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.
Milk [Hebrew, chem'aah (H2529), curdled or sour milk, called by the Arabs leban] - a common refreshment in the tents of nomadic people. The butter is churned by a very singular process-namely, a skin of milk, tied to a tent pole, is swung backwards and forwards by a female, who holds it by a long cord until the butter is thrown off. A bowl of camel's milk ends the repast.
He stood by them under the tree. The host himself, even though he has a number of servants, deems it a necessary act of politeness to stand while his guests are at their food; and Abraham evidently did this before he was aware of the real character of his visitors.
And they did eat. Josephus ('Antiquities,' b. 1:, 11, sec. 2) says, 'they made a show of eating;' and many Jewish, as well as Christian writers, deeming it absurd to suppose that spiritual beings could take material food, have adopted the same view-that Abraham's three guests ate in appearance only, and not in reality. It is certainly a very useless enquiry, how far it was necessary, and whether it could contribute, to the nourishment and support of their bodies. But since they showed themselves to be not mere phantoms, but possessed of real solid organized bodies, in various ways-as by speaking, seeing, hearing, walking-we are warranted in believing they also did actually participate in the feast provided for them. 'Man eats, that he may live; an angel eats, to be like a man. Thus did Christ eat after his resurrection, not to supply a need of His flesh, but to convince His disciples of the reality of His body' (Augustine, quoted by Gerlach).