Avraham's Prayer for Sedom/2/en

Avraham's Prayer for Sedom

Exegetical Approaches

Overview

In trying to understand Avraham's prayer, commentators struggle with both the theological problems raised by Hashem's modes of justice and how to understand the relationship between Avraham's various requests.  A majority of commentators assume that Avraham was praying that even the sinners be spared. Thus, according to R"Y Bekhor Shor and others, Avraham was making a two pronged argument, appealing to Hashem's attributes of both justice and mercy.  Avraham's stronger claim (invoking Divine justice) denounced collective punishment, while his secondary appeal (to God's attribute of mercy) was for collective salvation.  

R. D"Z Hoffmann, in contrast, links Avraham's two objections, explaining that Avraham recognized that there was no middle option – either all would be saved or all would perish.  Avraham was not arguing in principle against collective punishment, only requesting that in this case Hashem opt instead for collective salvation. Thus, Avraham bargained with Hashem to set a minimum threshold of ten for avoiding collective punishment and implementing instead collective salvation.  R. Hirsch also views Avraham's arguments as a single one, but he claims that, from the outset, Avraham knew that Hashem never intended to punish the righteous.  According to him, all of Avraham's overtures were to request only that Hashem save even the wicked for the benefit of the righteous.

Others find the entire notion that sinners could go unpunished to be the more profoundly disturbing problem.  Thus, a commentary from Qumran suggests that the entire discussion revolved only around sparing the innocent, and there was never any doubt that the evildoers would be obliterated.  Similarly, the Ma'asei Hashem agrees that Avraham was not praying for the sinners, but he contends that Avraham's prayer was nonetheless a dual one, both on behalf of the righteous and that the land itself should not be destroyed.

Even for Sinners

Avraham asked for all of the people in Sedom to be saved if a quota of righteous was met.  This approach splits, though, regarding for whom Avraham needed to actively pray:

For Both Righteous and Wicked

Avraham was praying for everyone in Sedom to be saved, both the righteous and the wicked.

Sources:PhiloOn the Birth of Abel 37:122Questions and Answers on Genesis, IV:27About Philo,¹ Bereshit Rabbah(Albeck) 49, verse 23(Albeck) 49, verse 2549:13About Bereshit Rabbah, TanchumaVayera 8About the Tanchuma, RashiBereshit 18:23-25About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki according to R. Eliyahu MizrachiBereshit 18:24-25About R. Eliyahu Mizrachi,² R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 18:23, 24,28About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RambanBereshit 18:23About R. Moshe b. Nachman, RanBereshit 18:23-25About R. Nissim Gerondi, Akeidat Yitzchak1920About R. Yitzchak Arama, AbarbanelBereshit 18, Questions 16-18Bereshit 18:23About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, ShadalBereshit 18:26About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, MalbimBereshit 18:23-24About R. Meir Leibush Weiser, R. D"Z HoffmannBereshit 18:23-26Bereshit 19:29About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע" – All of these sources agree that, in these words, Avraham is challenging Hashem's collective punishment³ of the virtuous.⁴

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה וְלֹא תִשָּׂא לַמָּקוֹם לְמַעַן חֲמִשִּׁים הַצַּדִּיקִם"

• According to most of these commentators, these words constitute an additional request, that Hashem save even the wicked.⁵ This is a plea for mercy, above and beyond the original demand for justice.
• Ran, Akeidat Yitzchak, Abarbanel, and R. D"Z Hoffmann, though, assert that this second argument is intrinsically connected to the plea to save the righteous. [See point below for elaboration.]

Relationship between the requests in verses 23-25

• Justice and mercy – According to most of these commentators, the various verses contain two distinct requests, that Hashem not destroy the righteous (vss. 23 and 25)⁶ and that he also save the wicked (v. 24).⁷  It is not clear why Avraham goes back and forth between these pleas for justice and mercy. 
• Justice for the upright – According to the Ran, Akeidat Yitzchak, and Abarbanel, the arguments are interconnected and all stem from one desire, that there be justice for the righteous.  Avraham's request in v. 24 that also the wicked be saved is only for the benefit of ("לְמַעַן")‎⁸ the righteous.  If the evildoers were all to be wiped out, the righteous whose livelihood depended on them would perish as well, and this, Avraham contends, would be an unjust equation of the worthy and unworthy (v. 25).
• Collective salvation – Also according to R. D"Z Hoffmann, Avraham is really making only one request.  Avraham thought that Hashem was judging the city as one entity, and that there were only two possible outcomes; it would either be wholly saved or completely destroyed.⁹  Therefore, he first points out the injustice to the innocent of totally destroying it, proceeds to ask that instead all be saved, and concludes by repeating the reasoning behind this request.

