Bible Strands
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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abraham addresses the LORD during a negotiation over Sodom’s judgment, immediately after God agreed to spare the city if forty-five righteous people were found.
The words — The Hebrew uses וַיֹּסֶף (va-yosef) and עוֹד (‘od) to record Abraham’s repeated appeal, while אוּלַי (‘ulay) introduces his tentative plea that perhaps forty will be found there (שָׁם, sham).
The thread — This pattern of persistent intercession aligns with the New Testament instruction to approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) and to pray in the Spirit with all perseverance (Ephesians 6:18).
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that divine restraint in judgment responds to bold, repeated appeals, establishing a structural precedent for intercessory prayer that presses forward despite uncertainty.
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
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
- Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.