Thread by @TheBibleinHebr1

Abraham fails to save the cities of #Sodom and Gomorrah

But did he fail?
Is hard work that does not yield the expected result a failure?

In this post I discuss the end of #Abraham's negotiation with #God in Genesis 18:29-33

hebrew-bible.net/2022/03/01/did…

#TheHebrewBible #BibleStudy

#Abraham continues to negotiate with #God about how many righteous people will save #Sodom and Gomorrah. This finishes when Abraham realises that there are not enough #righteous people to save the cities. Was all his effort in vain?

Absolutely not. At minimum the #trial gave us a guide to how to run a just trial. It also taught us about #collateraldamage. But even more, as we will see soon, Abraham’s efforts saved Lot and his family.

As the structure of the sentences in this paragraph repeat, and are the same as that of verse 28 (which we covered in our previous post) this time I will not focus on the wording and structure. Instead, I will only translate without focusing on individual words.

Discussion

In these few verses, Abraham continues his negotiation with God about how many righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah will save the cities from destruction.

As he negotiates numbers and not principles, Abraham maintains a subservient tone, pleading, asking for a favour. But he knows that there is a limit to what he can ask. He knows that a single righteous person cannot save an entire city of evil people. There is a limit.

This limit, for Abraham is ten people, and before mentioning the number ten, he tells God that this is the last request he has. He knows that he cannot go below that.

He knows that collateral damage is often unavoidable; and he knows that sometimes innocent people do get hurt and die. But he wants to ensure that number should be as small as possible, and that number is 10.

Just like the numbers 3, 7 and 12, the number 10 has a special meaning in the Bible. It is considered whole and complete. It is the sum of 4, the number of the physical creation (the day in which God completed the physical world), and 6, the number of man.

As such, 10 means #testimony, #law, #responsibility, and the #completeness of order.

God agrees. He tells Abraham that only 10 #righteous men could have saved the cities. But He also tells Abraham that as there are no ten such people in the cities, the trial must end.

Conclusion

Was Abraham's attempt futile? Did he fail?

…continue reading:

hebrew-bible.net/2022/03/01/did…