Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
Parallel translations
- WEB Abraham came near, and said, “Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?
- KJV And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
- NKJV And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
- NASB Abraham approached and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
- NLT Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?
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
Abraham boldly asks whether God would sweep away the righteous along with the wicked.
Overview
His question rests on confidence in God's justice, which distinguishes the innocent from the guilty. Abraham intercedes not for himself but for others, including likely his nephew Lot. This pleading on the basis of God's character models prayer that appeals to who God is.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Num 16:22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
- 2 Sam 24:17When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
- Gen 20:4Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?
- Job 34:17Could one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One,
- Heb 10:22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Gen 18:25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
- Ps 11:4–7The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.
- Rom 3:5–6But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms.
- Jer 30:21Their leader will be one of their own, and their ruler will arise from their midst. And I will bring him near, and he will approach Me, for who would dare on his own to approach Me?” declares the LORD.
- Ps 73:28But as for me, it is good to draw near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may proclaim all Your works.
- Job 8:3Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?
- Jas 5:17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
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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 18:23 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.