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Genesis 18 Bible study: Is anything too hard?
Abraham ran to serve three strangers, and the LORD promised Sarah a son at the set time. The LORD asked, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?", told Abraham what he was about to do, and heard Abraham ask the Judge of all the earth to do justice, the same word God had given Abraham to teach his children.
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“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will have a son.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Abraham asked six times for Sodom, and the LORD agreed every time.”
Is that in Genesis 18, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Guests in the heat of the day
"The LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day" (18:1). Abraham sees three men, runs to meet them and bows to the ground (18:2). He offers "a little water" and "a piece of bread" (18:4-5), then serves cakes made from three seahs of fine meal, a tender calf, butter and milk, and stands by them under the tree while they eat (18:6-8).
Where it leads to Jesus
A word of promise
Genesis 18:14leads toRomans 9:8-9
"At the set time I will return to you… and Sarah will have a son." Isaac is born "at the set time" (21:2), and Paul quotes the LORD's words as "a word of promise": "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son." He says "the children of the promise are counted as heirs".
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 18
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 18 is waiting in Favor
- Is anything too hard for the LORD?
- Why God tells Abraham
- Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?
- Justice, righteousness and a cry
- The friend of God
- Entertaining angels
- 12 questions as you read
- 7 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 18 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
פָּלָאpalasay pa-LAH
Brown-Driver-Briggs gives "be beyond one's power, difficult to do" and "be extraordinary, wonderful" for the form used here. In Genesis it appears only in this verse (18:14). Jeremiah prays, "There is nothing too hard for you" (Jeremiah 32:17), and God answers him with a question like this chapter's:"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27). The same verb is behind "my wonders" in Exodus 3:20.
For your group
Genesis 18 Bible study questions
- 1The LORD asks, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Is there a promise of God you've stopped expecting to see?
- 2God says he chose Abraham so he would teach his household "to do righteousness and justice". What would that look like where you live?
- 3Abraham kept asking for the people of Sodom. What makes it hard for you to keep praying for others?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 18 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Genesis 18 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Genesis 18 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home