Genesis 18:28-33

Context
18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy¹ the whole city because five are lacking?”² He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham³ spoke to him again,⁴ “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham⁵ said, “May the Lord not be angry⁶ so that I may speak!⁷ What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham⁸ 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 Abraham⁹ 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 way¹⁰ when he had finished speaking¹¹ to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home.¹²

[18:28] ¹tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.

[18:28] ²tn Heb “because of five.”

[18:29] ³tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29] ⁴tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”

[18:30] ⁵tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30] ⁶tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

[18:30] ⁷tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

[18:31] ⁸tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:32] ⁹tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:33] ¹⁰tn Heb “And the Lord went.”

[18:33] ¹¹tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[18:33] ¹²tn Heb “to his place.”