Genesis 18:29

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
spake	לְדַבֵּ֤ר le.da.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · preposition + verb, piel infinitive construct
again	וַיֹּ֨סֶף vai.Yo.sef	H3254	to add or augment (often adverbial · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
said	וַיֹּאמַ֔ר vai.yo.Mar	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
forty	אַרְבָּעִ֑ים 'ar.ba.'Im	H705	forty · cardinal number, masculine plural absolute
found	יִמָּצְא֥וּן yi.ma.tze.'Un	H4672	properly · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + paragogic nun
said	וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
do	אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה 'e.'e.Seh	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
forty’s	הָאַרְבָּעִֽים ha.'ar.ba.'Im	H705	forty · definite article + cardinal number, masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 18:23–end

Communion with God is kept up by the word and by prayer. In the word God speaks to us; in prayer we speak to him. God had revealed to Abraham his purposes concerning Sodom; now from this Abraham takes occasion to speak to God on Sodom's behalf. Note, God's word then does us good when it furnishes us with matter for prayer and excites us to it. When God has spoken to us, we must consider what we have to say to him upon it. Observe, I. The solemnity of Abraham's address to God on this occasion: Abraham drew near, Gen 18:23. The expression intimates, 1. A holy concern: He engaged his heart to approach to God, Jer 30:21. "Shall Sodom be destroyed, and I not speak one good word for it?" 2. A holy…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 18:23

ABRAHAM'S INTERCESSION. (Gen 18:23-33) Abraham drew near, and said, &c.--The scene described is full of interest and instruction--showing in an unmistakable manner the efficacy of prayer and intercession. (See also Pro 15:8; Jam 5:16). Abraham reasoned justly as to the rectitude of the divine procedure (Rom 3:5-6), and many guilty cities and nations have been spared on account of God's people (Mat 5:13; Mat 24:22).

Adam Clarke on Genesis 18:27

Which am but dust and ashes - עפר ואפר aphar vaepher, words very similar in sound, as they refer to matters which so much resemble each other. Dust - the lightest particles of earth. Ashes - the residuum of consumed substances. By these expressions he shows how deeply his soul was humbled in the presence of God. He who has high thoughts of himself must have low thoughts of the dignity of the Divine nature, of the majesty of God, and the sinfulness of sin.

John Gill on Genesis 18:29

And he spake unto him yet again, and said,.... Being encouraged by such a gracious answer: Peradventure there shall be forty found there; forty righteous persons; and, from preceding passages, it must be supplied,"wilt thou destroy and not spare the place for their sakes?" and he said, I will not do it for forty's sake; but spare them for their sake.

The Church Fathers

Who could worthily praise the God of all for his marvelous long suffering and considerateness or congratulate the good man for enjoying such great confidence? "He continued to speak," the text goes on. " 'But what if only forty can be found there?' He replied, 'For the sake of the forty I will not destroy it.' " Then at that point the good man, while respecting God's ineffable long suffering and being afraid of ever seeming to go too far and surpass the limit in his entreaty, said, "Pardon me, Lord, if I continue to speak: if only thirty can be found there?" Since he saw God was disposed to kindness, he still did not proceed gradually with his compromise. He sought to rescue not merely five good people but ten in pursuing his request thus, "If only thirty can be found there?" He replied, "I will not destroy it if I find thirty there." Consider the degree of the good man's persistence. As though he personally were due to be liable for sentence, he takes great pains to snatch the people of Sodom from the impending punishment. "He said, 'Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there are only twenty there?' He replied, 'For the sake of the twenty I will not destroy it.' " O, the goodness of the Lord beyond all telling and all imagining! I mean, which of us living in the middle of countless evils could ever choose to exercise such wonderful considerateness and loving kindness in executing a sentence against our peers?
— John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 42.19

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Abraham — Father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred…
Angel — A word signifying, both in the Hebrew and Greek, a “messenger,” and hence employed to denote any agent God sends forth to execute his purposes. It is used of an ordinary messenger (Job 1:14: 1 Sam.…
Communion — Fellowship with God (Gen. 18:17-33; Ex. 33:9-11; Num. 12:7, 8), between Christ and his people (John 14:23), by the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1), of believers with one another (Eph. 4:1-6). The…
Abraham · in — in
Boldness · .Abraham — .Abraham
Boldness, Holy · Exemplified: Abraham — Exemplified: Abraham
Communion · .Abraham — .Abraham
Condescension Of God · Indulges Abraham’s intercession for — Indulges Abraham’s intercession for
Curiosity · who lived in — who lived in
God · .To Abraham — .To Abraham
Prayer · .Exemplified by Abraham in his inquiry concerning — .Exemplified by Abraham in his inquiry concerning
Prayer, Intercessory · Exemplified: Abraham — Exemplified: Abraham
Presumption · .Abraham, in questioning about

Genesis 18:29

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 18:23–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 18:23

Adam Clarke on Genesis 18:27

John Gill on Genesis 18:29

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 18:29

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 18:23–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 18:23

Adam Clarke on Genesis 18:27

John Gill on Genesis 18:29

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 18:27–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 18:21–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 18:22-33

Rashi on Genesis 18:11