and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant.
Parallel Translations
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and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant.
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And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
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and said: 'My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.
Cross-references
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Explain this verse (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 3. Pass not away, I pray thee, from thy…
3. Pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant In asking thus meekly, and even suppliantly, there is no doubt that Abraham does it, moved by the reason which I have stated. For if he had slaughtered calves for all kinds of travelers, his house would soon have been emptied by his profuse expenditure. He, therefore, did honor to their virtue and their excellent endowments, lest he should pour contempt upon God. Thus, neither was he so liberal as to invite wanderers, or other men of all kinds, who herd together; nor did ambition induce him to deal thus bountifully with these three persons, but rather his love and affection for those gifts of God, and those virtues which appeared in them. As to his offering them simply a morsel of bread, he makes light of an act of kindness which he was about to do, not only for the sake of avoiding all boasting, but in order that they might the more easily yield to his counsel and his entreaties, when they were persuaded that they should not prove too burdensome and troublesome to him. For modest persons do not willingly put others to expense or trouble. The washing of feet, in that age, and in that region of the world, was very common, perhaps, because persons traveled with naked feet, under burning suns: and it was the great remedy for the alleviation of weariness, to wash the feet parched with heat.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Speaking to one of them in whom appeared to…
Speaking to one of them in whom appeared to be most majesty, for he thought they had been men.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I…
Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Ver. 3. My Lord.] He directs his speech to one of them, in whom appeared to be most majesty; and whom he afterwards knew to be the Lord by an excellency.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain He directeth his speech to one, who, by the…
He directeth his speech to one, who, by the majesty of his countenance, and the respect which the other two showed him, seemed to be the chief of them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And said, my Lord,.... He addressed himself to one…
And said, my Lord,.... He addressed himself to one of them who appeared to him to be the greatest and most honourable, either by the appearance of his countenance, or by his dress, or by the situation in which he was between the other two, and by their carriage and behaviour to him:
if now I have found favour in thy sight; signifying he should esteem it an honour done him, that he and his companions would vouchsafe to stop and refresh themselves:
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pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant; they might seem, by some motion they made, as if they were going another way, and declined turning in to him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. And said, My Lord, &c.] The word…
Verse 3. And said, My Lord, &c.] The word is אדני Adonai, not יהוה Yehovah, for as yet Abraham did not know the quality of his guests. For an explanation of this word, See Clarke on Gen 15:8.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Gen 18:3-4. And he said, My Lord — He…
Gen 18:3-4. And he said, My Lord — He addressed himself to one of the three, who seemed to have the pre-eminence, probably because of some peculiar majesty which appeared in his countenance, or the respect which the other two paid him. Let a little water be fetched — As in those hot climates people went bare-footed, or wore only sandals, washing the feet often was both customary and necessary.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain My Lord, if now I have found favor--The hospitalities…
My Lord, if now I have found favor--The hospitalities offered are just of the kind that are necessary and most grateful, the refreshment of water, for feet exposed to dust and heat by the sandals, being still the first observed among the pastoral people of Hebron.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. My Lord — אדני, Adonai, not Jehovah, as…
3. My Lord — אדני, Adonai, not Jehovah, as the Targum of Onkelos here reads. The patriarch thus seems to address himself to one of the three messengers, as if in him he recognised at once the Angel who had visited him before. But we may translate it as plural, my lords. Comp. Gen_19:2; Gen_19:18. The passage in Heb_13:1, “Some have entertained angels unawares,” is generally supposed to refer to this event and that of Gen_19:2. We may believe that, at the first, Abraham was not aware that his guests were angels, but that gradually the fact became known to him; or he may have been impressed at once with the feeling that the one was Jehovah’s Angel, while he did not perceive that the others were angels also.
If now I have found favour — Abraham’s language throughout is a genuine and lifelike example of the manner of a hospitable and generous Oriental chief.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. My lord] R.V. marg. O Lord. The Heb.…
3. My lord] R.V. marg. O Lord. The Heb. word so rendered has received three different translations.
(1) “O Lord,” as in Gen_18:27; Gen_18:30-32, Adonâi, addressed to God. So the Massoretic Heb. text, adding the word “holy,” as a note, to safeguard the meaning and the pronunciation.
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(2) “my lords,” adonâi, as if Abraham addressed his three visitors together: compare the plural in Gen_18:4-5.
