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
30 And Lot H3876 went up H5927 out of Zoar, H6820 and dwelt H3427 in the mountain, H2022 and his two H8147 daughters H1323 with him; for he feared H3372 to dwell H3427 in Zoar: H6820 and he dwelt H3427 in a cave, H4631 he and his two H8147 daughters. H1323
31 And the firstborn H1067 said H559 unto the younger, H6810 Our father H1 is old, H2204 and there is not a man H376 in the earth H776 to come in H935 unto us after the manner H1870 of all the earth: H776
32 Come, H3212 let us make H8248 our father H1 drink H8248 wine, H3196 and we will lie H7901 with him, that we may preserve H2421 seed H2233 of our father. H1
33 And they made H8248 their father H1 drink H8248 wine H3196 that night: H3915 and the firstborn H1067 went in, H935 and lay H7901 with her father; H1 and he perceived H3045 not when she lay down, H7901 nor when she arose. H6965
34 And it came to pass on the morrow, H4283 that the firstborn H1067 said H559 unto the younger, H6810 Behold, I lay H7901 yesternight H570 with my father: H1 let us make him drink H8248 wine H3196 this night H3915 also; and go thou in, H935 and lie H7901 with him, that we may preserve H2421 seed H2233 of our father. H1
35 And they made H8248 their father H1 drink H8248 wine H3196 that H1931 night H3915 also: and the younger H6810 arose, H6965 and lay H7901 with him; and he perceived H3045 not when she lay down, H7901 nor when she arose. H6965
36 Thus were both H8147 the daughters H1323 of Lot H3876 with child H2029 by their father. H1
37 And the firstborn H1067 bare H3205 a son, H1121 and called H7121 his name H8034 Moab: H4124 the same H1931 is the father H1 of the Moabites H4124 unto this day. H3117
38 And the younger, H6810 she also bare H3205 a son, H1121 and called H7121 his name H8034 Benammi: H1151 the same is the father H1 of the children H1121 of Ammon H5983 unto this day. H3117
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.