Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 19:18
And Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords!”
Torah Temimah points to Shevuos 35b.
TT lemma: אל נא אדני.
English: “Please, no, my lords.” All the names mentioned in connection with Lot are secular, except this one: “And he said, ‘Please, no, my Lord…’” — the One who has the power to kill and to give life is the Holy One, blessed be He.
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. A distinction is drawn between secular and sacred uses of the divine title.
In Lot’s speech, only the address “Adonai” in this verse is sacred; every other occurrence is secular. Here he is appealing to the One who alone can kill or give life.