בראשית, פרק י״ח, פסוק ל׳

Abraham continues his negotiation over the fate of Sodom, now asking God to reduce the required number of righteous people to thirty, while expressing a deep fear of divine anger. He explicitly asks God not to be upset with him [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This hesitation stems from a concern that his persistent questioning and repeated demands for justice might become burdensome [רד״ק]. Another perspective suggests that Abraham was worried about divine strictness because he was attempting to combine his own personal merit with the defense of the cities. He hoped that God would protect one city in His own merit, while Abraham would protect another to complete the required count [אור החיים].

The sudden shift to reducing the target number by tens, rather than by fives as he did previously, was a deliberate choice by Abraham to keep his words brief and avoid prolonging the discussion unnecessarily [רד״ק]. However, the request for thirty can also be seen as a logical deduction from God's previous responses. Since four cities form a protective majority over a minority, three cities—which would require thirty righteous people, ten for each city—would also constitute a majority against the two remaining cities. Abraham wanted to state this logic explicitly to ensure he understood God's standard correctly [מלבי״ם].

God responds with a promise not to bring about destruction [ביאור יש״ר]. Commentators differ on the exact scope of this salvation. One approach maintains that God confirms Abraham's logic; if thirty righteous people are found, He will not cause any ruin, and even the two cities lacking righteous inhabitants will be spared because of the majority [מלבי״ם]. On the other hand, the promise might be much narrower, with God committing only to spare the three specific cities that are the least guilty among the five, leaving the others to face judgment [ספורנו].