good and tender calf and gave it to a servant, and he quickly dressed it. 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 ate.’
That Abraham took charge of the proceedings demonstrates both his hospitality and the importance he placed on the guests. Again there is the contrast with the treatment the two angels would receive in Sodom.
“Three measures of fine meal”, that is, ‘plenty’. ‘Two’ would be ‘a little’ compare ‘two sticks’ – 1Ki 17:12 – three is plenty. Abraham would not expect to give detailed catering instructions to his experienced wife.
It is Abraham himself who takes charge of the man’s side of things, the selecting and butchering of the calf, although the latter is fitly done by a servant. We note that Abraham’s humble ‘morsel of bread’ has in fact become a feast.
“They ate”. There is no pretence here. It is our inadequacy that makes us seek to ‘defend’ God’s otherness. God can do whatever He wants. In fact the eating is important. It demonstrates that the arrival of these clearly important men is with peaceful intent, for they accept Abraham’s hospitality. Not to have eaten would have indicated otherwise. It is possibly also intended to bring out Abraham’s unique relationship with Yahweh (contrast Jdg 13:16).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 18:6. And Abraham hastened, &c. We cannot conceive a more beautiful picture of ancient and zealous hospitality, than these verses afford us. Surely those who are so forward to applaud the beauties of Heathen poets, cannot withhold their applause from so simple and fine a description as this! The word rendered measures, saim, signifies the third part of an ephah, and, according to Cumberland’s computation, is reckoned to weigh twelve or thirteen pounds; so that the quantity of bread ordered by the patriarch must have been upwards of thirty-six pounds. So great store, some think, might have been provided for the magnificence of the entertainment; while others imagine, that Abraham might intend to furnish his guests with some provisions for the rest of their journey, according to the manners of ancient times. Possibly the word saim might be here used in an indeterminate sense; though supposing the quantity to be equal to what is mentioned above, it is not out of proportion to the rest of the provisions. Let it be observed, the Arabians and other eastern nations, even to this day, prepare cakes, by laying them upon the hearth, or hot stones, and covering them with hot cinders.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth.
Ver. 6. Make ready quickly. ] Habent aulae suum cito, cito , saith one. So had Abraham’s house here. He, she, the boy, and all hasted, and had their various offices. The very expression itself here used, is concise and quick; much like that of the prophet in the case of returning to God, “If ye will inquire, inquire; return, come”. Isa 21:12
“ Praecipita tempus; mors atra impendet agenti .” – Silius.
Three measures of fine meal.
“ Dat bene, dat multum, qui dat cum munere vultum .”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
three measures. Note the No. 3. See Gen 18:2 and App-10.
cakes. Evidently unleavened.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Make ready quickly: Heb. hasten
three: Isa 32:8, Mat 13:33, Luk 10:38-40, Act 16:15, Rom 12:13, Gal 5:13, Heb 13:2, 1Pe 4:9
Reciprocal: Gen 19:3 – a feast Gen 24:67 – his mother Jdg 6:19 – and made 2Sa 13:6 – make me Pro 31:13 – worketh Eze 4:12 – cakes Luk 19:6 – he 1Ti 5:14 – guide Heb 11:9 – dwelling