Genesis 18:22

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.[a]

Genesis 18:22 in Other Translations

KJV
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
ESV
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
NLT
22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham.
MSG
22 The men set out for Sodom, but Abraham stood in God's path, blocking his way.
CSB
22 The men turned from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.

Genesis 18:22 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 18:22

And the men turned their faces from thence
From the place to which Abraham brought them on; these were only two of them, for the third continued with Abraham: and went towards Sodom;
and are the two angels said to come thither at evening, ( Genesis 19:1 ) : but Abraham stood yet before the Lord;
before the third person, whom Abraham now began to know more clearly; he stood before him with all reverence and humility, to hear what he had further to say to him, as well as to say something to him himself; he stood "yet", he continued to stand after the departure of the two angels that were gone to Sodom. Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase it,

``he ministered in prayer before the Lord.''

Genesis 18:22 In-Context

20 Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous
21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?

Cross References 3

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition "but the " Lord"remained standing before Abraham"
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