1 And there came H935 two H8147 angels H4397 to Sodom H5467 at even; H6153 and Lot H3876 sat H3427 in the gate H8179 of Sodom: H5467 and Lot H3876 seeing H7200 them rose up H6965 to meet H7125 them; and he bowed H7812 himself with his face H639 toward the ground; H776
2 And he said, H559 Behold now, my lords, H113 turn in, H5493 I pray you, into your servant's H5650 house, H1004 and tarry all night, H3885 and wash H7364 your feet, H7272 and ye shall rise up early, H7925 and go H1980 on your ways. H1870 And they said, H559 Nay; but we will abide H3885 in the street H7339 all night. H3885
3 And he pressed H6484 upon them greatly; H3966 and they turned in H5493 unto him, and entered H935 into his house; H1004 and he made H6213 them a feast, H4960 and did bake H644 unleavened bread, H4682 and they did eat. H398
4 But before they lay down, H7901 the men H582 of the city, H5892 even the men H582 of Sodom, H5467 compassed H5437 the house H1004 round, H5437 both old H2205 and young, H5288 all the people H5971 from every quarter: H7097
5 And they called H7121 unto Lot, H3876 and said H559 unto him, Where are the men H582 which came in H935 to thee this night? H3915 bring them out H3318 unto us, that we may know H3045 them.
6 And Lot H3876 went out H3318 at the door H6607 unto them, and shut H5462 the door H1817 after him, H310
7 And said, H559 I pray you, brethren, H251 do not so wickedly. H7489
8 Behold now, I have two H8147 daughters H1323 which have not known H3045 man; H376 let me, I pray you, bring them out H3318 unto you, and do H6213 ye to them as is good H2896 in your eyes: H5869 only unto these H411 men H582 do H6213 nothing; H408 H1697 for therefore came H935 they under the shadow H6738 of my roof. H6982
9 And they said, H559 Stand H5066 back. H1973 And they said H559 again, This one H259 fellow came in H935 to sojourn, H1481 and he will needs H8199 be a judge: H8199 now will we deal worse H7489 with thee, than with them. And they pressed H6484 sore H3966 upon the man, H376 even Lot, H3876 and came near H5066 to break H7665 the door. H1817
10 But the men H582 put forth H7971 their hand, H3027 and pulled H935 Lot H3876 into the house H1004 to them, and shut H5462 to the door. H1817
11 And they smote H5221 the men H582 that were at the door H6607 of the house H1004 with blindness, H5575 both small H6996 and great: H1419 so that they wearied H3811 themselves to find H4672 the door. H6607
12 And the men H582 said H559 unto Lot, H3876 Hast thou here H6311 any H4310 besides? son in law, H2860 and thy sons, H1121 and thy daughters, H1323 and whatsoever H834 thou hast in the city, H5892 bring them out H3318 of this place: H4725
13 For we H587 will destroy H7843 H853 this place, H4725 because the cry of them H6818 is waxen great H1431 before H854 the face H6440 of the LORD; H3068 and the LORD H3068 hath sent H7971 us to destroy H7843 it.
14 And Lot H3876 went out, H3318 and spake H1696 unto his sons in law, H2860 which married H3947 his daughters, H1323 and said, H559 Up, H6965 get you out H3318 of this place; H4725 for the LORD H3068 will destroy H7843 this city. H5892 But he seemed as one that mocked H6711 unto H5869 his sons in law. H2860
15 And when H3644 the morning H7837 arose, H5927 then the angels H4397 hastened H213 Lot, H3876 saying, H559 Arise, H6965 take H3947 thy wife, H802 and thy two H8147 daughters, H1323 which are here; H4672 lest thou be consumed H5595 in the iniquity H5771 of the city. H5892
16 And while he lingered, H4102 the men H582 laid hold H2388 upon his hand, H3027 and upon the hand H3027 of his wife, H802 and upon the hand H3027 of his two H8147 daughters; H1323 the LORD H3068 being merciful H2551 unto him: and they brought him forth, H3318 and set him H3240 without H2351 the city. H5892
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth H3318 abroad, H2351 that he said, H559 Escape H4422 for H5921 thy life; H5315 look H5027 not behind thee, H310 neither stay H5975 thou in all the plain; H3603 escape H4422 to the mountain, H2022 lest thou be consumed. H5595
18 And Lot H3876 said H559 unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: H113
19 Behold now, thy servant H5650 hath found H4672 grace H2580 in thy sight, H5869 and thou hast magnified H1431 thy mercy, H2617 which thou hast shewed H6213 unto me H5978 in saving H2421 my life; H5315 and I cannot H3201 escape H4422 to the mountain, H2022 lest some evil H7451 take H1692 me, and I die: H4191
20 Behold now, this city H5892 is near H7138 to flee H5127 unto, and it H1931 is a little one: H4705 Oh, let me escape H4422 thither, (is it not a little one?) H4705 and my soul H5315 shall live. H2421
21 And he said H559 unto him, See, H2009 I have accepted H5375 thee H6440 concerning this thing H1697 also, that I will not overthrow H2015 this city, H5892 for the which H834 thou hast spoken. H1696
22 Haste H4116 thee, escape H4422 thither; for I cannot H3201 do H6213 any thing H1697 till thou be come H935 thither. Therefore the name H8034 of the city H5892 was called H7121 Zoar. H6820
23 The sun H8121 was risen H3318 upon the earth H776 when Lot H3876 entered H935 into Zoar. H6820
24 Then the LORD H3068 rained H4305 upon Sodom H5467 and upon Gomorrah H6017 brimstone H1614 and fire H784 from the LORD H3068 out of heaven; H8064
25 And he overthrew H2015 those H411 cities, H5892 and all the plain, H3603 and all the inhabitants H3427 of the cities, H5892 and that which grew H6780 upon the ground. H127
26 But his wife H802 looked back H5027 from behind him, H310 and she became a pillar H5333 of salt. H4417
27 And Abraham H85 gat up early H7925 in the morning H1242 to the place H4725 where he stood H5975 before H6440 the LORD: H3068
28 And he looked H8259 toward H6440 Sodom H5467 and Gomorrah, H6017 and toward H6440 all the land H776 of the plain, H3603 and beheld, H7200 and, lo, the smoke H7008 of the country H776 went up H5927 as the smoke H7008 of a furnace. H3536
29 And it came to pass, when God H430 destroyed H7843 the cities H5892 of the plain, H3603 that God H430 remembered H2142 Abraham, H85 and sent H7971 Lot H3876 out of the midst H8432 of the overthrow, H2018 when he overthrew H2015 the cities H5892 in the which H2004 Lot H3876 dwelt. H3427
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 19
Commentary on Genesis 19 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 19
Ge 19:1-38. Lot's Entertainment.