Collective punishment

• Unjustified – Most of these commentators would likely explain that Hashem had never intended to apply collective punishment in Sedom,¹⁰ and that Avraham was simply unaware of this.  According to R"Y Bekhor Shor, Hashem would even have saved any individual righteous people from the destruction.¹¹
• Justified – R. D"Z Hoffmann, though, asserts that Avraham did not object in principle to collective punishment,¹² and the entire dialogue was only about the threshold which needed to be reached to avoid its implementation.  According to him, even in the end, Hashem agreed only to save all or nothing.  If there would be ten righteous people, the city would merit collective salvation, but any less than ten would perish together with the wicked.¹³

Collective salvation – The commentators differ in how they justify the saving of the wicked:

• Mercy – R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Ramban, and R. D"Z Hoffmann all assert that this salvation is an expression of Hashem's mercy.
• Justice – Akeidat Yitzchak and Abarbanel, in contrast, maintain that in saving the wicked Hashem is merely being just to the innocent who would perish without the resources provided by their neighbors. 
• Repentance – According to Shadal, Hashem is willing to save the wicked if enough righteous are present, due to the hope that the latter will succeed in influencing and reforming them.¹⁴

Why does Avraham stop at ten? These exegetes offer a variety of explanations:

• Lot's family – Bereshit Rabbah and Abarbanel explain that Lot's family numbered ten,¹⁵ and it was them which Avraham's prayer had in mind.¹⁶
• Unfair – According to R"Y Bekhor Shor, if there are so few righteous, it is no longer fair to request that their merits save the wicked. He assumes that, in such a case, Hashem would still save the deserving individuals,¹⁷ and only punish the rest of the city.
• No chance of reform – Shadal suggests that less than a quorum would stand no chance of reforming the evildoers, and thus the entire reason for sparing the wicked would not apply.
• No need for the wicked – Akeidat Yitzchak asserts that Avraham could not ask for either too many or too few to be saved.  If there were a significant portion of righteous in the city, they would no longer be dependent on the wicked, thereby eliminating the justification for saving them.  However, if on the other hand, there were merely a handful of righteous, they could easily flee, and then, too, there would be no need to save the wicked.¹⁸

Final outcome – Although Hashem granted Avraham's request, there were not enough righteous people in Sedom to warrant its implementation.¹⁹  However, the Akeidat Yitzchak suggests that Avraham's prayer did succeed in saving the city of Zoar, as Lot's migration there (19:18-23) completed the quorum of ten righteous people needed to save that city.²⁰

Why was Lot saved?

• According to R"Y Bekhor Shor, Akeidat Yitzchak, and Abarbanel,²¹ although Hashem was not willing to save the city if there were fewer than ten righteous people, he was willing to save the individuals who were worthy,²² and thus Lot was saved²³ because of his righteousness.²⁴
• R. D"Z Hoffmann, in contrast, asserts that even the righteous were only to be saved if there were ten or more.  Though Lot was not corrupt, to escape collective punishment he would need a special miracle.  This he merited only for Avraham's sake.

Why does Hashem consult with Avraham about Sedom? According to the Tanchuma, Hashem, in his infinite mercy, was actively inviting Avraham to defend the city, hoping that he would provide a reason for its wicked to be saved.²⁵

Specifically for the Wicked

Avraham was praying only for the sinners, being certain that Hashem would save the righteous even without any special supplication.

Sources:R. S"R HirschBereshit 18:23-25Bereshit 18:28-33Bereshit 19:29About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע" – R. S"R Hirsch²⁶ explains the word "תִּסְפֶּה" as to punish (rather than destroy) and suggests that Avraham is pointing out that killing the sinners would cause also the righteous to be unjustly punished.  According to him, though, Avraham does not assume that Hashem means to kill the righteous, only that the righteous will suffer when the wicked die. After working hard (albeit unsuccessfully) to reform the wicked,²⁷ it would be distressing for them to see the wicked nevertheless perish.

