The LORD said: these words introduce the next sequence following the LORD’s reflection. Although the text does not include the words “to Abraham,” it is clear that the rest of verses 20-21 is addressed to Abraham as a result of the LORD’s decision not to withhold his intentions from Abraham. In the light of this, Good News Translation and others have “said to Abraham.”
Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great: outcry translates the word “cry” and can be taken to mean “the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah,” as in King James Version. This can also mean that these towns are regarded as people crying out to God to punish their evil inhabitants. Another view is that innocent people in the cities are crying out against the sinful inhabitants of the cities. Whatever the source of the outcry, it is clear that it has reached the hearing of the LORD, who now wishes to establish whether or not it is true. Another view is that there is slight difference in the words translated outcry in verses 20 and 21. In verse 20 the meaning should be “outrage,” since the term forms a parallelism with sin in the second half of the verse. Speiser takes this view and translates “the outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great….” The term “outrage” refers to conduct or behavior that is extremely violent and bad. Good News Translation and others prefer “terrible accusations against….” In translation this may also be expressed as “I have heard much talk about evil deeds in…” or “I have received a bad report about those two towns.”
Whether the translator uses one or the other of the above models, in many languages it will be necessary to make clear the source of the outcry, bad conduct, or accusations. For example, “Because I have heard people cry out against…,” “… heard about the bad way the people do,” “… heard the accusations people make against….”
Their sin is very grave: that is, “they do very evil things,” or “they are very bad people.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .