Genesis 18:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him."

NIV: For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

NASB: For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.'

CSB: For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what he promised him."

NLT: I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.'

KJV: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

NKJV: For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

The Lord continues to explain why He will reveal to Abraham His plans for Sodom. In the previous verse, the Lord repeated that Abraham would become a great and mighty nation, through his offspring, and that all of the nations of the world would be blessed through Abraham.

Now the Lord adds that He has chosen Abraham, in part, to command his children, and through them, all of the children who would follow, to keep the Lord's way by doing what was right and just. In that way, the Lord would keep His covenant promises to Abraham. This places an important context on God's decision to tell Abraham, in advance, what was about to happen to Sodom. As Abraham pleads for God to spare the innocent of Sodom—of whom there are virtually none—and sees God's destruction, he will be reminded of the holiness to which he is being called.

This is the first mention of Abraham's responsibility to command and train each following generation to keep the way of the Lord. By extension, this same command is applied to Israel. This is also one of the few mentions that God's keeping of His promises to Abraham will be tied to Israel keeping to the way of the Lord.

Genesis 18:16–21 is an example of God using human language, and human behavior, to more clearly explain His will. Taking on a temporary human form, God speaks with Abraham about the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This process reveals that God not only intends to keep His promises—all His promises—but that His judgment on Sodom is well-deserved. God does not need to justify His actions to mankind, but in this passage, He does exactly that, for our benefit, and for our learning.

Abraham hurries to offer respect and hospitality to three men who appear near his tent. Over the course of the chapter, the men reveal themselves to be the Lord and two angels in human form. As He had told Abraham in the previous chapter, the Lord now reveals to Sarah that she will have a son within the year. Later, the Lord poetically says He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham's nephew Lot lives. Abraham asks, and the Lord agrees, not to destroy Sodom if God finds 10 righteous people there.

God appeared to Abraham in the previous chapter revealing, in part, that Sarah would bear Abraham a son within a year's time. Now the Lord appears again, this time in human form and accompanied by two disguised angels. He reveals to Sarah the same promise. She laughs, and the Lord insists that even her age isn't too hard for Him to overcome. Next the Lord reveals to Abraham that He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham receives the Lord's promise not to destroy Sodom (where Abraham's nephew lives) if He finds 10 righteous people in the city. Unfortunately, the city is beyond saving, and the next chapter details its utter destruction.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.