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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 18:21 I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out."</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/18-21.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/16/01_Gen_18_21.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Genesis 18:21 - Abraham Begs for Sodom" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. 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If not, I will know.&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/genesis/18.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/genesis/18.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/genesis/18.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/genesis/18.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/genesis/18.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/genesis/18.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />I will go down now and see whether they have done entirely as the outcry, which has come to Me <i>indicates;</i> and if not, I will know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/genesis/18.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/genesis/18.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/genesis/18.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />I will go down now and see whether they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/genesis/18.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether they have acted [as vilely and wickedly] as the outcry which has come to Me [indicates]; and if not, I will know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/genesis/18.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/genesis/18.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out.&#8221 <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/genesis/18.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/genesis/18.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Now I am going down to see for myself if those people really are that bad. If they aren't, I would like to know." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/genesis/18.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/genesis/18.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />I must go down and see whether these complaints are true. If not, I will know it."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/genesis/18.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />I must go down to find out whether or not the accusations which I have heard are true." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/genesis/18.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />I'm going down to see whether they've acted according to the protests that have reached me. If not, I wish to know."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/genesis/18.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />that I must go down and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If not, I want to know." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/genesis/18.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether they have done entirely according to the outcry which has come to me. And if not, I will know."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/genesis/18.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me; and if not, I will know.<div class="vheading2"><b>Majority Text Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/genesis/18.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/genesis/18.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know.” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/genesis/18.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />I go down now, and see whether according to its cry which is coming to Me they have done completely—and if not—I know”;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/genesis/18.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> I go down now, and see whether according to its cry which is coming unto Me they have done completely -- and if not -- I know;'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/genesis/18.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />I will go now and see whether they did wholly according to its cry coming to me; and if not, I shall know.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/genesis/18.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />I will go down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come to me: or whether it be not so, that I may know. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/genesis/18.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />I will descend and see whether they have fulfilled the work of the outcry that has reached me, or whether it is not so, in order that I may know.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/genesis/18.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />that I must go down to see whether or not their actions are as bad as the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/genesis/18.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/genesis/18.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to their cry which has come before me; and if not, I will know.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/genesis/18.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />I shall descend; I shall see if they have done and they have fulfilled according to the bellowing that has come to me, otherwise I shall know.”<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/genesis/18.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/genesis/18.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />I will therefore go down and see, if they completely correspond with the cry which comes to me, and if not, that I may know.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/genesis/18-21.