in ch. 18. That Gen. 18 does not identify the visiting party beyond calling them “men” may in fact be intentional. “Obscurity is story’s way of telling us the truth about this God with whom we daily have to do, by reminding us of God’s hiddenness, of the concreteness of God’s revelation, and of the impossible possibilities that are open to all who believe.”26 All that is told is the words they uttered. That they are described as standing (for deity “standing” [niṣṣāḇ] cf. Gen. 28:13; 1 Sam. 3:10;