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה וְלֹא תִשָּׂא לַמָּקוֹם לְמַעַן חֲמִשִּׁים הַצַּדִּיקִם" – R. Hirsch distinguishes between the terms "לְמַעַן" and "בגלל", asserting that the former means "for the sake of" rather than "because of".  Thus, Avraham was praying that even the wicked people be saved so as not to cause undue suffering of the righteous,²⁸ but he was not suggesting that the merits of the righteous serve to protect the evildoers.²⁹

Meaning of "לַמָּקוֹם" – This approach maintains that "לַמָּקוֹם" is a general term for all of the people of the city.

"חָלִלָה לְּךָ מֵעֲשֹׂת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְהָמִית צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע" – This sentence is problematic for R. Hirsch, since it implies that Avraham is bothered by the possibility that the righteous will actually be killed themselves (and not merely be distressed by the deaths of others).³⁰

Relationship between the requests in verses 23-25 – The three verses all constitute one request and refer only to the injustice that would be done to the righteous through the destruction of the wicked.

Collective punishment – According to R. S"R Hirsch, Avraham is not arguing about the injustice of collective punishment; it was obvious to him all along that Hashem would not kill the righteous.³¹

Collective salvation – According to R. Hirsch there is also no collective salvation.  Hashem agreed to save the wicked under the circumstances, not because they were part of the collective,³² nor even because it would prevent the suffering of the righteous, but because the very presence of righteous people in the city proved that the wicked tolerated them and that they were, thus, not totally corrupt.³³

Why does Avraham stop at ten? R. Hirsch asserts that Avraham understood why Hashem was willing to save the wicked, and realized that if there were less than ten righteous, the fact that they were tolerated is no longer such a merit for the wicked, since it is likely that they simply dismissed the few righteous as insignificant.³⁴

Final outcome – Though Hashem accepts Avraham's prayer, apparently there were not enough righteous people to be found to enable the wicked to be spared.

Why was Lot saved? R. Hirsch writes that Lot was "only with difficulty worthy of salvation".  It was Hashem's attribute of mercy rather than justice which saved him.

For the Physical Location

Avraham was praying that both the righteous of Sedom and the land itself (but not its evil inhabitants) be saved.

Sources:R. Yehuda HeChasidBereshit 18:23About Moshav Zekeinim, RadakBereshit 18:23-25Bereshit 18:32About R. David Kimchi, Ma'asei HashemMa'asei Avot 17About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע" – Radak understands this verse to be an argument against collective punishment of the righteous.³⁵

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה וְלֹא תִשָּׂא לַמָּקוֹם לְמַעַן חֲמִשִּׁים הַצַּדִּיקִם" – According to all of these sources, these words represent a second request, not for collective salvation of the wicked, but for the preservation of the city itself.³⁶  These commentators differ in their understanding of Avraham's reasoning.  Radak asserts that Avraham was requesting that the physical city be spared due to the merit of the righteous people, while the Ma'asei Hashem maintains that Avraham did not think it was fair that the righteous should lose their land.³⁷

Meaning of "לַמָּקוֹם" – This approach holds that "לַמָּקוֹם" means literally the place itself.³⁸

Relationship between the requests in verses 23-25 – According to these commentators the verses contain two different requests, that the righteous be saved (vss. 23 and 25) and that the land not be destroyed (v. 24).  According to the Ma'asei Hashem, the common denominator is the demand that justice be done for the worthy people of the city.  However, it is unclear why Avraham goes back and forth between his different requests.

Collective punishment – This approach might maintain that Hashem had never planned to collectively punish Sedom, but rather that there were simply no righteous people to save.³⁹ Avraham, however, was unaware of this reality and mistakenly thought that Hashem was going to unjustly destroy them and their land.

Collective salvation – According to this approach there is no discussion of collective salvation by either Avraham or Hashem; both believe that the sinners need to be punished and that it would be unjust for them to be saved.⁴⁰

Why does Avraham stop at ten? R. Yehuda HeChasid and Radak assert if there were less than ten righteous people, there would no longer be any justification to save the land.⁴¹  Regarding the salvation of the righteous, though, it should not matter how many or few there were; each individual should be saved for his own deeds regardless of the presence of others.  The Ma'asei Hashem, in fact, asserts that Avraham had planned on asking Hashem to save even one, but Hashem ended the conversation before he could.

Final outcome – Though Hashem agreed to Avraham's request, the land and people were destroyed since there were no righteous people.

