Genesis 18:20

Genesis 18:20, in plain English

The LORD says that the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is very great and that their sin is extremely grievous.

Why it's here

Now God shares the serious matter. There are victims crying out from these cities—their suffering has reached God's ears. The sin isn't just personal wrongdoing; it's systemic injustice that's harming real people. This is why Abraham needs to know what's coming.

Who's speaking

The LORD speaking to Abraham about what He sees

Where it sits in the story

God is about to judge these cities, but He's also inviting Abraham to intercede for them. The conversation about Sodom begins here, and it will show Abraham wrestling with God over justice and mercy.

The scholarly reading

The LORD declares that the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is grievous—introducing the specific basis for the judgment that Abraham is about to learn about.

Language and setting

The term 'outcry' (זְעָקָה, zeakah) in biblical usage often denotes the cry of the oppressed rising to heaven (Exodus 3:7; Job 34:28). This is significant: Sodom's sin is not abstract moral failure but the oppression of vulnerable people whose suffering cries out to God. The phrase 'their sin is very heavy' (חַטָּאתָם כִּי־כָבְדָה מְאֹד, chattatam ki-chavdah meod) uses the root כבד (kbd), suggesting not merely moral wrong but a weight or burden that has accumulated. Some ancient commentators (notably Ezekiel 16:49) specify that Sodom's sin involves pride, oppression of the poor, and the arrogant refusal of hospitality—the very antithesis of what Abraham has just demonstrated toward his guests.

Voice

The LORD, articulating the grounds for the coming judgment with emphasis on the cry of the oppressed.

Significance

This verse begins the second narrative movement of Genesis 18-19, shifting from promise to judgment. The connection between Sodom's sin (oppression, inhospitality) and Abraham's righteousness (hospitality, justice) creates a stark moral contrast. The narrative suggests that faithfulness to the covenant requires not merely personal obedience but active resistance to injustice in one's community. Abraham's intercession in the following verses must be read against this backdrop: he is confronting God about the inclusion of the innocent in collective judgment.

18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

19For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

20Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous,

21I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.”

22And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.

Read all of Genesis 18 — Strangers arrive at Abraham's tent. One of them is the Lord. And Abraham dares to argue with God about justice.