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
But G1161 God, G2316 who is G5607 rich G4145 in G1722 mercy, G1656 for G1223 his G846 great G4183 love G26 wherewith G3739 he loved G25 us, G2248 Even G2532 when we G2248 were G5607 dead G3498 in sins, G3900 hath quickened us together with G4806 Christ, G5547 (by grace G5485 ye are G2075 saved;) G4982
For G1063 he saith G3004 to Moses, G3475 I will have mercy on G1653 whom G3739 G302 I will have mercy, G1653 and G2532 I will have compassion G3627 on whom G3739 G302 I will have compassion. G3627 So G686 then G3767 it is not G3756 of him that willeth, G2309 nor G3761 of him that runneth, G5143 but G235 of God G2316 that sheweth mercy. G1653
But G4133 love ye G25 your G5216 enemies, G2190 and G2532 do good, G15 and G2532 lend, G1155 hoping G560 for nothing G3367 again; G560 and G2532 your G5216 reward G3408 shall be G2071 great, G4183 and G2532 ye shall be G2071 the children G5207 of the Highest: G5310 for G3754 he G846 is G2076 kind G5543 unto G1909 the unthankful G884 and G2532 to the evil. G4190 Be ye G1096 therefore G3767 merciful, G3629 as G2531 your G5216 Father G3962 also G2532 is G2076 merciful. G3629
Who is a God H410 like unto thee, that pardoneth H5375 iniquity, H5771 and passeth by H5674 the transgression H6588 of the remnant H7611 of his heritage? H5159 he retaineth H2388 not his anger H639 for ever, H5703 because he delighteth H2654 in mercy. H2617 He will turn again, H7725 he will have compassion H7355 upon us; he will subdue H3533 our iniquities; H5771 and thou wilt cast H7993 all their sins H2403 into the depths H4688 of the sea. H3220
The LORD H3068 is merciful H7349 and gracious, H2587 slow H750 to anger, H639 and plenteous H7227 in mercy. H2617 He will not always H5331 chide: H7378 neither will he keep H5201 his anger for ever. H5769 He hath not dealt H6213 with us after our sins; H2399 nor rewarded H1580 us according to our iniquities. H5771
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.