Why was Lot saved? Radak and the Ma'asei Hashem both maintain that Lot was not righteous and was saved not due to his own merits, but out of kindness to Avraham.⁴²

Why does Hashem consult with Avraham about Sedom? These commentators could explain like RashbamBereshit 18:17About R. Shemuel b. Meir that Hashem told Avraham about Sedom because Hashem was going to destroy land which belonged to Avraham.⁴³

Only for the Righteous

Avraham was praying only for the righteous, that they should not be punished due to the rest of the people's sins.

Sources:4Q252Qumran Scroll 4Q252 Fragments 1,3-5 Column 3About the Qumran Scrolls,⁴⁴ JosephusAntiquities 1:11:3 (199)About Josephus, SfornoBereshit 18:17Bereshit 18:24,26About R. Ovadyah Sforno, BiurBereshit 18:23,24,26About the Biur, HaRekhasim Levik'ahBereshit 18:23About R. Yehuda Leib Frankfurter, R. Y"S ReggioBereshit 18:18Bereshit 18:23,24,26Bereshit 19:16About R. Yitzchak Shemuel Reggio⁴⁵

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע" – All of these sources assume that Avraham is protesting the injustice of killing the righteous together with the sinners,⁴⁶ but they disagree regarding the meaning of the word "הַאַף".

• Also – R. Y"S Reggio understands it to mean "הגם"‎ and that Avraham is saying, "Will you kill also the righteous?"⁴⁷
• Anger – The Biur, instead, relates the word to anger,⁴⁸ and has Avraham question why Hashem needs to act with His attribute of justice, which inevitably leads to collective rather than individual punishment.⁴⁹

"הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה וְלֹא תִשָּׂא לַמָּקוֹם לְמַעַן חֲמִשִּׁים הַצַּדִּיקִם" – These commentators all agree that this sentence is a continuation of Avraham's original argument (and not a new request for collective salvation of the wicked), but they differ in their specific understandings of the verse:

• In contrast to most commentators, Sforno⁵⁰ reads these words of Avraham as a statement and not a question.⁵¹  The word "אַף" is understood as "even though"⁵² rather than "also" or "anger", as above.  Thus, Avraham is telling Hashem, "Even though you do not plan to save the wicked due to the righteous, it is still unfathomable that you should kill the righteous with the wicked...".⁵³
• The Biur and R. Y"S Reggio assert that Avraham realized that Hashem meant to destroy Sedom via a messenger⁵⁴ who would not be able to differentiate between good and evil.⁵⁵  He, thus, requests that Hashem save the entire immediate vicinity of the righteous so that the righteous not perish together with the wicked.⁵⁶

Meaning of "לַמָּקוֹם" – Sforno explains "לַמָּקוֹם" to refer to all of the people in the city, whereas the Biur and R. Y"S Reggio explain it to mean the people in the specific area inhabited by the righteous.⁵⁷

Relationship between the requests in verses 23-25 – According to this approach, all three verses form a single argument that justice demands that the righteous not be killed with the sinners. 

• According to Sforno, verse 23 is Avraham's opening question and then verses 24-25 together act as a reinforcing statement.  In them Avraham reiterates that although he does not expect the sinners to be saved, nonetheless the righteous should not die.
• The Biur and R. Y"S Reggio instead read verse 24 as a suggestion of how to implement the justice requested in verse 23.⁵⁸  In verse 25, Avraham concludes that if his suggestion is not taken, injustice will be done.⁵⁹

Collective punishment – According to the Biur and R. Y"S Reggio,⁶⁰ Avraham erroneously thought that Hashem meant to collectively punish the city.  In reality, though, Hashem knew all along that there were no righteous to save, and thus He had no qualms about sending a messenger who would destroy indiscriminately.

Collective salvation – These sources divide in their understanding of the role of collective salvation in the story:

• According to Sforno, the Biur, and R. Y"S Reggio, even though Avraham only spoke about saving the righteous, Hashem responded that He would be even willing to save the wicked⁶¹ if there were enough righteous people⁶² to merit this.⁶³ Thus, Hashem was willing to not only avert collective punishment but also to collectively save.⁶⁴
• According to 4Q252 and the HaRekhasim Levik'ah, in contrast, neither Avraham nor Hashem looked to save the sinners, as they did not deserve it. In fact, it is probably a discomfort with the concept of collective salvation that motivates their entire read of the story.⁶⁵

Why does Avraham stop at ten? The fact that Avraham stops praying at ten is difficult for this position, since they view it as unjust for even one virtuous person to be punished undeservedly.