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ehevn8iSgc?start=3874" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/genesis/18.htm">Abraham Begs for Sodom</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">20</span>Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous, <span class="reftext">21</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3381.htm" title="3381: ’ê·ră·ḏāh- (V-Qal-Imperf.Cohort-1cs) -- To come or go down, descend. ">I will go down</a> <a href="/hebrew/4994.htm" title="4994: nā (Interjection) -- I (we) pray, now. "></a> <a href="/hebrew/7200.htm" title="7200: wə·’er·’eh (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjImperf.h-1cs) -- To see. A primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively.">to see</a> <a href="/hebrew/6213.htm" title="6213: ‘ā·śū (V-Qal-Perf-3cp) -- To do, make. A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application.">if their actions</a> <a href="/hebrew/3617.htm" title="3617: kā·lāh (Adv) -- Completion, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation. From kalah; a completion; adverb, completely; also destruction.">fully</a> <a href="/hebrew/6818.htm" title="6818: hak·kə·ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯāh (Art, Prep-k:: N-fsc:: 3fs) -- A cry, outcry. From tsa'aq; a shriek.">justify the outcry</a> <a href="/hebrew/935.htm" title="935: hab·bā·’āh (V-Qal-Perf-3fs) -- To come in, come, go in, go. A primitive root; to go or come.">that has reached</a> <a href="/hebrew/413.htm" title="413: ’ê·lay (Prep:: 1cs) -- To, into, towards. ">Me.</a> <a href="/hebrew/518.htm" title="518: wə·’im- (Conj) -- If. A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!">If</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">not,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3045.htm" title="3045: ’ê·ḏā·‘āh (V-Qal-Imperf.Cohort-1cs) -- A primitive root; to know; used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially.">I will find out.”</a> </span><span class="reftext">22</span>And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/11-5.htm">Genesis 11:5</a></span><br />Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/19-13.htm">Genesis 19:13</a></span><br />because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/exodus/3-7.htm">Exodus 3:7-8</a></span><br />The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. / I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/exodus/2-23.htm">Exodus 2:23-25</a></span><br />After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God. / So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. / God saw the Israelites and took notice.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/8-2.htm">Deuteronomy 8:2</a></span><br />Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/14-2.htm">Psalm 14:2</a></span><br />The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/53-2.htm">Psalm 53:2</a></span><br />God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/5-7.htm">Isaiah 5:7</a></span><br />For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/10-1.htm">Isaiah 10:1-3</a></span><br />Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, / to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder. / What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/6-6.htm">Jeremiah 6:6-7</a></span><br />For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst. / As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/11-20.htm">Jeremiah 11:20</a></span><br />O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/18-11.htm">Jeremiah 18:11</a></span><br />Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and correct your ways and deeds.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/9-9.htm">Ezekiel 9:9</a></span><br />He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/3-7.htm">Amos 3:7</a></span><br />Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jonah/1-2.htm">Jonah 1:2</a></span><br />“Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me; and if not, I will know.</p><p class="hdg">I will go down.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/11-5.htm">Genesis 11:5,7</a></b></br> And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/3-8.htm">Exodus 3:8</a></b></br> And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/33-5.htm">Exodus 33:5</a></b></br> For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye <i>are</i> a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.</p><p class="hdg">see.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/34-22.htm">Job 34:22</a></b></br> <i>There is</i> no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/90-8.htm">Psalm 90:8</a></b></br> Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret <i>sins</i> in the light of thy countenance.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/17-1.htm">Jeremiah 17:1,10</a></b></br> The sin of Judah <i>is</i> written with a pen of iron, <i>and</i> with the point of a diamond: <i>it is</i> graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; … </p><p class="hdg">I will know.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/33-5.htm">Exodus 33:5</a></b></br> For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye <i>are</i> a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/8-2.htm">Deuteronomy 8:2</a></b></br> And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, <i>and</i> to prove thee, to know what <i>was</i> in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/13-3.htm">Deuteronomy 13:3</a></b></br> Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/revelation/22-11.htm">Acts</a> <a href="/genesis/9-29.htm">Altogether</a> <a href="/2_peter/2-2.htm">Bad</a> <a href="/genesis/8-14.htm">Completely</a> <a href="/genesis/18-20.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/revelation/20-13.htm">Deeds</a> <a href="/hebrews/12-13.htm">Entirely</a> <a href="/genesis/18-20.htm">Outcry</a> <a href="/genesis/15-16.htm">Reached</a> <a href="/acts/9-13.htm">Reports</a> <a href="/revelation/3-1.htm">Seem</a> <a href="/genesis/17-13.htm">Whether</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/genesis/32-10.htm">Acts</a> <a href="/genesis/25-7.htm">Altogether</a> <a href="/genesis/24-50.htm">Bad</a> <a href="/exodus/11-1.htm">Completely</a> <a href="/genesis/19-13.