King James Version

Genesis 18:28

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

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Hebrew

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א֠וּלַיulayif so beאוּלַיadverb — “if so be”H194if not; hence perhapsif so be, may be, peradventure, unless.יַחְסְר֞וּןyachserunfailחָסֵרverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural, paragogic nun — “fail”, an unfinished actionH2637to lack; by implication, to fail, want, lessenbe abated, bereave, decrease, (cause to) fail, (have) lack, make lower, want.חֲמִשִּׁ֤יםchamishimfiftyחֲמִשִּׁיםadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “fifty”, the ordinary formH2572fiftyfifty.הַצַּדִּיקִם֙hatsadiqimthe justצַדִּיקdefinite article, adjective, adjective, masculine, plural, absolute — “the just”, the ordinary formH6662justjust, lawful, righteous (man).חֲמִשָּׁ֔הchamishahfiveחָמֵשׁadjective, cardinal, masculine, singular, absolute — “five”, the ordinary formH2568fivefif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece).הֲתַשְׁחִ֥יתhatashchitbatterשָׁחַתparticle, interrogative, verb, hiphil, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “batter”, an unfinished actionH7843to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, [idiom] utterly, waste(-r).בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֖הbachamishahin fiveחָמֵשׁpreposition, adjective, cardinal, masculine, singular, absolute — “in five”, the ordinary formH2568fivefif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece).אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הָעִ֑ירhairthe cityעִירdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the city”, the ordinary formH5892a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙vayomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לֹ֣אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…אַשְׁחִ֔יתashchitbatterשָׁחַתverb, hiphil, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “batter”, an unfinished actionH7843to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, [idiom] utterly, waste(-r).אִםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…אֶמְצָ֣אemtsacomeמָצָאverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “come”, an unfinished actionH4672properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present[phrase] be able, befall, being, catch, [idiom] certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), [idiom] have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-) on, meet (with)…שָׁ֔םshamthereשָׁםadverb — “there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.אַרְבָּעִ֖יםarbaimfortyאַרְבָּעִיםadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “forty”, the ordinary formH705forty-forty.וַחֲמִשָּֽׁהvachamishahand fiveחָמֵשׁconjunction, adjective, cardinal, masculine, singular, absolute — “and five”, the ordinary formH2568fivefif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five?' And He said: 'I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.

Young’s Literal Translation

peradventure there are lacking five of the fifty righteous — dost Thou destroy for five the whole of the city?' and He saith, 'I destroy [it] not, if I find there forty and five.'

World English Bible

What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?” He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Darby Translation

Perhaps there may want five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city on account of the five? And he said, If I shall find forty-five there, I will not destroy [it].

Douay-Rheims

What if there be five less than fifty just persons? wilt thou for five and forty destroy the whole city? And he said: I will not destroy it, if I find five and forty.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five?' And He said: 'I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

But if the fifty righteous should be diminished to forty-five, wilt thou destroy the whole city because of the five wanting ? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there forty-five.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐὰν δὲ ἐλαττονωθῶσιν οἱ πεντήκοντα δίκαιοι εἰς τεσσαρακονταπέντε, ἀπολεῖς ἕνεκεν τῶν πέντε πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν; καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω, ἐὰν εὕρω ἐκεῖ τεσσαρακονταπέντε.