פירוש על בראשית 18:28

התשחית בחמשה WILT THOU DESTROY ON ACCOUNT OF THE FIVE — Will there not still be nine for each city, and You, the All-Righteous One of the Universe, can be counted with them to make up the original number of ten! (Genesis Rabbah 49:9).

I WILL NOT DESTROY IT IF I FIND THERE. He assured him that He would not destroy it if that number of righteous men will be found there. And He did not tell him, “Know that there is not such a number there as you said,” since their trial had not been completed, just as He said, I will go down now, and see.¹⁶⁷Verse 21 here.
Now Abraham did not know what would be done to them. Therefore, he rose early in the morning and looked towards Sodom,¹⁶⁸Further, 19:27-28. and upon seeing that they were destroyed, he knew that the required number of righteous men had not been there.

התשחית בחמשה את כל העיר, let me know if it is a definite rule of Your system of justice that unless there is a minimum of ten righteous people in a town You will destroy that town? If You were to do this, the result would be that the fifth city will be wiped out on account of five missing people! [based on the first Mishnah in Sanhedrin that only an עדה, quorum of ten male adults can “save” the accused. Ed.]