Abraham sat relaxing under terebinth trees on a ridge overlooking the Siddim Valley when three men appeared to him. He discerned that they were not ordinary travelers but two angels and the Lord. After Abraham prepared a feast and stood nearby, the Lord decided to tell him that the outcry against Sodom had reached His ears and that He would go to verify whether it was true. Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare the city if ten righteous men could be found there. God listened to the plea. Abraham camped on a hilltop under oak trees as a patriarch driven by faith carefully developed through systematic analysis of available evidence. When God said He was going down to Sodom to verify the situation, Abraham recognized the grave potential for destruction because his nephew Lot and his family were there. Abraham therefore interceded with God for the sake of the righteous in the city.