Genesis 19:7

19:1-29 Lot was good, but there was not one more of the same character in the city. All the people of Sodom were very wicked and vile. Care was therefore taken for saving Lot and his family. Lot lingered; he trifled. Thus many who are under convictions about their spiritual state, and the necessity of a change, defer that needful work. The salvation of the most righteous men is of God's mercy, not by their own merit. We are saved by grace. God's power also must be acknowledged in bringing souls out of a sinful state If God had not been merciful to us, our lingering had been our ruin. Lot must flee for his life. He must not hanker after Sodom. Such commands as these are given to those who, through grace, are delivered out of a sinful state and condition. Return not to sin and Satan. Rest not in self and the world. Reach toward Christ and heaven, for that is escaping to the mountain, short of which we must not stop. Concerning this destruction, observe that it is a revelation of the wrath of God against sin and sinners of all ages. Let us learn from hence the evil of sin, and its hurtful nature; it leads to ruin.

And said, I pray you, brethren,.... Not by family or nation, for the Sodomites were of the race of Ham, in the line of Canaan, and Lot was a descendant of Shem, in the line of Arphaxad; nor by religion, for the one were idolaters, and the other a worshipper of the true God, but by community of nature; and especially he called them so by reason of their having been neighbours considerable time, and on the score of friendship, see 1 Kings 9:13 ; and with this soft and loving language Lot hoped to win his neighbours, and to persuade them from pursuing their unlawful measures: for which purpose and that alone he used it, saying to them: do not so wickedly; as to use ill a man's guests, to abuse strangers, to break the laws and rules of hospitality, and especially to commit that unnatural sin they were bent upon.

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.Two angels come to Sodom, Genesis 19:1. Lot invites them in; they at first refuse, Genesis 19:2. They enter; he entertains them, and they eat, Genesis 19:3. The men of Sodom demand to know them, Genesis 19:4,5. Lot dissuades them, Genesis 19:6,7; offers his daughters; urges reason, Genesis 19:8. They are obstinate; threaten, and press to break the door, Genesis 19:9. The angels pull Lot in, and shut to the door, Genesis 19:10; and smite the men with blindness, Genesis 19:11. Advise Lot to depart with his kindred, Genesis 19:12. The reason, Genesis 19:13. Lot speaks to his sons-in-law; they deride him, Genesis 19:14. The angels lay hold on Lot, his wife, and two daughters, and carry them out, Genesis 19:16; command them not to look back, Genesis 19:17. Lot requests to stay in Zoar; it is granted, with a command to hasten, because till they are gone the Lord can do nothing, Genesis 19:18-23. God rains brimstone and fire upon Sodom, Genesis 19:24,25. Lot’s wife looking back becomes a pillar of salt, Genesis 19:26. Abraham looks towards Sodom, Genesis 19:27,28.

The wicked violence of the citizens displays itself. They compass the house, and demand the men for the vilest ends. How familiar Lot had become with vice, when any necessity whatever could induce him to offer his daughters to the lust of these Sodomites! We may suppose it was spoken rashly, in the heat of the moment, and with the expectation that he would not be taken at his word. So it turned out. "Stand back." This seems to be a menace to frighten Lot out of the way of their perverse will. It is probable, indeed, that he and his family would not have been so long safe in this wicked place, had he not been the occasion of a great deliverance to the whole city when they were carried away by the four kings. The threat is followed by a taunt, when the sorely vexed host hesitated to give up the strangers. "He will needs be a judge." It is evident Lot had been in the habit of remonstrating with them. From threats and taunts they soon proceed to violence. His guests now interfere. They rescue Lot, and smite the rioters with blindness, or a wandering of the senses, so that they cannot find the door. This ebullition of the vilest passion seals the doom of the city.

Lot went out to them, shut the door behind him to protect his guests, and offered to give his virgin daughters up to them. "Only to these men (האל, an archaism for האלּה rof, occurs also in Genesis 19:25 ; Genesis 26:3-4 ; Leviticus 18:27 , and Deuteronomy 4:42 ; Deuteronomy 7:22 ; Deuteronomy 19:11 ; and אל for אלּה in 1 Chronicles 20:8 ) do nothing, for therefore (viz., to be protected from injury) have they come under the shadow of my roof." In his anxiety, Lot was willing to sacrifice to the sanctity of hospitality his duty as a father, which ought to have been still more sacred, "and committed the sin of seeking to avert sin by sin." Even if he expected that his daughters would suffer no harm, as they were betrothed to Sodomites ( Genesis 19:14 ), the offer was a grievous violation of his paternal duty. But this offer only heightened the brutality of the mob. "Stand back" (make way, Isaiah 49:20 ), they said; "the man, who came as a foreigner, is always wanting to play the judge" (probably because Lot had frequently reproved them for their licentious conduct, 2 Peter 2:7 , 2 Peter 2:8 ): "not will we deal worse with thee than with them." With these words they pressed upon him, and approached the door to break it in.

