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. 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.
The verse records Abraham asking whether Sodom would be spared if twenty righteous people, also described as honest people, were found there, and God's promise not to destroy it for twenty's sake. The request was one step in repeated, persevering intercession that continued as each request was granted until assurance was given that even ten would spare the city. In the event only ten could be found, and Sodom, corrupted by licentiousness, was destroyed.
The plea was offered humbly and reverently, without claiming merit from obedience yet with trusting confidence like a child with a loving father. It was inspired by love for people facing destruction and revealed a noble, benevolent disposition that suffers much and feels deeply for others. It reveals the same tender spirit that was bowed with grief and deeply moved with paternal feeling when sending Hagar and Ishmael away to wander as strangers in a strange land. In this work Abraham acted as God's representative to Sodom, not shutting himself away but maintaining friendly relations with the kings of the surrounding nations, so that through fidelity, integrity, unselfishness, valor, and benevolence God was revealed through him in Mesopotamia, in Canaan, in Egypt, and even to the inhabitants of Sodom.
The exchange shows God's willingness to spare a guilty city if enough righteous are found, extending mercy and restraining judgment for the sake of the righteous. The example teaches compassionate intercession from faith in God: to plead for the erring rather than condemning them, joining hatred of sin with pity and love for the sinner and urgent concern for those whose time of mercy is ending. It calls for giving courageous, compassionate help instead of criticism and censure. As part of the Genesis 18-19 message, the verse calls hearers to seek the Lord most earnestly, take a more decided stand for the Lord, and move beyond merely professional belief in the truth to obedience to all requirements, with confession and earnest prayer.