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/genesis/20-9.htm">Deeds</a> <a href="/genesis/31-15.htm">Entirely</a> <a href="/genesis/19-13.htm">Outcry</a> <a href="/genesis/19-10.htm">Reached</a> <a href="/exodus/23-1.htm">Reports</a> <a href="/genesis/27-12.htm">Seem</a> <a href="/genesis/24-21.htm">Whether</a><div class="vheading2">Genesis 18</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/18-1.htm">The Lord appears to Abraham, who entertains angels.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/18-9.htm">Sarah is reproved for laughing at the promise of a son.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">16. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/18-16.htm">The destruction of Sodom is revealed to Abraham.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">23. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/genesis/18-23.htm">Abraham makes intercession for its inhabitants.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/18.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/genesis/18.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>I will go down to see</b><br>This phrase indicates God's personal involvement and investigation into human affairs. It echoes <a href="/genesis/11-5.htm">Genesis 11:5</a>, where God "came down" to see the Tower of Babel. This anthropomorphic language emphasizes God's justice and thoroughness. It also reflects the biblical theme of God being intimately aware of human actions, as seen in <a href="/psalms/139.htm">Psalm 139:1-4</a>.<p><b>if their actions fully justify the outcry</b><br>The "outcry" refers to the grievous sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, which have reached a level demanding divine attention. This concept of an "outcry" is often associated with injustice and oppression, as seen in <a href="/exodus/3-7.htm">Exodus 3:7</a>, where God hears the cries of the Israelites in Egypt. The phrase underscores God's concern for justice and righteousness.<p><b>that has reached Me</b><br>This indicates that God is aware of the moral state of humanity and responds to it. The idea of prayers or cries reaching God is a recurring theme in Scripture, as seen in <a href="/psalms/18-6.htm">Psalm 18:6</a>. It highlights God's omniscience and His responsiveness to human suffering and sin.<p><b>If not, I will find out.”</b><br>This phrase suggests a thorough and fair investigation before judgment is executed. It reflects God's justice and patience, ensuring that any action taken is based on truth. This principle of divine investigation is mirrored in the New Testament, where Jesus speaks of the final judgment in <a href="/matthew/25-31.htm">Matthew 25:31-46</a>, emphasizing accountability and justice.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_lord.htm">The LORD</a></b><br>The speaker in this verse, who is expressing His intention to investigate the situation in Sodom and Gomorrah.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/s/sodom_and_gomorrah.htm">Sodom and Gomorrah</a></b><br>The cities whose actions have prompted an outcry to the LORD, leading to His decision to investigate.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/o/outcry.htm">Outcry</a></b><br>The term used to describe the grievous sin and injustice occurring in Sodom and Gomorrah, which has reached the LORD.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/a/abraham.htm">Abraham</a></b><br>Although not directly mentioned in this verse, he is the recipient of the LORD's revelation and intercedes for the cities.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/a/angelic_visitors.htm">Angelic Visitors</a></b><br>The messengers who accompany the LORD and later visit Sodom to carry out the investigation.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_justice_and_mercy.htm">God's Justice and Mercy</a></b><br>God is both just and merciful. His decision to investigate Sodom and Gomorrah shows His commitment to justice, ensuring that His actions are based on truth.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/d/divine_investigation.htm">Divine Investigation</a></b><br>The LORD's statement about going down to see reflects His thoroughness and fairness. Believers can trust that God is aware of all situations and acts with perfect knowledge.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/i/intercession.htm">Intercession</a></b><br>Abraham's role in the surrounding account highlights the power and importance of intercessory prayer. Believers are encouraged to pray for others, especially those in dire situations.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/a/accountability.htm">Accountability</a></b><br>The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a reminder that sin has consequences and that communities are accountable to God for their actions.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_awareness.htm">God's Awareness</a></b><br>The verse reassures believers that God is not distant or unaware of human suffering and injustice. He is actively involved in the world and responds to the cries of the oppressed.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_genesis_18.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Genesis 18</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_blame_all_for_some's_guilt_in_jeremiah_18.htm">Why would a just God hold the entire 'clay' (nation) responsible when individuals have varying degrees of guilt, per Jeremiah 18?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_is_god_omnipresent_yet_'searching'.htm">How does 2 Chronicles 16:9 reconcile the idea of a God “searching the earth” with the concept of an omnipresent deity? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/who_was_zipporah_in_the_bible.htm">Who was Zipporah in the Bible?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_can_a_city's_fate_depend_on_one_deal.htm">How can an entire city’s fate hinge on a negotiation between God and one individual (Genesis 18:23–33)? </a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/genesis/18.