of embarrassing him and of exposing him to shame (1). This is the very opposite of a host who drags his feet, dawdles in front of his guest, then appears within his sight, unties his purse, weighs out the money he will spend, reaches for the cooking pot while the guest is watching, and the like—acts that only mortify the guest and make him self-conscious. The verb rāgha rules out both shortcomings.

In His words, “to his household,” there is yet another commendation, for they suggest that the means of honoring the guest are already prepared within his own home; he has no need to borrow from his neighbors or go elsewhere, since the guest’s fare (2) is ready with them.

His statement, “he came back with a fat calf” (26), contains three further aspects of praise:

1. He served his guests personally; he did not send someone else but brought it himself (3).
2. He presented them with a whole animal, not a portion of it, so they might choose whatever choice cuts of meat they preferred.
3. The calf was fat, not scrawny—a prized possession, for people admire a well-fattened calf. Yet out of his generosity he found it easy to slaughter it and set it before them.