The Skeptics Annotated Bible (26 page)

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And
I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her:
yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

(17.16)
“I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her.”
God blesses the union between Abraham and his half sister (20.12).
55 Is incest OK?

17 Then
Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed,
and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

(17.17)
“Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed.”
Abraham falls down laughing at God for telling him that he and Sarah will have a child, when they are 100 and 90 years old, respectively.

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and
I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenan
t, and with his seed after him.

(17.19)
“I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant.”
56 Are Old Testament laws still binding?

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 And
Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day
, as God had said unto him.

(17.23-27) Abraham was 99 years old when he circumcised himself, along with his 13 year old son, Ishmael, and his 318 slaves—all in one very busy (and painful) day.
57 How old was Ishmael when he was abandoned by Abraham?

(17.23)
“Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money … and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day.”
(17.24)
“Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”

24 And
Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 And
Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin.

(17.25)
“Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”

26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

27
And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

(17.27)
“And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.”

18
And
the LORD appeared unto him
in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

(18.1)
“The Lord appeared unto him.”
Abraham feeds God and three angels.
49 Can God be seen?

2 And 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,

3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

5 And 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.

6 And 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.

7 And 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.

8 And
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.

(18.8)
“He took butter, and milk, and the calf … and they did eat.”
Not a very kosher meal for God and Abraham to eat! (See Ex 23.19)

9 And they said unto him,
Where is Sarah thy wife?
And he said, Behold, in the tent.

(18.9)
“Where is Sarah thy wife?”
18 Does God know and see everything?

10 And 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.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12
Therefore Sarah laughed
within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?