More etymology stories

In Genesis 18, we read of God appearing as three men before Abraham. I argued that this cannot be used as any evidence of proving the concept of the Blessing Trinity from the Old Testament. I quoted some pet theories of scholars such as "royal plurality" and "hosts of angels" to explain. I even hypothesized that this might be the leftovers, the fossil evidence of the transition from polytheism to monotheism. After reading further, the question should be settled once and for all.
The story continues with the famous Bargain Story between God and Abraham. It is a perpetual pleasure to read of the bargaining tactics of Abraham. He was arguing from an inferior position and knew where to stop. It goes like this.
The three men set off to Sodom. Abraham accompanied them to show them the way. He had already extended hospitality towards these strangers and fulfilled the obligations of Near East customs. Abraham was rewarded with the promise of the birth of a son from Sarah because of his generosity (Genesis 18:10). Now, he finished his obligations by setting these strangers on their way.
Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way (Genesis 18:16).
Only then did God call Abraham by name. God showed His appreciation of Abraham's integrity.
The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him?
No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." (Genesis 18:17-19)
The language is a bit difficult for us to understand. God refers to Himself as a third person. Instead of saying my way, He said the way of the Lord instead. Instead of saying I may bring ... , He said the Lord may bring ... instead. Why? I have no satisfactory explanation.
So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the LORD (Genesis 18:22).
Two of them went ahead, leaving God and Abraham to continue the Bargain Story. Later, we learn that these two men were angels.
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth (Genesis 19:1).
Therefore, we now know that God brought along two angels to meet Abraham. The "hosts of angels" explanation prevails.
Now let us turn to the Bargain Story. First of all, why did Abraham bother to save the two wicked cities? It was all because of Lot. When he separated with his uncle Abram, Lot moved to Sodom. He was captured and carried away as a bystander at the battle among 9 chieftains. Abraham saved him. Now, some 25 years later, Abraham took action again to save his nephew. Very likely, had Isaac not been born, Lot would have become the legitimate next-of-kin to inherit the estates after the demise of Abraham.
Abraham was a seasoned negotiator. Watch how he opened the bargain.
Then Abraham drew near, and said, "Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:23-25)
Abraham took the initiative and the role as a reminder to remind God that He was righteous. If God destroys the righteous with the wicked, God is not righteous. The logic was simple and persuasive. Of course, God needs no reminder. Then why did Abraham open with such a high bid --- 50 righteous men? I think in ancient Near East, bargaining had already been established into a kind of ritual. Setting a high opening bid was probably a sign of respect. If Abraham set the opening at a lower bid, there would not be much room for further bargain. Probably, the number of rounds was also an indicator of honour. In short, bargaining might have been a ritual as well as a means to achieve profit.
Then, Abraham began to play on margins. But first of all, he switched his role. Instead of reminding God of His kindness, Abraham acknowledged his lowliness.
Abraham answered, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?" (Genesis 18:27-28a)
Gaining a toehold, Abraham advanced his foot.
Again he spoke to him, and said, "Suppose forty are found there."  (Genesis 18:29a)
And Abraham elbowed his way further.
Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." (Genesis 18:30a)
And further Abraham went, forgetting to mention his lowliness.
He said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." (Genesis 18:31a)
Here came the closing bid.
Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." (Genesis 18:32a)
After five rounds of bid, God left. Game over. A deal was struck.
And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place (Genesis 18:33).
Some scholars speculate that had Abraham persisted, one righteous man would be enough to save the cities. This is likely. One righteous Jesus is enough to save the whole world!
I have to apologize to my lady readers for the indecent language I have to use. Genesis 19 is a disgusting story to read, hinting at sodomy, gang-bang and incest. The names of the two cities have become obscene. Sodomy (Sodom) is the sexual act of penetrating the anus with the penis and Gonorrhoea (Gomorrah) a sexually transmitted disease. A pillar of salt in the desert (Genesis 19:26) is a reminder of Lot's wife who did not obey the instruction of the two angels and looked back to see how God destroyed the two sinful cities with brimstones and fire (an asteroid of just the right size to annihilate them?). Moabites were the fruits of incest between Lot and his elder daughter (Genesis 19:37) and Ammorites that of his younger daughter (Genesis 19:38) after they escaped to Zoar. It is a racist etymology story. Other details in Genesis 19 are offending to the sensibilities of readers in general. Man can be very degrading indeed.
Last year, the undergrads of CUHK included an erotic section in their newspaper. The general public was outraged and sent it to the Obscene Articles Tribunal for scrutiny and classification. Immediately, the Tribunal received many complaints about obscene passages in the Old Testament. People wondered if ancient, classical and sacred texts could be exempted from classification. In the end, OAT returned a Category I verdict which drew criticisms of not being transparent and professional from the Court of Law in Hong Kong. The general public is in need of more "media education".

Dear Lord, righteousness and mercy belong to You. Look on the poverty of Your people and make us live. Amen.