Final outcome – Sforno asserts that the Divine messengers are sent to verify whether there are any righteous.  Upon concluding that there are not, they destroy the city.

Why was Lot saved? According to R. Y"S Reggio,⁶⁶ Lot was not a sinner per se, but his choice to leave Avraham and dwell among the corrupt inhabitants of Sedom made him deserving of some level of punishment.⁶⁷  Due to Avraham's merits, though, Hashem decided to spare him completely.

Why does Hashem consult with Avraham about Sedom?

• "לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט" – Sforno explains that Hashem wanted to teach Avraham about his attributes of both mercy and justice.  Wherever there is a quorum of righteous who might be able to lead the wicked to repent, Hashem is willing to grant them a stay.  If not, though, justice will be carried out.⁶⁸
• "הָיוֹ יִהְיֶה לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל" –  The Biur and R. Y"S Reggio assert that since Avraham was to become the father of a well known nation, Hashem did not want future generations to complain that Avraham had not attempted to avert the disaster.⁶⁹  Hashem, thus, gave him an opening to pray on Sedom's behalf.⁷⁰

¹ Cf. the Septuagint which translates 18:24 as:  "If there should be fifty righteous in the city, will you destroy them?  Will you not let the whole place go free on account of the fifty righteous, if they should be in it?"  The LXX may have worked off a text which read "תספם", and it places the major pause on this word, thus punctuating the sentence differently than the Masoretic cantillations.  According to the Septuagint, Avraham is clearly making a dual request.

² See also the Divrei David(Taz) Bereshit 18:25About R. David HaLevi Segal.  Both interpret Rashi as saying that the words "חָלִלָה לְּךָ" refer back to the possibility of Hashem not sparing the wicked.  R. Wolf HeidenheimHavanat HaMikra Bereshit 18:23-25About R. Wolf Heidenheim disagrees and says instead that even according to Rashi the words "חָלִלָה לְּךָ" refer to what follows.  He also reads "הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה וְלֹא תִשָּׂא לַמָּקוֹם" like SfornoBereshit 18:24,26About R. Ovadyah Sforno below.  The result is that even though R. Heidenheim also maintains that (according to Rashi) Avraham supports saving the evildoers, his plea for them is much more muted.
It is noteworthy that in many manuscripts of Rashi the words "חָלִלָה לְּךָ" appear only before "חולין הוא לך", which might support R. Heidenheim's interpretation.  However, in Leipzig 1, Parma 181, and Vatican 94, the דיבור המתחיל of "חָלִלָה לְּךָ" precedes the sentence of "‏ואם תאמר...‏".

³ R. Yosef Bekhor Shor asserts that Avraham understood from Hashem's words "הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי עָשׂוּ כָּלָה" that Hashem intended to collectively destroy the entire city.  See also Malbim that Avraham was concerned because destroying angels do not distinguish between innocent and guilty parties.

⁴ However, the commentators differ in their interpretations of the word "הַאַף": According to R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, "הַאַף" means "also" and modifies the word "צַדִּיק" (not "תִּסְפֶּה"). Avraham is asking Hashem, "[If the sinners are the ones responsible for the outcry] will also the righteous perish with them?" Most of the other commentators assert instead that the word "הַאַף‎" refers to Hashem's anger, and that Avraham is asking that Hashem not allow His anger to cause the worthy to perish with the wicked. The phrase, thus, reads: "will [your] anger destroy the righteous with the wicked?" R. D"Z Hoffmann points out that according to this reading the word "אף" is acting as a feminine noun (as it takes the feminine form of the verb). Elsewhere in Tanakh, though, the word is masculine. See, for instance: Bereshit 30:2, Shemot 22:23, and 32:10.

⁵ According to them, the word "לַמָּקוֹם" is an example of metonymy, and refers to all of the people of the city, rather than to merely the physical locale itself.

⁶ These sources might understand the word "צַדִּיק" to mean "innocent" rather than "righteous". Avraham is arguing that it would be unjust to collectively kill anyone who is undeserving of capital punishment, even if they are not particularly virtuous.

⁷ See Bereshit Rabbah 49:13 and Rashi that Avraham prepared multiple approaches.

⁸ Cf. R. Hirsch and R. Y"S Reggio below who also translate "לְמַעַן" as for the good of, rather than "because of". There are several points of contact between the Ran and Akeidat Yitzchak's variation and the approach of R. Hirsch below.