1. there came two angels—most probably two of those that had been with Abraham, commissioned to execute the divine judgment against Sodom.
Lot sat in the gate of Sodom—In Eastern cities it is the market, the seat of justice, of social intercourse and amusement, especially a favorite lounge in the evenings, the arched roof affording a pleasant shade.
2. turn in, I pray you … tarry all night—offer of the same generous hospitalities as described in Ge 18:2-8, and which are still spontaneously practised in the small towns.
And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night—Where there are no inns and no acquaintance, it is not uncommon for travellers to sleep in the street wrapped up in their cloaks.
3. entered into his house—On removing to the plain, Lot intended at first to live in his tent apart from the people [Ge 13:12]. But he was gradually drawn in, dwelt in the city, and he and his family were connected with the citizens by marriage ties.
4. men of Sodom, compassed the house—Appalling proofs are here given of their wickedness. It is evident that evil communications had corrupted good manners; otherwise Lot would never have acted as he did.
12, 13. Hast thou here any besides? … we will destroy this place—Apostolic authority has declared Lot was "a righteous man" (2Pe 2:8), at bottom good, though he contented himself with lamenting the sins that he saw, instead of acting on his own convictions, and withdrawing himself and family from such a sink of corruption. But favor was shown him: and even his bad relatives had, for his sake, an offer of deliverance, which was ridiculed and spurned (2Pe 3:4).
15-17. The kindly interest the angels took in the preservation of Lot is beautifully displayed. But he "lingered." Was it from sorrow at the prospect of losing all his property, the acquisition of many years? Or was it that his benevolent heart was paralyzed by thoughts of the awful crisis? This is the charitable way of accounting for a delay that would have been fatal but for the friendly urgency of the angel.
18, 19. Lot said … Oh, not so, my Lord … I cannot escape to the mountain—What a strange want of faith and fortitude, as if He who had interfered for his rescue would not have protected Lot in the mountain solitude.
21. See, I have accepted thee concerning this … also—His request was granted him, the prayer of faith availed, and to convince him, from his own experience, that it would have been best and safest at once to follow implicitly the divine directions.
22. Haste … for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither—The ruin of Sodom was suspended till he was secure. What care God does take of His people (Re 7:3)! What a proof of the love which God bore to a good though weak man!
24. Then the Lord rained … brimstone and fire from … heaven—God, in accomplishing His purposes, acts immediately or mediately through the agency of means; and there are strong grounds for believing that it was in the latter way He effected the overthrow of the cities of the plain—that it was, in fact, by a volcanic eruption. The raining down of fire and brimstone from heaven is perfectly accordant with this idea since those very substances, being raised into the air by the force of the volcano, would fall in a fiery shower on the surrounding region. This view seems countenanced by Job [Job 1:16; 18:15]. Whether it was miraculously produced, or the natural operation employed by God, it is not of much consequence to determine: it was a divine judgment, foretold and designed for the punishment of those who were sinners exceedingly.
26. Lot was accompanied by his wife and two daughters. But whether it was from irresistible curiosity or perturbation of feeling, or that she was about to return to save something, his wife lingered, and while thus disobeying the parting counsel, "to look not back, nor stay in all the plain" [Ge 19:17], the torrent of liquid lava enveloped her so that she became the victim of her supine indolence or sinful rashness.
27. Abraham gat up early in the morning, &c.—Abraham was at this time in Mamre, near Hebron, and a traveller last year verified the truth of this passage. "From the height which overlooks Hebron, where the patriarch stood, the observer at the present day has an extensive view spread out before him towards the Dead Sea. A cloud of smoke rising from the plain would be visible to a person at Hebron now, and could have been, therefore, to Abraham as he looked toward Sodom on the morning of its destruction by God" [Hackett]. It must have been an awful sight, and is frequently alluded to in Scripture (De 29:23; Isa 13:19; Jude 7). "The plain which is now covered by the Salt or Dead Sea shows in the great difference of level between the bottoms of the northern and southern ends of the lake—the latter being thirteen feet and the former thirteen hundred—that the southern end was of recent formation, and submerged at the time of the fall of the cities" [Lynch].
29. when God destroyed the cities, &c.—This is most welcome and instructive after so painful a narrative. It shows if God is a "consuming fire" to the wicked [De 4:24; Heb 12:29], He is the friend of the righteous. He "remembered" the intercessions of Abraham, and what confidence should not this give us that He will remember the intercessions of a greater than Abraham in our behalf.