On the occasion of changing the patriarch's name to Abraham, and that of his wife to Sarah, chap. xvii., "Jehovah _appeared_ to Abram, and said unto him, I am El-Shadai; walk before me, and be thou perfect.... And Abram fell on his face, and Elohim talked with him." vs. 1, 3; and vs. 19, 22: "Elohim said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed.... And Elohim went up from Abraham." Here the phraseology in each of the clauses quoted implies a local personal presence of Jehovah. That it was a visible appearance is further implied in the next chapter, where, in the narrative of his appearance in the likeness of man, he refers to this promise of a son as having been made by him, vs. 10; and to remove the doubts of both Abraham and Sarah, he adds: "Is any thing too hard for Jehovah? At the time appointed _I will return_ unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." Of the appearance last referred to, chap. xviii., when, in the form of a wayfaring man, he partook of the repast prepared by Abraham, spoke concerning Sarah, walked towards Sodom, disclosed his purpose of destroying that place, and heard Abraham's request on behalf of the righteous, there can be no question of its having been local and visible. It is noticeable that the narrative of this manifestation is introduced by the same formula as others which include no express indications of his visibility. Thus, vs. 1: "And Jehovah _appeared_ unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre." In the progress of the narrative, the Divine visitant is called a man, Jehovah, and Adonai, and at its close it is said that "Jehovah went his way"--literally, "walked away"--as "soon as he had left communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place." In the next chapter, which relates the destruction of Sodom, the same Person is called Jehovah and Elohim. "Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before _Jehovah_"--that is, before the visible Person in the likeness of man, to whom he addressed his prayers for the righteous. "And it came to pass when _Elohim_ destroyed the cities of the plain, that _Elohim_ remembered Abraham."