Genesis 18

Genesis · Chapter 18

Genesis 18:14

1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,3And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.6And 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.7And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.8And 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 did eat.9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.16And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.17And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.30And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.32And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.33And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
¿ is it [too] difficultהֲיִפָּלֵ֥אha-yi-pa-LE'H6381
to wonder

פָּלָא (pa.la) 1) to be marvellous, be wonderful, be surpassing, be extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action 1a) (Niphal) 1a1) to be beyond one's power, be difficult to do 1a2) to be difficult to understand 1a3) to be wonderful, be extraordinary 1a3a) marvellous (participle) 1b) (Piel) to separate (an offering) 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to do extraordinary or hard or difficult thing 1c2) to make wonderful, do wondrously 1d) (Hithpael) to show oneself wonderful or marvellous

for Yahwehמֵיְהוָ֖הme-YAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

anythingדָּבָ֑רda-VARH1697I
word

דָּבָר (da.var) : word/speech/command 1) speech, word, speaking, thing 1a) speech 1b) saying, utterance 1c) word, words 1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

to the appointed timeלַמּוֹעֵ֞דla-mo-'EDH4150G
meeting: time appointed

מוֹעֵד (mo.ed) : time_appointed 1) appointed place, appointed time, meeting 1a) appointed time 1a1) appointed time (general) 1a2) sacred season, set feast, appointed season 1b) appointed meeting 1c) appointed place 1d) appointed sign or signal 1e) tent of meeting

I will returnאָשׁ֥וּב'a-SHUVH7725G
to return: return

שׁוּב (shuv) : return 1) to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a) to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (fig) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things 1a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) …

to youאֵלֶ֛יךָ'e-LEI-khaH0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

about the timeכָּעֵ֥תka-'ETH6256
time

עֵת (et) 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion

livingחַיָּ֖הchai-YAHH2416A
alive

חַי (chay) adj 1) living, alive 1a) green (of vegetation) 1b) flowing, fresh (of water) 1c) lively, active (of man) 1d) reviving (of the springtime) Aramaic equivalent: chay (חַי "living" H2417)

and [will belong] to Sarahוּלְשָׂרָ֥הu-le-sa-RAHH8283
Sarah

שָׂרָה (sa.rah) A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.11.29; daughter of: Terah (H8646); sister of: Abraham (H0085), Nahor (H5152H) and Haran (H2039); married to Abraham (H0085); mother of: Isaac (H3327); also called Sarai at Gen.11.29,30,31; 12.5,11,17; 16.1,2,3,5,6,8; 17.15; § Sarah = "noblewoman" wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac

a sonבֵֽן׃VenH1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.