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 וַיָּקֻ֤מוּ מִשָּׁם֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיַּשְׁקִ֖פוּ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י סְדֹ֑ם וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם הֹלֵ֥ךְ עִמָּ֖ם לְשַׁלְּחָֽם׃ 17 וַֽיהוָֹ֖ה אָמָ֑ר הַֽמְכַסֶּ֤ה אֲנִי֙ מֵֽאַבְרָהָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֲנִ֥י עֹשֶֽׂה׃ 18 וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם הָי֧וֹ יִֽהְיֶ֛ה לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל וְעָצ֑וּם וְנִ֨בְרְכוּ ב֔וֹ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃ 19 כִּ֣י יְדַעְתִּ֗יו לְמַעַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצַוֶּ֜ה אֶת־בָּנָ֤יו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ אַחֲרָ֔יו וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֔ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט לְמַ֗עַן הָבִ֤יא יְהוָה֙ עַל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֖ר עָלָֽיו׃ 20 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה זַעֲקַ֛ת סְדֹ֥ם וַעֲמֹרָ֖ה כִּי־רָ֑בָּה וְחַ֨טָּאתָ֔ם כִּ֥י כָבְדָ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃ 21 אֵֽרֲדָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָ֛הּ הַבָּ֥אָה אֵלַ֖י עָשׂ֣וּ ׀ כָּלָ֑ה וְאִם־לֹ֖א אֵדָֽעָה׃ 22 וַיִּפְנ֤וּ מִשָּׁם֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ סְדֹ֑מָה וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם עוֹדֶ֥נּוּ עֹמֵ֖ד לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Vocabulary

Verse 16

            שׁקף  verb: “look down” (BDB, 1054)

            סדם  name: “Sodom”

Syntax & Miscellaneous

• The waw of the last clause is disjunctive (waw+ non-verb).
• The periphrastic clause, אַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם הֹלֵ֥ךְ, excludes the verb היה.

Vocabulary

Verse 17

            כסה  verb (Piel participle ms): “cover”

Verse 18

            עצום  “mighty” (BDB, 783)

Verse 19

            למען  “so, so that”

Verse 20

            זעקה  noun: “outcry against” (BDB, 277)

            עמרה  name: “Gomorrah”

            רבב  verb: “be great” (BDB, 912)

Verse 21

            צעקה  noun: “outcry” (BDB, 858)

            כלה  “completely, altogether” (BDB, 478)

Verse 22

            פנה  verb: “turn”

            עוד  adverb (w/ 3ms suffix): “still”

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 17

• The quotation, הַֽמְכַסֶּ֤ה אֲנִי֙ מֵֽאַבְרָהָ֔ם, begins with an interrogative he.

Verse 18

• The infinitive absolute plus finite verb (הָי֧וֹ יִהְיֶה) is understood as “surely he will become.”
• The sequencing of the verb היה with the preposition ל means “become.”
• Both attributive adjectives, גָּד֖וֹל וְעָצ֑וּם, modify the noun, גוי.
• The subject of the final clause is כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ.
• The Niphal verb (נברכו) is passive; the agent (him=Abraham) is marked by ב.

Verse 20

• GKC (148) calls the above usage of כִּי a weak exclamation or “corroborative כִּי verily, surely” (see also Genesis 33:11; Isaiah 7:9).

Verse 21

• The definite article ה is functioning as a relative particle (GKC 138k).
• The phrase, הַבָּ֥אָה אֵלַ֖י, is functioning as a participial phrase, but the verbal appears to be marked as a perfect and not a participle.  The consonantal form of בוא is the same בָּאָה for the perfect 3fs as the participle fs.  The only difference is that the perfect has penultimate stress (בָּ֫אָה) whereas the participle has ultimate emphasis (בָּאָ֫ה).   Gesenius notes, however, that the article “usually takes the form הַ ּ with ă and a strengthening of the next consonant” (GKC 35).  Thus, the article causes the retraction of stress and the verbal is a participle.

Verse 22

• The final he, סְדֹ֑מָה, is a directional he “to Sodom.”
• In the final clause, the proper name, אַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם, is fronted and replaced in the sentence by the 3ms suffix attached to the adverb, עוד.

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