And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do,
- KJV And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
- NKJV And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
- NASB The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
- NLT “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The LORD decides not to hide his coming judgment on Sodom from Abraham.
Overview
God chooses to take his covenant friend into confidence, treating Abraham as one who shares his concerns. This reflects the intimacy of covenant relationship, in which God reveals his purposes to those he loves (Amos 3:7; John 15:15). It also prepares Abraham to intercede for the righteous.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Amos 3:7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
- Ps 25:14The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
- John 15:15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
- Jas 2:23And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
- Gen 19:24Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
- 2 Kgs 4:27When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
- 2 Chr 20:7Our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 18:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.