Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/148

 The Book of Genesis

130

or rug suspended over the opening of the tent, curious to see and

hear everything that goes on. The curiosity of the nomad women, manifested in ways such as this, is proverl)ial Therefore Sarah is

confused when in vv. 12ff. it is discovered that she was She mereh' denies that she had laughed. The Bible tells that the tent door was behind the speaker, to show the supernatural knowledge and character of the latter. The three strangers had come to Abraham in the guise of ordinary wayfarers, and he had received them as such, without the slightest not at

all

behind the door.

suspicion of their divine character.

natural knowledge, and

But

this

manifestation of super-

even though this had never visited Abraham before, still he kncw^ Sarah's name, and could ask for her, and also, although he could not normally have seen Sarah standing behind the tent door, he still knew that she was there, and furthermore, that she had laughed at his words, even though, as the Bible carefully states, Sarah had laughed only to herself, all these manifestations of supernatural knowledge cause Abraham to realize that he is entertaining no ordinary mortal l)eing, but one who partakes of divinity. This truth, it is implied, dawns upon Abraham gradually, and leads him in the end to put complete faith in the stranger's promise of a son, and in the further revelation of the doom of Sodom and Gomorrah. Vv. 12ff. The incident of Sarah's laughing here is intended to explain the name Isaac. This name in Hebrew means "he laughs". A parallel explanation of the same is given in XYII, 17, and still tiie

further evidence that,

stranger

another

in

For an

XXI,

6.

and illuminating discussion of the interesting sul)ject of Oriental hospitality, the reader is referred to Trumbull, Studies a1)le

in Oriental Social Life^ pp. 73-142.