Hi. I'm new to the forum and I wanted to post a thread here since debates are not allowed in the Jehovah's Witnesses forum. Also, even though I'm a former Jehovah's Witness, this debate is for anyone to participate in.
But to start off, quoting from JWs' translation of the Bible, The New World Translation, Genesis 18:20-21 says:
Then Jehovah said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is very heavy. I will go down to see whether they are acting according to the outcry that has reached me. And if not, I can get to know it."
So in essence, Jehovah is saying that he NEEDS to go down to see whether or not the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are acting accordingly to the outcries and complaints against them. And if they are not, then he can get to know that too.
But my question is: Why would Jehovah NOT know every little thing that is going on in a recently fallen and now sinful world, and isn't keeping a VERY close eye on it? Because something doesn't sound right to me. Therefore, could either a Jehovah's Witness or anyone else, please explain these verses to me?
First, I'm not a JW. However I'm Christian and so I'll try to help you with this verse. I'll use the KJV because I don't really use the new world translation except maybe when talking to Jehovah's Witnesses or something.
King James Version:
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
The point of Genesis 18:20-21 is much better understood in context. So in context God was with 2 angels. These angels were then sent to Sodom disguised as peaceful travelers to see what the Sodomites would do to them. It was a test. If they passed the test, the city would be spared. But if they mistreated the two angels then God would consider their judgment final.
Obviously, we don't know the exact details of the type of sins the people of Sodom were doing. However what we can guess is that they were preying on peaceful travelers that came through their land. You may notice how careful Abraham is on the other hand to entertain travelers. He is very kind to them and that was considered a big deal at the time. (And it still should be!) But anyway, the people of Sodom were apparently not too worried about angels disguised as travelers or anyone else bothering them about their lack of hospitality.
So let's re-examine the text in this light.
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now,
(in other words God would send the two angels, his representatives/messengers) and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it,
(in other words the messengers would be disguised as travelers to test the people of Sodom) which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
(in other words, God would judge the cities of the plain of Sodom according to the result of the test)
So in conclusion. Of course God already knows. But the point God is making here is that He is going to be extra fair and do things in their proper order. Just like in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned; God still questioned them about it. In this case God is going to actually put them(the cities of the plain of Sodom) to one final test. A hospitality test. Which explains why the writer of Hebrews said:
" Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2)