(3) “my lord” (with change of vocalization), adônî (cf. Gen_23:6; Gen_23:11). The sing. is used in Gen_18:3 (“thy servant”). This third rendering seems the most probable: (a) there is no sign of Abraham’s recognizing the real character of the strangers; (b) it would seem probable that he instinctively recognized one of them as the superior in position, though he does not perceive in him the manifestation of Jehovah until after Gen_18:15.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) My lord.—Heb. ‘donai, a term of simple respect,…
(3) My lord.—Heb. ‘donai, a term of simple respect, just as the bowing towards the earth is exactly what an Arab sheik would do now to a passing traveller. Abraham’s conduct is marked by all that stately courtesy usual among Orientals. He calls himself their slave: regards it as a favour that they should partake of his hospitality; speaks slightingly of the repast prepared as a mere morsel of bread; and treats it as a providential act that they had come into his neighbourhood. It was only afterwards that he knew that he was entertaining angels unawares (Heb_13:2). While, moreover, he addresses the chief traveller first, as courtesy required, he immediately afterwards changes to the plural, lest he should seem wanting in hospitable welcome to his companions.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And said, My Lord Adonai, literally, Lord, as inrie;…
And said, My Lord Adonai, literally, Lord, as inrie; (Gen_15:2) q.v. (LXX, ku) Vulgate, Domine; Syriac, Onkelos, Kalisch, Alford, Lange), though the term may have indicated nothing more than-Abraham s recognition of the superior authority of the Being addressed (Murphy). The readings Adoni, my Lord (A.V, Dathius, Rosenm and Aden, my lords (Gesenius), are incorrectif now I have found favor in thy sight not implying dubiety on Abraham s part as to his acceptance before God (Knobel), but rather postulating his already conscious enjoyment of the Divine favor as the ground of the request about to be preferred (Delitzsch, Lange). Those who regard Abraham as unconscious of the Divinity of him to whom he spake see in his language nothing but the customary formula of Oriental address (Rosenm cf. Gen_30:27; 1Sa_20:29; Est_7:3) put not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. The hospitality of the Eastern, and even of the Arab, has been frequently remarked by travelers. Volney describes the Arab as dining at his tent door in order to invite passers-by ("Tray.," 1. p. 314). "The virtue of hospitality is one of the great redeeming virtues in the character of the Bedouins (Kalisch). Whenever our path led us near an encampment, as was frequently the case, we always found some active sheikh or venerable patriarch sitting "in his tent door," and as soon as we were within haft we heard the earnest words of welcome and invitation which the Old Testament Scriptures had rendered long ago familiar to us: Stay, my lord, stay. Pass not on till thou hast eaten bread, and rested under thy servant"s tent. Alight and remain until thy servant kills a kid and prepares, a feast (Porter"s "Giant Cities of Bashan," p. 326; cf. ibid. p. 87).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 This is a title of respect. Possible meanings are…
Lord
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.
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if I have found favor in your eyes
Here "found favor" is an idiom that means be approved of or that he is pleased with her. Here "eyes" are a metonym for sight, and sight is a metaphor representing his evaluation. AT: "if you have evaluated me and approve" or "if you are pleased with me" (See: Idiom and Metonymy and Metaphor)
in your eyes
Abraham is speaking to one of the men. (See: Forms of You)
do not pass by
"please do not keep on going"
your servant
"me." Abraham refers to himself this way in order to show respect to his guest.
Let a little water be brought
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Let me bring you some water" or "My servant will bring you some water" (See: Active or Passive)
a little water ... a little food
"some water ... some food." Saying "little" was a polite way of showing generosity. Abraham would give them more than enough water and food.
wash your feet
This custom helped tired travelers to refresh themselves after walking long distances.
your ... you
Abraham speaks to all three of the men, so "you" and "your" are plural. (See: Forms of You)
translationWords
lord
servant
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 18:3 My lord: The Hebrew text uses ’adonay (“Lord”),…
18:3 My lord: The Hebrew text uses ’adonay (“Lord”), the word that is usually reserved for God. In Hebrew tradition, it was spoken in places where the holy name Yahweh (the Lord) was in the text. Perhaps the text uses ’adonay rather than the more common ’adoni to show that this was the angel of the Lord—i.e., the Lord himself (see study note on 16:7). We don’t know whether Abraham knew his visitors’ identity at the outset, but by the story’s end Abraham certainly knew he had been talking with God.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.