The men inside, that is to say, the angels, then pulled Lot into the house, shut the door, and by miraculous power smote the people without with blindness (סנורים here and 2 Kings 6:18 for mental blindness, in which the eye sees, but does not see the right object), as a punishment for their utter moral blindness, and an omen of the coming judgment.

Under the head of ( c ), the following are examples of distinctive phraseology: P J “God” ( Elohim ), Genesis 6:9 ; Genesis 6:11-13 ; Genesis 6:22 , Genesis 7:16 a, Genesis 8:1 ; Genesis 8:15 . “the Lord” (Jehovah), Genesis 7:1 ; Genesis 7:5 ; Genesis 7:16 b, Genesis 8:20-21 . “male and female” ( zâkâr un’ḳêbâh ), Genesis 6:19 , Genesis 7:16 . “the male and his female” ( ish v’ishto ), Genesis 7:2 . “destroy” ( shâḥath ), Genesis 6:13 ; Genesis 6:17 . “destroy” ( mâḥâh ), Genesis 6:7 , Genesis 7:4 ; Genesis 7:23 . “all flesh,” Genesis 6:12-13 ; Genesis 6:17 , Genesis 7:21 . “every living thing,” Genesis 7:4 ; Genesis 7:23 . “breath ( ruaḥ ) of life,” Genesis 7:15 . “breath of ( nishmath ) the spirit of ( ruaḥ ) life,” Genesis 7:22 . “die” ( gâv‘â ), Genesis 7:21 . “die” ( mûth ), Genesis 7:22 . “waters prevailed” ( gâbâr ), Genesis 7:18-19 ; Genesis 7:24 . “waters increased” ( râbâh ), Genesis 7:17 b. “waters abated” ( ḥâsêr ), Genesis 8:3 b, 5. “waters abated” ( qâlal ), Genesis 8:8 . Also characteristic of P is the minute description of the ark and its dimensions ( Genesis 6:14-16 ), the varieties of animals ( Genesis 6:20 ), the Flood’s depth ( Genesis 7:20 ), and the members of Noah’s family ( Genesis 7:13 , Genesis 8:15 ; Genesis 8:18 ); while, in J, Divine action is described in anthropomorphic terms (e.g. Genesis 6:6 , Genesis 7:16 , Genesis 8:21 ), and vivid details of narrative are introduced ( Genesis 8:6-12 ). Roughly speaking the portions derived from P consist of

Under the head of ( a ) “repetitions,” notice the duplicated account of the growing corruption of mankind in Genesis 6:5-8 (J), and in Genesis 6:9-12 (P); of the entrance of Noah and his family into the ark Genesis 7:7 (J) and Genesis 7:13 (P); of the rising of the waters of the Flood Genesis 7:17 (J) and Genesis 7:18-19 (P); of the end of all living creatures Genesis 7:21 (P) and Genesis 7:22-23 (J); and of God’s promise to Noah in Genesis 8:15-19 (P) and Genesis 8:20-22 (J). [12] See Appendix C (book comments). Under the head of ( b ) “discrepancies,” notice that, in P, Noah takes one pair of every kind of animal into the ark ( Genesis 6:19-20 , and Genesis 7:15-16 ), while, in J, Noah is commanded to take seven pairs of every clean animal and one pair of every unclean animal into the ark ( Genesis 7:2-3 ); again, in P, the Flood is brought about through the outburst of the waters from the great deep both from beneath the earth and from above the firmament ( Genesis 7:11 , Genesis 8:2 ); while, in J, it is produced by the rain ( Genesis 7:12 , Genesis 8:2 ). According to P, the Flood was in progress for 150 days ( Genesis 7:24 , Genesis 8:3 ), while according to J the rain lasted for 40 days ( Genesis 7:12 ); in J the waters were subsiding for 14 or 21 days ( Genesis 8:10 ; Genesis 8:12 ), and in P the earth was dry after a year and 10 days ( Genesis 8:14 ).