Genesis 18:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”

NIV: Once again he spoke to him, 'What if only forty are found there?' He said, 'For the sake of forty, I will not do it.'

NASB: And he spoke to Him yet again and said, 'Suppose forty are found there?' And He said, 'I will not do it on account of the forty.'

CSB: Then he spoke to him again, "Suppose forty are found there? "He answered, "I will not do it on account of forty."

NLT: Then Abraham pressed his request further. 'Suppose there are only forty?' And the Lord replied, 'I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.'

KJV: And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.

NKJV: And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”

Thanks to God's gracious responses, Abraham seems to think he is negotiating with the Lord to spare Sodom. This is probably an attempt by Abraham to spare the life of his nephew, Lot, and Lot's family. The Lord has revealed that He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah and, by implication, bring judgment upon those cities. This is not actually a negotiation, of course. Like a teacher who allows a student to "talk out" a problem, God is allowing Abraham to set an incredibly weak standard for the city of Sodom—one which will still prove more than it can live up to.

Abraham started by asking if God would spare the city if He found 50 righteous people there. The Lord agreed. Then Abraham said, "What about 45?" The Lord agreed. Now Abraham goes to 40. Again, the Lord agrees.

The countdown continues in the following verses.

Genesis 18:22–33 describes Abraham's negotiation with the Lord for the city of Sodom, where his nephew Lot and his family live. Previously, God spoke from a poetic human perspective, saying that He would judge Sodom and Gomorrah if their sins were as awful as they seemed. Here, Abraham recoils at the idea that the Lord would annihilate righteous people along with the wicked, beginning a sort of negotiation with God. Of course, God does not need to negotiate with man, and already knows how depraved Sodom is. This conversation with Abraham has nothing to do with changing God's mind; it has everything to do with proving, beyond all doubt, that God's actions here are just. God says He will spare Sodom for the sake of just ten righteous people; later passages show the city fails that test.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 2:50:13 AM