King James Version

Genesis 18:31

And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

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Hebrew

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וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvayomerand 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…הִנֵּֽהhinehloהִנֵּהparticle, demonstrative — “lo”H2009lo!behold, lo, see.נָ֤אnaI beseech theeנָאparticle, exhortation — “I beseech thee”H4994'I pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunctionI beseech (pray) thee (you), go to, now, oh.הוֹאַ֨לְתִּי֙hoaltiassayיָאַלverb, hiphil, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “assay”, a completed actionH2974properly, to yield, especially assent; hence (pos.) to undertake as an act of volitionassay, begin, be content, please, take upon, [idiom] willingly, would.לְדַבֵּ֣רledaberto speakדָבַרpreposition, verb, piel, infinitive construct — “to speak”, the to-form of the verbH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).אֲדֹנָ֔יadonayLordאֲדֹנָיnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “Lord”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH136the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)(my) Lord.אוּלַ֛יulayif so beאוּלַיadverb — “if so be”H194if not; hence perhapsif so be, may be, peradventure, unless.יִמָּצְא֥וּןyimatseuncomeמָצָאverb, niphal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural, paragogic nun — “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)…שָׁ֖םshamthereשָׁםadverb — “there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.עֶשְׂרִ֑יםesrimtwentyעֶשְׂרִיםadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “twenty”, the ordinary formH6242twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth(six-) score, twenty(-ieth).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).בַּעֲב֖וּרbaavurin thatעָבוּרpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “in that”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5668properly, crossed, i.e. (abstractly) transit; used only adverbially, on account of, in order thatbecause of, for (...'s sake), (intent) that, to.הָֽעֶשְׂרִֽיםhaesrimthe twentyעֶשְׂרִיםdefinite article, adjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “the twenty”, the ordinary formH6242twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth(six-) score, twenty(-ieth).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And he said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.' And He said: 'I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.

Young’s Literal Translation

And he saith, 'Lo, I pray thee, I have willed to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there are found there twenty?' and He saith, 'I do not destroy [it], because of the twenty.'

World English Bible

He said, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.”

Darby Translation

And he said, Behold now, I have ventured to speak with the Lord. Perhaps there may be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy [it] for the twenty's sake.

Douay-Rheims

Seeing, saith he, I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And he said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.' And He said: 'I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And he said, Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there should be found there twenty? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there twenty.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ εἶπεν, ἐπειδὴ ἔχω λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ εἴκοσι; καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω, ἐὰν εὕρω ἐκεῖ εἴκοσι.