Figleaf Cups in Contact Sports

In Genesis 18, Moses describes Abraham's attempt to succour the city of Sodom against the judgement intended upon it by "the Judge of all the earth [v. 25, ibid.]." The king's translators, in rendering this account in English, add two words to verse 28 which figleaf Abraham's 'subtle' nature, as described by Moses.

According to Moses, Abraham begins his defense of Sodom presupposing there could be fifty righteous in the city under indictment; asking the one he calls "the Judge of all the earth": "wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein [Genesis 18:24b]?" To which query he is given the response that, if there be fifty righteous in Sodom, the city will be spared for their sakes.

Upon receiving this favorable response, Abraham immediately changes the point upon which the controversy thus engaged turns, from one concerning the possibility of there being fifty righteous in the city, into a fantastical spectacle– a specter– of righteous being condemned by association with the wicked.

(How few righteous does it take to secure a wicked city such as Sodom? That's the question. All by himself, Abe was, presumably, a city. In earlier events, Abe allegedly had no fewer than three- hundred- eighteen "trained" servants in his household [Genesis 14:14].)

Abe allegedly asks 'the Judge': "Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five [Genesis 18:28a & b]?" To which 'the Judge' ably responds with, "If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it [Genesis 18:28d & e]."

The rest of the dialogue between Abe and 'the Judge' consists of Abe progressively begging the requisite number of righteous necessary to succour Sodom lowered until, at the last, the agreed number is one- fifth (20%) of his original plea. Sold! at 10 'righteous [Whatever that means,]'. If there are ten 'righteous' men in wicked Sodom, Sodom will be counted out of the coming holocaust. The rest of this tale is not germaine, per se, to the current subject.

The questionable element– the figleaf over Abe's 'subtle' nature, alluded to in paragraph one– in verse 28, is the two words added by the king's translators: "lack of." The original text is more forthcoming about what was really said, it would seem, inasmuch as the application of Abe's figleaf is gratuitous, at best. Rendered free of the translators' 'corrections', Genesis 18:28 reads: "Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it [Genesis 18:28]."

"Wilt thou destroy all the city for five?" One might ask Abraham, at such a moment, "What about all the wickedness you've continually courted, Abe? If there aren't fifty righteous in a city the size of Sodom: what business have you to rescue– not Sodom only, but– all the cities of the valley by force of arms [Genesis 14]; and succour them generally, safe- guarding "the way" to Sodom [v. 16 - 18, ibid.]? If the land can't contain Lot and you both [Genesis 13:6]: why do you stay so close to each other?" The number was fifty. The current operation– the aforementioned 'point upon which the controversy thus engaged turns'-- is a matter of adding a negative- five to fifty; not the whole shooting- match in five.

I think Abe's bleeding heart talks like the father of all proverbial 'used- car salesmen'. That's what I think the translators so covered- up: Abe's 'Bait and Switch'.