The Three Who Visited Abraham
Question:
Who were the three who visited Abraham (Genesis 18), and were they the Holy Trinity?
And why did Abraham sometimes speak to them in the singular and sometimes in the plural?
Answer:
The three who visited Abraham were not the Holy Trinity, because the Trinity is not separated from one another, as the Son says: “I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:10). Also because “No one has ever seen the Father” (John 1:18).
Rather, the three were the Lord accompanied by two angels. The two angels, after the meeting, went to Sodom (Genesis 19:1), while Abraham remained standing before the Lord (Genesis 18:22).
Of course, the three were not in equal glory or equal majesty; rather, the Lord was clearly distinguished. Perhaps the two angels were walking behind Him.
For this reason, Abraham was speaking to the Lord as the representative of all three, as the leader of the group, acting on their behalf and directing their matter.
Thus he said to Him: “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.” That is, allow, O Lord, the two who are with You, that a little water may be brought and that they may wash their feet.
For this reason, Abraham sometimes spoke in the singular and sometimes addressed them in the plural.
It is like when an officer meets you accompanied by two soldiers: you speak to the officer about himself and about the two soldiers at the same time.
The two angels went to Sodom, and it is clear that the third was the Lord Himself:
He is the One who said to Abraham, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son” (Genesis 18:10). Moreover, the Scripture explicitly states in the same chapter that He is the Lord, in many expressions, including:
“So the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh?’” (v. 13).
“And the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?’” (v. 17).
“And the Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave’” (v. 20).
“Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord” (v. 22).
In fact, the precise translation of the last verse is “Then the two men turned away,” but it was translated in this way because the Hebrew language does not use the dual form, but rather uses the plural in its place, as in the English language.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Seventh Year (Issue No. 3), 16-1-1976.
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