Genesis 18:28

suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?” He replied, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Abraham addresses the LORD, proposing a reduced threshold for sparing Sodom by lowering the required righteous count from fifty to forty-five.

The words — The Hebrew א֠וּלַי ('U.lai) literally means "perhaps," and יַחְסְר֞וּ (yach.se.Ru) translates to "they will lack."

The thread — This bargaining sequence appears in Genesis 18:26 and Genesis 18:29, where the stipulated number of righteous individuals continues to decrease.

Why it lands — The text records a precise negotiation over the minimum number of righteous people required to prevent a city's destruction, leaving the reader to note the exact numerical adjustments without adding theological commentary.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

א֠וּלַי'U.laiperhaps יַחְסְר֞וּןyach.se.Ru/nthey will lack/ !חֲמִשִּׁ֤יםcha.mi.Shimfifty הַצַּדִּיקִם֙ha./tza.di.Kimthe/ righteous [people]חֲמִשָּׁ֔הcha.mi.Shahfive הֲתַשְׁחִ֥יתha./tash.Chit¿/ will you destroy בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֖הba./cha.mi.Shahfor/ five אֶת־'et-<obj.>כָּל־kol-all הָעִ֑ירha./'Irthe/ city וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙va/i.Yo.merand/ he said לֹ֣אlo'not אַשְׁחִ֔ית'ash.ChitI will destroy [it]אִם־'im-if אֶמְצָ֣א'em.Tza'I will find שָׁ֔םShamthere אַרְבָּעִ֖ים'ar.ba.'Imforty וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃va./cha.mi.Shahand/ five

King James Version

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

Cross-references

Genesis 18:26 So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.”
Genesis 18:29 Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, “Suppose forty are found there?” He answered, “On account of the forty, I will not do it.”
Numbers 14:17 So now I pray, may the power of my Lord be magnified, just as You have declared:
1 Kings 20:32 So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’” And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
Job 23:3 If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat.