In Genesis 18:21, the word "outcry" is a technical legal term for a cry for help from a great injustice. In Ancient Near Eastern jurisprudence, the judge would have to be present in order to make a judgment; a visible, tangible presence would be necessary. God was therefore exercising the role of an ancient judge. This is obvious in that God manifested in a visible form for this occasion; if this were only a matter of needing to come down and see because He was not omnipresent, the visible manifestation is superfluous.

Furthermore, the word for "know" in both Genesis 18:21 and 2 Chronicles 32:31 can also mean to recognize or consider, and does not, in this context, imply a previous lack of knowledge.