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.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 18Meaning
Abraham asks whether the lack of five from fifty would change the outcome, and the LORD says he will not destroy if forty-five are found.
Read carefully
The descending numbers are part of the rhetoric of intercession and should not be treated as a hidden code or universal threshold for judgment.
Reflection
Abraham continues to press toward mercy, showing that concern for others can remain persistent without becoming presumptuous.