And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.
- BSB And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
- NKJV Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
- NASB Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord.
- NLT The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham.
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 two angels head to Sodom while Abraham remains standing before the LORD.
Overview
The scene narrows to Abraham alone with the LORD, setting up his great intercession. His standing 'before Yahweh' pictures the posture of a mediator pleading on behalf of others. This anticipates the intercessory ministry that finds its perfection in Christ, who ever lives to intercede (Hebrews 7:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Gen 19:1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
- Acts 7:55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
- 1 Tim 2:1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
- Ezek 22:30And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
- Ps 106:23Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
- Jer 18:20Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.
- Jer 15:1Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
- Gen 18:1–2And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
- Gen 18:16And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 18:22 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.