And he said, behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord ,.... See Gill on Genesis 18:27 , Peradventure there shall be twenty found there ; wouldest thou destroy it, such a number being in it; or, wouldest thou spare it for their sakes? and he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake ; if there were no more in it, I would spare it for their sake. read more
And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once ,.... This should be the last request he should make on this account, and therefore he desired he might be heard without any marks of his displeasure: Peradventure ten shall be found there : how would the place be dealt with then? would it be consumed or not? and he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake ; though no more righteous persons were found in it. Some of the Jewish writers say F7 ... read more
And the men turned their faces - That is, the two angels who accompanied Jehovah were now sent towards Sodom; while the third, who is called the Lord or Jehovah, remained with Abraham for the purpose of teaching him the great usefulness and importance of faith and prayer. read more
Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? - A form of speech similar to that in Genesis 18:17 , an invariable principle of justice, that the righteous shall not be punished for the crimes of the impious. And this Abraham lays down as the foundation of his supplications. Who can pray with any hope of success who cannot assign a reason to God and his conscience for the petitions he offers? The great sacrifice offered by Christ is an infinite reason why a penitent sinner should... read more
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? - God alone is the Judge of all men. Abraham, in thus addressing himself to the person in the text, considers him either as the Supreme Being or his representative. read more
Which am but dust and ashes - ואפר עפר 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. read more
Peradventure ten shall be found there - Knowing that in the family of his nephew the true religion was professed and practiced, he could not suppose there could be less than ten righteous persons in the city, he did not think it necessary to urge his supplication farther; he therefore left off his entreaties, and the Lord departed from him. It is highly worthy of observation, that while he continued to pray the presence of God was continued; and when Abraham ended, "the glory of the Lord was... read more
Verse 22 22.But Abraham stood yet before the Lord. Moses first declares that the men proceeded onwards, conveying the impression, that having finished their discourse, they took leave of Abraham, in order that he might return home. He then adds, that Abraham stood before the Lord, as persons are wont to do, who, though dismissed, do not immediately depart, because something still remains to be said or done. Moses, when he makes mention of the journey, with propriety attributes the name of men... read more
Verse 23 23.Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? It is certain that when God chastises the body of a people, he often involves the good and the reprobate in the same punishment. So Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra, and others like them, who worshipped God in purity in their own country, were suddenly hurried away into exile, as by a violent tempest: notwithstanding it had been said ‘The land vomiteth out her inhabitants, because of their iniquities,’ (Leviticus 18:25.) But when God thus... read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 18:30
And he said unto him, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak ,.... He feared, through his importunity, he should be wearisome to him and incur his displeasure; this being often the case among men, especially when inferiors are soliciting their superiors, and, not content with one favour, are pressing for more: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there ; the abatement is larger than before; he only made an abatement of five at a time, now ten at once, and so he proceeds: ... read more