Genesis 18:28
New International Version
what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

New Living Translation
Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the LORD said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”

English Standard Version
Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.

New American Standard Bible
Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the entire city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

NASB 1995
“Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

NASB 1977
“Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, wilt Thou destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Amplified Bible
If five of the fifty righteous are lacking, will You destroy the entire city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find [at least] forty-five [righteous people] there, I will not destroy it.”

Christian Standard Bible
suppose the fifty righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five? ” He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
suppose the 50 righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find 45 there.”

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

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And if five are lacking from fifty righteous, will you destroy the entire city because of five?” And he said, “I shall not destroy if I find there forty and five.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But if the fifty righteous should be diminished to forty-five, wilt thou destroy the whole city because of the five wanting? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there forty-five.

Contemporary English Version
But suppose there are only 45 good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?" "If I find 45 good people," the LORD replied, "I won't destroy the city."

Douay-Rheims Bible
What if there be Ave less than fifty just persons? wilt thou for five and forty destroy the whole city? And he said: I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
what if there are 45 innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of 5 fewer people?" The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it if I find 45 there."

Good News Translation
But perhaps there will be only forty-five innocent people instead of fifty. Will you destroy the whole city because there are five too few?" The LORD answered, "I will not destroy the city if I find forty-five innocent people."

International Standard Version
What if there are five less than 50 righteous ones? Will you bring destruction upon the city because of those five?" The LORD said, "I won't destroy it if I find 45 there."

JPS Tanakh 1917
Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five?' And He said: 'I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.'

Literal Standard Version
perhaps there are lacking five of the fifty righteous—do You destroy for five the whole of the city?” And He says, “I do not destroy [it], if I find there forty-five.”

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

New American Bible
What if there are five less than fifty righteous people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?” I will not destroy it, he answered, if I find forty-five there.

NET Bible
what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy the whole city because five are lacking?" He replied, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."

New Revised Standard Version
Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

New Heart English Bible
What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

Webster's Bible Translation
Peradventure there will 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.

World English Bible
What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?” He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Young's Literal Translation
peradventure there are lacking five of the fifty righteous -- dost Thou destroy for five the whole of the city?' and He saith, 'I destroy it not, if I find there forty and five.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abraham Begs for Sodom
27Then Abraham answered, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but dust and ashes— 28suppose 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.” 29Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, “Suppose forty are found there?” He answered, “On account of the forty, I will not do it.”…

Cross References
Genesis 18:27
Then Abraham answered, "Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord--though I am but dust and ashes--

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."

Daniel 2:18
urging them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.


Treasury of Scripture

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

wilt.

Numbers 14:17-19
And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, …

1 Kings 20:32,33
So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother…

Job 23:3,4
Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! …

If I.

Genesis 18:26,29
And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes…

Jump to Previous
Account Chance City Destroy Destruction Fifty Find Five Forty Forty-Five Lack Peradventure Perhaps Righteous Suppose Upright Want Whole Wilt
Jump to Next
Account Chance City Destroy Destruction Fifty Find Five Forty Forty-Five Lack Peradventure Perhaps Righteous Suppose Upright Want Whole Wilt
Genesis 18
1. The Lord appears to Abraham, who entertains angels.
9. Sarah is reproved for laughing at the promise of a son.
16. The destruction of Sodom is revealed to Abraham.
23. Abraham makes intercession for its inhabitants.














Verse 28. - Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? Literally, on account of five, i.e. because they are wanting. A rare example of holy ingenuity in prayer. Abraham, instead of pleading for the city's safety on account of forty-five, deprecates its destruction on account of five. And its said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
suppose
א֠וּלַי (’ū·lay)
Adverb
Strong's 194: Perhaps

the fifty
חֲמִשִּׁ֤ים (ḥă·miš·šîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 2572: Fifty

righteous ones
הַצַּדִּיקִם֙ (haṣ·ṣad·dî·qim)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 6662: Just, righteous

lack
יַחְסְר֞וּן (yaḥ·sə·rūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 2637: To lack, need, be lacking, decrease

five.
חֲמִשָּׁ֔ה (ḥă·miš·šāh)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 2568: Five

Will you destroy
הֲתַשְׁחִ֥ית (hă·ṯaš·ḥîṯ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin

the whole
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

city
הָעִ֑יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

for the lack of five?”
בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה (ba·ḥă·miš·šāh)
Preposition-b, Article | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 2568: Five

He replied,
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

I find
אֶמְצָ֣א (’em·ṣā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

forty-five
אַרְבָּעִ֖ים (’ar·bā·‘îm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 705: Forty

there,
שָׁ֔ם (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

I will not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

destroy [it].”
אַשְׁחִ֔ית (’aš·ḥîṯ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin


Links
Genesis 18:28 NIV
Genesis 18:28 NLT
Genesis 18:28 ESV
Genesis 18:28 NASB
Genesis 18:28 KJV

Genesis 18:28 BibleApps.com
Genesis 18:28 Biblia Paralela
Genesis 18:28 Chinese Bible
Genesis 18:28 French Bible
Genesis 18:28 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Genesis 18:28 What if there will lack five (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 18:27
Top of Page
Top of Page