Lot entertains two angels, 1-3. The vicious Sodomites are smitten with blindness, 4-11. Lot is warned, and in vain warns his sons-in-law, 12-14. He is directed to flee with his family to the mountains, but obtains leave to go into Zoar, 15-23. Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed, 24, 25. Lot's wife becomes a pillar of salt, 26-28. Lot dwells in a cave, 29, 30. The incestuous origin of Moab and Ammon, 31-38.
1 And there came two angels to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot, seeing them, rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face toward the ground, 2 And he said, "Behold now, my lords, turn, I pray you, into your servant's house and stay all night and wash your feet, and you shall rise early and go on your ways." And they said, "No, but we will abide in the street all night." 3 And he urged them greatly, and they turned aside to him and entered into his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both old and young, all the people from every quarter. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us so that we may know them." 6 And Lot went out at the door to them and shut the door behind him, 7 And said, "I pray you, brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out to you, and do to them as is good in your eyes. Only do nothing to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof." 9 And they said, "Stand back." And they said again, "This one came in as a sojourner and he wants to be a judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them." And they pressed hard upon the man, Lot, and came near to break the door. 10 But the men put forth their hand, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12 And the men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here? Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place. 13 For we will destroy this place, because their cry has become great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it." 14 And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, "Arise, depart from this place, for the LORD will destroy this city." But he seemed to his sons-in-law as one who mocked.
15 And when the morning arose, the angels hastened Lot, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city." 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters—the LORD being merciful to him—and they brought him forth and set him outside the city. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, "Escape for your life. Do not look behind you, neither stay in all the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed." 18 And Lot said to them, "Oh, not so, my Lord! 19 Behold now, your servant has found grace in your sight, and you have magnified your mercy, which you have shown to me in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil should take me and I die. 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee to and it is a small one. Oh, let me escape there (Is it not a small one?) and my soul shall live!" 21 And he said to him, "Behold, I have accepted you concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for which you have spoken. 22 Hasten, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you get there." Therefore, the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham rose early in the morning to go to the place where he stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain and beheld, and behold, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.
30 And Lot went up from Zoar and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar. And he dwelt in a cave—he and his two daughters. 31 And the first-born said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man on the earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him so that we may preserve the family of our father." 33 And they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in and lay with her father, and he did not perceive when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the next day that the first born said to the younger, "Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also, and you go in and lie with him so that we may preserve the family of our father." 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not perceive when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus both of the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 And the first-born bore a son and called his name Moab, the same is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi, the same is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Genesis, Chapter 19[➚]