The Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
KJV
And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Commentary
Commentary
And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre,.... That is, to Abraham; and very likely this appearance of God was quickly after the affair of the circumcision, to show his approbation of his ready obedience to his command; and at this time he was in the plains, or at the oaks of Mamre, the oaken grove there, as has been observed on
Gen 13:18
; and which seems to be the best rendering of the words, since in
Gen 18:4
; mention is made of a tree to sit and stand under; and Abraham might choose this place for his habitation, because of the shadiness of it, in those hot countries:
and he sat in the tent door, in the heat of the day; partly to cool and refresh himself, and partly to observe if any passengers passed by, to invite them in; this being a time of day when such needed refreshment, and it was proper for them to lie by a while, and not proceed on their journey until it was cooler: or rather to or "near" the tent door, as Noldius (g), or before it, without or under the shade of the tree, after mentioned.
(g) Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 13.
Commentary
Commentary