Genesis 18:22
in Genesis 18And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah.
KJV
And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
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This verse in Genesis 18
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd the men turned their faces - That is, the two angels who accompanied Jehovah were now sent towards Sodom; while the third, who is called the Lord or Jehovah, remained with Abraham for the purpose of teaching him the great usefulness and importance of faith and prayer.
This site's exposition
Abraham remained standing before the LORD
on Genesis 18:22-23
The two men turned away toward Sodom, and Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Clarke reads those two as the angels who reach Lot's gate in the next chapter, and Abraham stepped forward to ask whether God would sweep the righteous away with the wicked. He had rescued this city once already, in chapter 14.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And the men turned their faces from thence,....
Modern Voices1 voice
A commentator
Charlie ShampMantle of the Standing Generation: Reclaiming the Lost Art of Priestly Intercession (2026)
When Abraham stood before the Lord in Genesis 18, he was not having a casual chat. He was engaging in heavenly diplomacy a legislative session in the courts of heaven that would determine the fate of entire cities.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּפְנ֤וּ | vaiyifnu | and they turned away | H6437 → | 135 times |
| מִשָּׁם֙ | misham | from there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים | haanashim | the men | H582 → | 566 times |
| וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ | vaiyelekhu | and they went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| סְדֹ֑מָה | sedomah | Sodom towards | H5467 → | 39 times |
| וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם | veavraham | and Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| עוֹדֶ֥נּוּ | odenu | still [was] he | H5750 → | 490 times |
| עֹמֵ֖ד | ʾomed | standing | H5975 → | 521 times |
| לִפְנֵ֥י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיִּפְנ֤וּand they turned away
vaiyifnuH6437 →135 times
מִשָּׁם֙from there
mishamH8033 →834 times
הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔יםthe men
haanashimH582 →566 times
וַיֵּלְכ֖וּand they went
vaiyelekhuH1980 →1546 times
סְדֹ֑מָהSodom towards
sedomahH5467 →39 times
וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔םand Abraham
veavrahamH85 →175 times
עוֹדֶ֥נּוּstill [was] he
odenuH5750 →490 times
עֹמֵ֖דstanding
ʾomedH5975 →521 times
לִפְנֵ֥י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 22:30I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no…
it leads to
- Isaiah 59:16
He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
- Jeremiah 5:1
“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I…
- Psalms 106:23
So He said He would destroy them— had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach to divert His wrath from destroying them.
- Genesis 18:23–32
Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
- Isaiah 63:5
I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled that no one assisted. So My arm brought Me salvation, and My own wrath upheld Me.
- Isaiah 59:16
Through
1 Timothy 2:1First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone—
it leads to
- James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:3
We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing.
- Matthew 6:9–10
So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
- James 5:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
About Genesis

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsAbrahamCalled out of Ur, the father of all who believe, justified by faith, and the friend of God through whose seed all nations are bles…
- PlaceCities of the plainSodomThe city of the plain that Abraham pleaded for and that fire from heaven destroyed while Lot fled, named by the prophets, by Peter…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charlie Shamp, Mantle of the Standing Generation: Reclaiming the Lost Art of Priestly Intercession; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
