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 4 (although I am but dust and ashes), 5 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 6 the whole city because five are lacking?” 7 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 8 spoke to him again, 9 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 10 said, “May the Lord not be angry 11 so that I may speak! 12 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 13 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 14 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.”
18:33 The Lord went on his way 15 when he had finished speaking 16 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 17
19:29 So when God destroyed 18 the cities of the region, 19 God honored 20 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 21 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 22 the cities Lot had lived in.
22:20 ‘Surely our enemies 23 are destroyed,
and fire consumes their wealth.’
1 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
2 tn Or “ruler.”
3 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.
4 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
5 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
6 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
7 tn Heb “because of five.”
8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
12 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Heb “And the
16 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
17 tn Heb “to his place.”
18 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
19 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
20 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
21 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
22 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
23 tc The word translated “our enemies” is found only here. The word means “hostility,” but used here as a collective for those who are hostile – “enemies.” Some commentators follow the LXX and read “possessions,” explaining its meaning and derivation in different ways. Gordis simply takes the word in the text and affirms that this is the meaning. On the other hand, to get this, E. Dhorme (Job, 336) repoints קִימָנוּ (qimanu) of the MT to יְקוּמַם (yÿqumam), arguing that יְקוּם (yÿqum) means “what exists [or has substance]” (although that is used of animals). He translates: “have not their possessions been destroyed.”
24 tn Grk “came to me saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
25 tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “Also as a t.t. of legal usage appear before, come before…Καίσαρι σε δεῖ παραστῆναι you must stand before the Emperor (as judge) Ac 27:24.” See Acts 23:11. Luke uses the verb δεῖ (dei) to describe what must occur.
26 tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
27 tn Grk “God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.” The words “the safety of” have been supplied to clarify the meaning of the verb κεχάρισται (kecaristai) in this context.
28 tn Cf. BDAG 407 s.v. εὐλαβέομαι 2, “out of reverent regard (for God’s command).”