Bible Strands
Genesis 18:32
Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?” And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abraham speaks to the Lord during a final negotiation over Sodom’s judgment, immediately after receiving assurance for twenty righteous people and before God concludes the encounter and departs.
The words — The phrase אַל־ נָא יִחַר לַאֲדֹנָי (‘al-na yichar la-adonai) literally renders “may not please burn to the Lord,” directly expressing Abraham’s request to avert divine wrath.
The thread — The text’s pattern of bold petition runs through Judges 6:39 and Matthew 7:7, while James 5:15 reflects the same covenantal framework where persistent prayer meets divine response.
Why it lands — The passage states that God’s refusal to destroy the city hinges entirely on the presence of ten righteous individuals, requiring the reader to approach divine justice with specific, escalating appeals rather than abstract hopes.
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 said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
Cross-references
- James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
- Judges 6:39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.”
- Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- 1 John 5:15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.
- Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
- Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
- Genesis 18:30 Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?” He replied, “If I find thirty there, I will not do it.”
- Exodus 32:9 The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
- Exodus 32:14 So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
- Exodus 33:13 Now if indeed I have found favor in Your sight, please let me know Your ways, that I may know You and find favor in Your sight. Remember that this nation is Your people.”