Genesis 18:3-5

"And said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast said."

"I pray thee, my Lord, ... thy servant ... your servant..." This language is extravagant by our standards today, but here it was the Oriental's way of displaying every courtesy and honor to strangers. There is no indication, as yet, that Abraham recognized the exalted character of his guests. Note that he considered them to be in need of "strengthening," etc., which he could hardly have done had he known their real identity. "Thus his spontaneous hospitality to seemingly ordinary human beings is all the more impressive."[10]

"A little water ... a morsel of bread ..." The host, in such words, minimizes the contribution that he is prepared to make for their comfort and well being, as if he had said, "Well, you are welcome to what little we have!" The feast which, a little later, he laid out before them emphasizes the humility and self-effacement of the patriarch.

"Strengthen your heart ..." This is not the center of the circulatory system. "The context shows that Abraham was speaking of "the result of eating a meal."[11]