Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 18:26 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 26. 26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The LORD agrees that if fifty righteous people are found within Sodom, the whole place will be spared for their sake. The response affirms both investigation and mercy extending beyond the righteous minority.
Read It With
- Genesis 18:16–33
Read verses 23–26. Abraham's complete first plea moves from distinction to citywide preservation; the LORD's answer supplies the governing pattern for every lower number.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The LORD's agreement establishes the response pattern that governs each later proposal.
Read Genesis 18:23–26 together
Why these verses belong together: The first plea establishes distinction, citywide preservation, the Judge's justice, and the LORD's agreement.
Verse 23. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Verse 24. 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
Verse 25. 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Verse 26. 26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
The verse does not guarantee that any fixed number of believers will prevent every disaster or judgment.
What Remains True
Righteous presence can carry public significance beyond the people who practice it, though this narrative does not turn that significance into a guaranteed formula.
How It Can Shape Life
- Build communities whose integrity protects neighbors and supports just, merciful outcomes rather than seeking goodness only as private status.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 18:16–33 — Abraham Pleads for Righteous JudgmentSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, unit movement, vocation, outcry, investigation, intercession, numbers, and canonical links.
Exact location: Genesis 18:16–33 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 13:10–13; 14:1–24; 19:1–29; 20:7; Exodus 32:7–14; Jeremiah 15:1
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Yada, purpose clauses, righteousness and justice, outcry, cohortative investigation sequence, standing, sweep away, spare, far-be-it, Judge, dust and ashes, conditional proposals, and closure.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 18:16–33
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Know/choose, syntax, outcry, investigation wording, spare, rhetorical force, and translation alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 18:16–33 and translator notes, especially verses 17, 19, 20–25, 27, and 32
Open NET Genesis 18 ↗