And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, (Genesis 18:1–2)
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו ה' בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם. וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים נִצָּבִים עָלָיו. וַיַּרְא, וַיָּרָץ לִקְרָאתָם מִפֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל, וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אָרְצָה. (בראשית י"ח, א-ב)
Immediately after describing the LORD’s revelation to Abraham, the narrative says Abraham saw three men and invited them into his tent. Their proximity raises a question: how is the first verse’s revelation, “And the LORD appeared unto him,” related to the three men’s visit described from the next verse, “And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him”?
Rashbam explains that these are one revelation, rather than two events. The three men’s visit itself is the divine revelation to Abraham. They were angels sent by the LORD, and a person’s agent is equivalent to himself. The LORD can therefore be said to appear through them, their words and actions counting as His. The opening verse consequently refers to the three angels’ visit.
Later, one guest announces Isaac’s birth:
I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)
שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ כָּעֵת חַיָּה וְהִנֵּה בֵן לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ. (פסוק י')
Sarah hears and laughs inwardly, after which it says:
And the LORD said unto Abraham: ‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh … (Genesis 18:13)
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָהָם: לָמָּה זֶּה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה ... (פסוק י"ג)
These verses raise a question: if the speaker is one guest or angel, as the first suggests, why does the second suddenly say “And the LORD said”?
Rashbam holds that both cases involve one of the three angels, the greatest, speaking for the LORD; hence “And the LORD said.”
This is unsatisfactory, however. We may accept that the LORD spoke through an angel and the angel’s actions can be attributed to Him. But the claimed internal angelic hierarchy, in which only the greatest speaks for the LORD, is insufficiently clear. The Torah provides no such distinction: all are His agents, so why should one alone speak?
We can continue Rashbam’s approach one step further and resolve every difficulty: rather than three angels whose greatest speaks for the LORD, the three men were the heavenly entourage – the LORD Himself and two angels.
This is suggested by the midrash:
The Holy One, blessed be He, called the angels and said: Come, let us visit the sick … Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to him, as it says, “And the LORD appeared unto him”; when the angels saw this, they too went with Him, as it says, “And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men …” (Old Midrash Tanhuma, Vayera 4)
קרא הקב"ה את המלאכים ואמר להם: באו ונבקר את החולה ... לפיכך נגלה עליו הקב"ה, שנאמר: 'וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו'; וכיון שראו המלאכים כך הלכו גם הם עמו, שנאמר: 'וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים ...' (מדרש תנחומא ישן, וירא ד).
According to this midrash, the LORD Himself wished to visit Abraham after his circumcision, and His two angels accompanied Him. Abraham therefore saw three men – the LORD and His two angels. On this explanation, “And the LORD said unto Abraham” attests that the LORD Himself was one of the “men” and spoke to Abraham.
This raises a theological difficulty. Saying God appears in human form gives Him corporeality and recalls Christian belief. Reluctance to accept it may lead us to settle for Rashbam’s explanation that an angel spoke for the LORD. This may well be why Rashbam refrained from stating the implication of his explanation: that it was the LORD Himself.
The Torah and the Bible more generally frequently portray the LORD as a human figure. Already Genesis says humans were created in God’s image: “And God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27), indicating an essential resemblance between humanity and its Creator. Accordingly, the LORD has human emotions and actions: He grieves, “and it grieved Him at His heart” (Genesis 6:6); regrets His actions, “And it repented the LORD that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6); becomes angry, “that My wrath may wax hot” (Exodus 32:10); and shows mercy, “and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:19).
Although the LORD revealed to Moses that “man shall not see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20), exceptions exist. Israel’s nobles “beheld God, and did eat and drink” (Exodus 24:11). Moses saw Him and spoke with Him “face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exodus 33:11), and the LORD testified: “with him do I speak mouth to mouth … and the similitude of the LORD doth he behold” (Numbers 12:8). Prophets also described Him visually: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne” (Isaiah 6:1); “and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above” (Ezekiel 1:26).
To illustrate the LORD’s presence in the world and relationship with humanity, Scripture often seems unafraid to portray Him as almost human. In such places, the Torah seems concerned with describing revelation as humans perceive it – a living, real, human relationship with their God – rather than explaining how it occurs. We may therefore interpret Abraham’s guests’ visit similarly, even if the nature of these revelations remains beyond our understanding.
