' n3^. The meaning of this word depends on its vowel points. If the
word reads "RabLiah,"it means great; if it reads " Ribhali," then it
means a girl. See ante, p. 77'



GENESIS XVIII. 20-32. 105

I will not destroy the ivliole place. And Abraham answered
and said, Peradventure there will be found only forty and five
righteous, wilt Thou then on account of five righteous (less) de-
stroy the whole place ? For Abraham pleaded, If there were
forty and five righteous, there would be nine righteous for
each city. After that Abraham prayed, Should there be only
forty righteous, that at least four cities should remain. God
answered,

29-32 / 7iiill not do it for forty s sake. After that Abraham
said, " Peradventure should there be only thirty righteous,
let then three cities be spared." God answered, " I will not
destroy for the sake of thirty." Again Abraham prayed,
" Peradventure if tliere be only twenty righteous." And God
said, " I will not destroy for the sake of twenty."

Abraham once more urged if " Peradventure there be only
ten ; " and God said, " I will not destroy for the sake of the
ten righteous."

But for less than ten righteous Abraham did not pray,
for if there be not ten righteous, then God does not deliver
the world. And this is the reason that in the generation of
the Deluge, as there were no more than Noah with his wife,
and his three sons with their three wives, thus no more than
eight persons, they could not (by their merits) deUver their
generation, all of which perished, and they only remained.
