The painting depicts an episode taken from the Book of Genesis: one day, Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent, in the hottest hour of the day, when suddenly three men appeared before him. Abraham recognised them to be angels. He ran up to them and then kneeled before them, begging them not to leave. He invited them to sit underneath the tree, went to fetch water to wash their feet and asked his wife Sarah to bake some bread. In the painting, the tent is represented as a rundown shack. Abraham is kneeling in front of the three angels, one of whom greets him by lifting his arm. Sarah is hiding behind the door.