He lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing over him; he saw, and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he bowed to the ground.
English: “He saw and he ran.” What is the meaning of the double “he saw”? At first they came and stood over him; when they saw that he was in pain they said, “It is not proper to stand here,” and they began to leave; he therefore ran after them.
On the daf / in context: Bava Metzia 86b explains the repeated “vayyar” as two separate perceptions: first the angels standing, then their departure, which prompted Avraham to run after them.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The doubled verb is read as two distinct acts of seeing.
What Is Learned
The angels first stood near Avraham, then withdrew when they saw his discomfort; the second “he saw” records that withdrawal, after which he ran to intercept them.