⁹ According to R. D"Z Hoffmann, Avraham did not think that it was possible that there would be Divine providence on the individual level and that only righteous individuals would be saved.  Thus, he does not pray for this scenario.

¹⁰ Thus, even before Avraham began to pray, Hashem had already sent messengers to ascertain whether there were righteous people in Sedom who deserved to be saved (see Shadal).

¹¹ However, the assembling of the entire city ("מִנַּעַר וְעַד זָקֵן כָּל הָעָם מִקָּצֶה") to harm the Divine messengers in Chapter 19 amply demonstrated that, other than Lot, there were no righteous people to be saved.  Regarding the theological issue, see also Collective Punishment and Are Children Punished for Parents' Sins?.

¹² R. D"Z Hoffmann notes that there other Biblical texts which appear to take for granted the legitimacy of collective punishment.

¹³ See below, that R. D"Z Hoffmann maintains that Lot was saved only for the sake of Avraham.  Theoretically, though, there could have been other (less than ten) righteous people in Sedom who perished in the destruction.

¹⁴ According to Shadal, "צַדִּיק" must mean "righteous", and not merely "innocent".

¹⁵ This included Lot, his wife, his two married daughters and their spouses, and his two unmarried daughters and their prospective husbands.  It was only when Lot's sons-in-law (or prospective sons-in-law) mocked him and refused to leave with him (Bereshit 19:14), that it became clear that there was no quorum of righteous people.  It should be noted, however, that not all commentators agree that Lot's unmarried daughters were engaged, and some maintain that Lot had a total of only two daughters (both unmarried).

¹⁶ According to Abarbanel, Avraham was not even praying for all of the cities, but only for Sedom alone, since that was the abode of Lot.

¹⁷ See R. D"Z Hoffmann who disagrees.

¹⁸ He points out that in the end, there were only four people who were worthy, and thus they simply departed the city, there being no reason to save it.

¹⁹ Regarding whether Hashem agreed to save the individual righteous (if there were less than ten), see the saving of Lot below.

²⁰ Commentators disagree over whether Zoar was ultimately destroyed after Lot departed from the city.  See Bereshit 19:31 and Devarim 29:22 and 34:1-3.

²¹ Abarbanel contradicts himself.  He expresses this idea at the end of chapter 18, but on 19:29, he asserts that Lot did not deserve salvation since he had decided to join the wicked, and that he was saved only due to the merits of Avraham.

²² These commentators would maintain that Hashem's acquiescing to save the righteous was an application of strict justice.  However, for R. D"Z Hoffmann below who views collective punishment as legitimate, Hashem acceded to Avraham's request only out of mercy.

²³ See above that according to the Akeidat Yitzchak, the entire city of Zoar was saved because Lot completed their quota of ten righteous people.

²⁴ According to this, Lot passed with flying colors the hospitality test of Hashem's messengers, and he was thus tagged as righteous. For an analysis of Lot's character, see A Portrait of Lot.

²⁵ Ramban explains similarly, but he adds that Hashem wanted to prevent future generations from complaining that Avraham made no attempt to stop the destruction.
Other commentator offer alternatives.  Rashi and R. Yosef Bekhor Shor posit that Hashem needed to inform Avraham of the destruction because the land had been previously promised to him, and he needed to understand why it was to be destroyed. See also Abarbanel, Shadal, and R. D"Z Hoffmann, who suggest that Hashem's intimate relationship with Avraham led Hashem to reveal His plans.  Interestingly, Hashem cites Avraham's qualities of "צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט" which are exactly the Divine attributes to which Avraham appeals.

²⁶ He does not address the meaning of the word "הַאַף" but seems to understand it as "also".  

²⁷ According to R. Hirsch, Avraham assumed that any righteous person who lived in Sedom must have invested much effort in correcting his neighbors' behavior and tried to turn them towards the right path.

²⁸ See above that the righteous would be pained to watch the destruction of their neighbors whom they had tried so valiantly (though unsuccessfully) to reform.

²⁹ R. Hirsch might be hesitant to suggest that the wicked should simply be saved collectively with the righteous, since they do not really deserve pardon.  Thus, he instead has Avraham justify their salvation by pointing out how their destruction would be an unjust punishment for others.

³⁰ R. Hirsch attempts to explain that their distress at each lost life would be so great that it was almost like being killed, "והיה סובל יסורי – מות באבדן כל נפש".  This, though, is not the simple reading of the verse.