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(21) <span class= "bld">I will go down.</span>--God examines before He punishes (see Note on <a href="/genesis/11-5.htm" title="And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.">Genesis 11:5</a>) with the same care and personal inspection as the most conscientious earthly judge.<p><span class= "bld">Altogether.</span>--Some take this word, not as an adverb, but as a noun (comp. <a href="/isaiah/10-23.htm" title="For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the middle of all the land.">Isaiah 10:23</a>), and translate "I will see whether they have done according to the cry of it: (in which case there shall be for them) utter destruction." But the ellipse is harsh; and inquiry, the knowing and not the punishing, is the prominent thought in the words of Jehovah. Hence too the last clause, "I will know." The two angels go to Sodom to give the people a final trial. If they meet with upright treatment, then God will know that there are limits to the wickedness of its inhabitants, and it will be spared.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/genesis/18.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 21.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">I will go down now</span> (cf. <a href="/genesis/11-5.htm">Genesis 11:5</a>), <span class="cmt_word">and see</span> (judicial investigation ever precedes judicial infliction at the Divine tribunal) <span class="cmt_word">whether they have done altogether</span> - literally, <span class="accented">whether they have made cow, piousness, i.e.</span> carried their iniquity to perfection, to the highest pitch of wickedness (Calvin, Delitzsch, Keil); <span class="cmt_word">or consummated their wickedness, by carrying it to that pitch of fullness which works death</span> (Ainsworth, Kalisch, Rosenmüller). The received rendering, which regards <span class="hebrew">כלה</span> as an adverb, has the authority of Luther and Gesenius - according to the cry of it, which has come unto me; and if not, I will know. The LXX. render <span class="greek">ἵνα γνῶ</span>, meaning, "should it not be so, I will still go down, that I may ascertain the exact truth;" the Chaldee paraphrases, "and if they repent, I will not exact punishment." The entire verse is anthropomorphic, and designed to express the Divine solicitude that the strictest justice should characterize all his dealings both with men and nations. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/genesis/18-21.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">I will go down</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵֽרֲדָה־</span> <span class="translit">(’ê·ră·ḏāh-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3381.htm">Strong's 3381: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come or go down, descend</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to see</span><br /><span class="heb">וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה</span> <span class="translit">(wə·’er·’eh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7200.htm">Strong's 7200: </a> </span><span class="str2">To see</span><br /><br /><span class="word">if their actions</span><br /><span class="heb">עָשׂ֣וּ ׀</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·śū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6213.htm">Strong's 6213: </a> </span><span class="str2">To do, make</span><br /><br /><span class="word">fully</span><br /><span class="heb">כָּלָ֑ה</span> <span class="translit">(kā·lāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3617.htm">Strong's 3617: </a> </span><span class="str2">Completion, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation</span><br /><br /><span class="word">justify the outcry</span><br /><span class="heb">הַכְּצַעֲקָתָ֛הּ</span> <span class="translit">(hak·kə·ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article, Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6818.htm">Strong's 6818: </a> </span><span class="str2">A cry, outcry</span><br /><br /><span class="word">that has reached</span><br /><span class="heb">הַבָּ֥אָה</span> <span class="translit">(hab·bā·’āh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_935.htm">Strong's 935: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come in, come, go in, go</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Me.</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵלַ֖י</span> <span class="translit">(’ê·lay)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_413.htm">Strong's 413: </a> </span><span class="str2">Near, with, among, to</span><br /><br /><span class="word">If</span><br /><span class="heb">וְאִם־</span> <span class="translit">(wə·’im-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_518.htm">Strong's 518: </a> </span><span class="str2">Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not</span><br /><br /><span class="word">not,</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֖א</span> <span class="translit">(lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I will find out.”</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵדָֽעָה׃</span> <span class="translit">(’ê·ḏā·‘āh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3045.htm">Strong's 3045: </a> </span><span class="str2">To know</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/genesis/18-21.htm">Genesis 18:21 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/genesis/18-21.htm">OT Law: Genesis 18:21 I will go down now and see (Gen. Ge Gn)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/genesis/18-20.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 18:20"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 18:20" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/genesis/18-22.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 18:22"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 18:22" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>