Genesis 18:20-32

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ¹  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ²  18:21 that I must go down ³  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ⁴  If not, ⁵  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ⁶  and headed ⁷  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ⁸  18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare ⁹  the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ¹⁰  of the whole earth do what is right?” ¹¹ 

18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord ¹²  (although I am but dust and ashes), ¹³  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ¹⁴  the whole city because five are lacking?” ¹⁵  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ¹⁶  spoke to him again, ¹⁷  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ¹⁸  said, “May the Lord not be angry ¹⁹  so that I may speak! ²⁰  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ²¹  said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

18:32 Finally Abraham ²²  said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

[18:20]  ¹ tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.

[18:20]  ² tn Heb “heavy.”

[18:21]  ³ tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ⁵ sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[18:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the Lord was the third visitor, who remained behind with Abraham here. The words “from there” are not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “went.”

[18:22]  ⁸ tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the Lord remained standing before Abraham.” This reading is problematic because the phrase “standing before” typically indicates intercession, but the Lord would certainly not be interceding before Abraham.

[18:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ¹⁰ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ¹¹ sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[18:27]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[18:27]  ¹³ tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

[18:28]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.

[18:28]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “because of five.”

[18:29]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29]  ¹⁷ tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”

[18:30]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

[18:30]  ²⁰ tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

[18:31]  ²¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:32]  ²² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.