³¹ Cf. Divrei David(Taz) Bereshit 18:25About R. David HaLevi Segal.

³² See above note, that Avraham, too, was not expecting the wicked to be saved only because of the merits of the righteous, but in order to prevent unjust suffering on the part of the righteous.

³³ R. Hirsch explains that in Hashem's answer to Avraham, He uses the word "בַּעֲבוּרָם" rather than Avraham's "לְמַעַן" to show that He is saving the wicked not for the good of the righteous, but because of their very existence.

³⁴ He points out that the opposite is true as well.  If there were many righteous in the city, it is likely that the attitude of the wicked towards them was motivated by fear, and not indicative of a modicum of conscience.

³⁵ Radak explains "הַאַף" to mean "הגם" and that Avraham is questioning if killing the righteous with the wicked is also part of the sentence of the wicked. [Cf. Rashi and R"Y Bekhor Shor above.]  Radak also brings the opinion of Onkelos and Ramban above, that "הַאַף" relates to anger and Avraham is questioning if Hashem's anger is leading him to kill also the righteous.

³⁶ Throughout the Torah, the sins of people affect the land, incurring a punishment on it as well. In the flood story, for example, the violence of the people led not just to their destruction but to that of the world itself. Here, too, Hashem planned to destroy the city and ground together with the evil people, and according to this position, Avraham tries to prevent this.

³⁷ He adds that Avraham might be further motivated to save the land because it belonged to him as part of Hashem's promise.

³⁸ The Ma'asei Hashem rejects the possibility that the verse refers to all of the people of the city, wicked included, since it is unfathomable that Avraham should ask that sinners who had not repented should go unpunished. In addition, he asserts that Avraham is explicitly asking that justice be done, while saving the sinners is not an act of justice, but rather of mercy.

³⁹ Radak implies that collective punishment is affected by the level of righteousness of the individual.  If worthy, he will be saved despite the surrounding destruction, but if he is less worthy he might perish together with them.  In this case, it is unclear if all were active sinners or simply not righteous enough.

⁴⁰ This issue is one of the motivating factors leading the Ma'asei Hashem to maintain that the discussion in verse 24 is about the land rather than the wicked of the city.

⁴¹ Radak notes that in Yechezkel 22, Hashem seems willing to save the land for even just one good person.  He suggests that there the person spoken of is a totally righteous person who attempted to reform those around him.  If no such people are to be found, though, there is not enough merit to save a city.  As further proof that sometimes the land will be destroyed despite the presence of even very righteous people, Radak points to Yechezkel 14:16 where Hashem says that though Noach, Daniel and Iyyov might be saved, "the land will lay barren".

⁴² According to Radak, Avraham had not prayed for Lot at all, not knowing if he was deserving.  The Ma'asei Hashem, though, maintains that Avraham had intended to pray for Lot individually but was not given a chance.  Hashem, who knew of this desire of Avraham, granted it anyway.

⁴³ Radak, though, says that Hashem had multiple reasons for sharing with Avraham.  As most of the world was to descend from Avraham, it was only right to share His plans for them.  In addition, Hashem hoped that Avraham's children would learn from the fate of Sedom to do what is right.  [Sharing the prediction about Sedom with Avraham would make it obvious that Hashem rewards and punishes and would preclude the possibility that this was simply a coincidental natural disaster.]  Finally, Hashem wanted Avraham to question His justice, attempt to find merits, and through the process to better understand His judgments.

⁴⁴ The text of this section of the 4Q252 Commentary on Genesis is very fragmentary.  The text presented here incorporates much of the proposed reconstruction of G. Barzilai, "פירוש קדום מקומראן על עונשם של אנשי סדום", Daf Shevui of Bar Ilan University #210 (5758).

⁴⁵ Reggio is following the Biur as usual.  See the introduction to his commentary which makes explicit that his project was an Italian version of Mendelssohn's Sefer Netivot ha-Shalom (known as the Biur).  A comparison of Reggio's Italian translation and Hebrew commentary with the Biur points to a great if not complete indebtedness.

⁴⁶ R. Y"S Reggio asserts that Avraham understood from Hashem's words "הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי עָשׂוּ כָּלָה" that he was planning on bringing total destruction on the city. Sforno who, instead, maintains that the word "כָּלָה" means כולם, must find a different verse which led Avraham to assume that Hashem meant to punish all. He thus suggests that Hashem's words "זַעֲקַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה כִּי רָבָּה" led Avraham to believe that Hashem was judging the city based on the majority of its inhabitants, and not each according to his deeds.

