Genesis 18:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Because the patriarch previously declared, 'I will speak once more,' it is noted that the Lord departed and stopped communicating with Abraham, who then returned to his own dwelling.

The Lord departed, leaving uncertainty as to whether Abraham concluded his prayers, believing there must be at least ten righteous individuals in Sodom (Gen. 18: 32), or if God ended their dialogue by His exit. To avoid any sense of incompleteness, it is important to recognize that the outcome is further illustrated through the events involving Sodom and Lot.

The Lord chose to depart from Abraham, preventing him from continuing his plea so that Abraham would not suffer the sorrow of realizing that only Lot and his household remained righteous in Sodom. This was also to allow the event of Sodom's destruction to unfold fully according to God's purpose, which had not been completely disclosed during their dialogue. Abraham returned to his location, specifically to the oak of Mamre, and from this vantage point, the following morning, he witnessed the smoke and flames rising from the doomed cities (Gen. 19:28). Lot's righteousness was such that, through Abraham's intercession, it sufficed to deliver only him and his family from the doom that awaited the wicked.