Genesis 18:32

ESV Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."

NIV Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

NASB Then he said, 'Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once: suppose ten are found there?' And He said, 'I will not destroy it on account of the ten.'

CSB Then he said, "Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time. Suppose ten are found there?" He answered, "I will not destroy it on account of ten."

NLT Finally, Abraham said, 'Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?' And the Lord replied, 'Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.'

KJV 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.

NKJV Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

What does Genesis 18:32 mean?

After God indicates His intent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins, Abraham tries to convince God to consider the righteous people who might live there. In truth, God already knows that Sodom is doomed, and has no need to justify Himself to Abraham. However, using human language, He has allowed Abraham to discuss sparing the city if a small number of people there are not involved in the city's pervasive sins (Genesis 13:13; Ezekiel 16:49–50).

Abraham concludes his negotiation with the Lord here, with another request that the Lord not be angry with him, and a promise not to push any further after this. If the Lord finds 10 righteous people in Sodom, will He spare the city for the sake of those 10 people? This particular number was probably Abraham's goal all along, with the intent of sparing his nephew, Lot, from death in the judgment against Sodom.

Once more, the Lord agrees to Abraham's request. He will not destroy the city if 10 righteous people are found. Of course, the Lord already knows how many righteous people He will find in Sodom and Gomorrah. He knows what's coming. Still, He has been gracious and kind to endure Abraham's pointed questions and requests. In the end, Abraham will know that the Lord is both just in His judgment and merciful in His approach.

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Context Summary
Genesis 18:22–33 describes Abraham's negotiation with the Lord for the city of Sodom, where his nephew Lot and his family live. Previously, God spoke from a poetic human perspective, saying that He would judge Sodom and Gomorrah if their sins were as awful as they seemed. Here, Abraham recoils at the idea that the Lord would annihilate righteous people along with the wicked, beginning a sort of negotiation with God. Of course, God does not need to negotiate with man, and already knows how depraved Sodom is. This conversation with Abraham has nothing to do with changing God's mind; it has everything to do with proving, beyond all doubt, that God's actions here are just. God says He will spare Sodom for the sake of just ten righteous people; later passages show the city fails that test.

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Chapter Context
Abraham hurries to offer respect and hospitality to three men who appear near his tent. Over the course of the chapter, the men reveal themselves to be the Lord and two angels in human form. As He had told Abraham in the previous chapter, the Lord now reveals to Sarah that she will have a son within the year. Later, the Lord poetically says He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham's nephew Lot lives. Abraham asks, and the Lord agrees, not to destroy Sodom if God finds 10 righteous people there.

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