⁴⁷ Cf. Rashi, R"Y Bekhor Shor, and Radak above.

⁴⁸ Cf. Ramban and others above.

⁴⁹ See below that he assumes that Hashem was to destroy Sedom via a messenger ("משחית") who would not differentiate between good and evil, especially given that he was sent to quell Hashem's anger.

⁵⁰ See also R. Wolf HeidenheimHavanat HaMikra Bereshit 18:23-25About R. Wolf Heidenheim who interprets Rashi similarly.

⁵¹ Sforno ignores the initial "ה" in the word "הַאַף" which is normally read as a question marker, or "ה' השאלה".

⁵² This matches the word's meaning in most of its occurrences in Tanakh, and is thus an advantage for Sforno's interpretation.

⁵³ Sforno is assuming that verses 24-25 are not two distinct statements but one connected one.

⁵⁴ Avraham saw that the angels who had been speaking with him headed towards Sedom, leading him to conclude that they, rather than Hashem Himself, were sent to fulfill the decree of destruction.

⁵⁵ They compare this to the משחית in Egypt who also could not differentiate on his own between the Israelites and Egyptians. When such messengers bring destruction, there is inevitably collective punishment and it is against this that Avraham is arguing.  Cf. Malbim above who similarly points to the משחית's role in collective punishment.

⁵⁶ As evidence, R. Y"S Reggio points to the word "לְמַעַן" which he understands to mean "for the sake of" rather than "because of".  Avraham is asking Hashem to save the area immediately surrounding the righteous, for their benefit.  Cf. R. Hirsch above.

⁵⁷ Cf. the Netziv who suggests that Avraham is purposely ambiguous.  Not knowing if Hashem would really be willing to save all the inhabitants for the sake of the righteous, he simply asks that "the place" be saved rather than "all of the place".  Thus, if Hashem wanted to, he could understand the word to include all the inhabitants, but if He was unwilling, He could interpret it to include just the vicinity of the righteous, and save at least them.

⁵⁸ Hashem can save the righteous by not destroying the whole area in which they live.

⁵⁹ According to both of these reads, there is no back and forth in Avraham's argument, but one point leads to the next.  R. Y"S Reggio adds that the word "חָלִלָה" is used because even though collective punishment might be justified in some circumstances, these are not readily understandable, and using this mode of punishment in Sedom would lead to a desecration of God's name.

⁶⁰ Sforno likely agrees, but he is not explicit on this point.

⁶¹ R. Y"S Reggio notes that this was one of the important lessons that Avraham learned from this dialogue ("והודיעו בזה דרכי טובו יתברך שהוא סולח לעונות הרבים בשביל זכות המעטים").

⁶² Sforno defines the righteous as people who are willing to protest the evil of Sedom and stand up against the wicked and attempt to reform them.  Cf. Radak above.

⁶³ R. Y"S Reggio supports this change of focus by contrasting Avraham's usage of the word "לְמַעַן" (for the sake of), with Hashem saying that he will save the wicked, "בַּעֲבוּרָם", due to the merits of the righteous. Cf. R. Hirsch's discussion of the different terms above.

⁶⁴ According to these commentators, the conversation between Avraham and Hashem switches its focus after Avraham's initial request. Once Avraham realizes Hashem is willing to even save the wicked, he bargains with that goal in mind. These commentators, thus, are not bothered by the notion of collective salvation, and this is not what is driving their read of the verses. Perhaps they are simply uncomfortable with the notion of Avraham demanding something which is undeserved.

⁶⁵ Given the strict nature of the Qumran community, it is not surprising that they would be motivated to read the story as one revolving around strict justice, with no room for mercy on the sinners. In fact, they look to this story as the prototype of the עיר הנדחת, the idolatrous city whose inhabitants and their possessions are totally obliterated.

⁶⁶ This point is not explicit in the Biur.

⁶⁷ Cf. Mishna Negaim 12:6:  "אוי לרשע אוי לשכנו".

⁶⁸ Cf. the Biur who suggests that, in sharing the fate of Sedom, Hashem ensured that Avraham's descendants would internalize the traits of "צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט", knowing that Sedom's lack thereof led to its destruction.

⁶⁹ In this they follow Ramban above.

⁷⁰ In addition, Hashem simply did not want to hide anything from Avraham, His chosen and loyal follower.