Genesis 19

Genesis 19 describes the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to their great wickedness. The chapter focuses on the role of two angels sent to rescue Lot and his family, the depravity of the city’s inhabitants, and the consequences of disobedience to God’s warning. It also highlights the severe judgment of God upon sin and the mercy extended to Lot's family.

Genesis 19:1 (NKJV)
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.

Lot, who had settled in Sodom, was sitting at the city gate, a place of business and decision-making. The two angels came to him at evening, representing God’s mission to judge Sodom and rescue Lot. Lot's actions show respect and hospitality, as he humbly greets them. His position at the gate implies he had a prominent role in the city, even though he was a righteous man in a wicked place. Lot’s immediate response suggests he sensed something extraordinary about these visitors.

Genesis 19:2-3 (NKJV)
And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”
And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”
But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Lot, recognizing the danger in the city, urged the angels to stay at his home, offering hospitality and safety. His insistence reflected his concern for their welfare, knowing the evil that occurred in Sodom’s streets at night. The angels initially planned to stay in the open square, but Lot’s persistence prevailed, and they accepted his invitation. Lot's hospitality, shown through the meal he prepared, mirrors the cultural norms of protecting and caring for guests. His urgency reveals his awareness of the city's corruption.

Genesis 19:4-5 (NKJV)
Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.
And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”

The depravity of Sodom became immediately clear as all the men of the city, regardless of age, surrounded Lot’s house. Their request to "know them carnally" is a blatant display of sexual immorality. This incident shows the extent of Sodom’s wickedness and why God's judgment was imminent. The fact that it involved every man in the city, from every quarter, emphasizes that the corruption was widespread. This encounter underscores the city’s total moral collapse, a key reason for its destruction.

Genesis 19:6-8 (NKJV)
So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,
and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!
See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

Lot stepped outside to confront the mob, attempting to protect his guests. He recognized the enormity of their sin and pleaded with them not to act wickedly. In his desperation, Lot made a troubling offer, suggesting his daughters instead. This reflects the cultural expectation of protecting guests at all costs, though his suggestion highlights the moral confusion he had absorbed from living in Sodom. His actions are a contrast between his desire to protect the angels and his compromised sense of right and wrong due to the corrupt environment.

Genesis 19:9-11 (NKJV)
And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.
But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

The mob turned against Lot, accusing him of judging them, and threatened him with greater violence than they had intended for the visitors. Their hostility shows how deep their corruption had become, as they were unwilling to heed any moral restraint. The angels then intervened, pulling Lot back to safety and blinding the attackers. This divine act of striking the men with blindness demonstrates God’s power and the protection over Lot and his family. Despite their blindness, the men’s persistent attempts to harm Lot indicate the extreme wickedness in their hearts.

Genesis 19:12-13 (NKJV)
Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!
For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

The angels revealed their mission to Lot—they were sent to destroy the city due to the overwhelming outcry of its sins before God. They instructed Lot to gather any family members who would be willing to leave. This command highlighted God's mercy, offering Lot’s family a chance to escape the coming judgment. The phrase “the outcry against them” emphasizes that the wickedness of Sodom had reached a level that demanded divine intervention. This destruction is presented as an act of justice, but also an act of grace in rescuing the righteous.

Genesis 19:14 (NKJV)
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

Lot, in obedience to the angels' warning, tried to convince his sons-in-law to leave the city. However, they dismissed his urgent plea as a joke, showing their disbelief in the impending destruction. This reaction illustrates the spiritual blindness and complacency of those living in Sodom. Their refusal to take the warning seriously ultimately led to their destruction. This moment highlights the tragedy of people ignoring God’s warnings and the perils of living in a sinful environment.

Genesis 19:15-16 (NKJV)
When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”
And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

As dawn approached, the urgency of the situation increased. The angels pressed Lot to leave immediately with his wife and daughters. Despite the clear warning, Lot lingered, perhaps out of reluctance or attachment to his life in Sodom. In an act of divine mercy, the angels physically took the hands of Lot and his family to lead them out of the city. This divine intervention highlights God’s grace in rescuing the righteous, even when they are hesitant. It underscores the importance of responding swiftly to God’s warnings.

Genesis 19:17 (NKJV)
So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

Once Lot and his family were outside the city, the angels gave them strict instructions to flee for their lives and not to look back. They were warned to escape to the mountains to avoid being swept away in the destruction. The command not to look back symbolizes a complete break from their old life in Sodom, leaving behind the past and moving forward in obedience to God. It also represents the urgency and seriousness of the situation, where hesitation or attachment to the sinful city could result in their downfall.

Genesis 19:18-20 (NKJV)
Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords!
Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

Lot, despite the urgent warning, expressed fear about escaping to the mountains, believing he wouldn’t survive the journey. He requested to flee to a nearby small town instead. His plea shows his hesitation to fully trust the angels' instructions, perhaps reflecting his lingering attachment to city life. Lot acknowledges God’s mercy in saving his life but also seeks a more convenient option. His request for refuge in a small town shows a lack of complete faith in God’s ability to protect him in the mountains, yet God still grants this request.

Genesis 19:21-22 (NKJV)
And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

In response to Lot’s request, the angel granted permission for him to flee to the small city of Zoar, sparing it from destruction. The angel emphasized the urgency by reminding Lot that the judgment on Sodom could not begin until he and his family were safely away. This shows the extent of God’s mercy toward Lot, not only in saving his life but also in accommodating his fear. Zoar, meaning “small,” became the place of refuge, signifying God’s patience and willingness to alter plans to preserve the righteous.

Genesis 19:23-25 (NKJV)
The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.
So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

As soon as Lot reached Zoar, the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah began. The Lord rained down brimstone and fire from heaven, completely destroying the cities, the people, and even the land. This vivid image portrays the severity of God's judgment on unrepentant sin. The destruction was total, leaving no trace of life or vegetation, signifying that the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah required complete eradication. This event serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of persistent sin and rebellion against God.

Genesis 19:26 (NKJV)
But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot’s wife, disobeying the command not to look back, turned to see the destruction of Sodom and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt. Her action demonstrates lingering attachment to the sinful city, and her punishment illustrates the seriousness of God’s warnings. Looking back symbolized a divided heart, one that was not fully willing to leave the sinful past behind. Her fate serves as a stark reminder that partial obedience or hesitancy can have fatal consequences in the face of divine judgment.

Genesis 19:27-29 (NKJV)
And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord.
Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
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 had dwelt.

Abraham, who had interceded for Sodom, witnessed the aftermath of its destruction from a distance. The smoke rising from the land confirmed that God had executed judgment as promised. However, God remembered Abraham's plea, and Lot’s rescue was a direct result of this intercession. This shows the power of intercessory prayer and God’s faithfulness to the righteous. Despite the destruction, God’s mercy was still evident in sparing Lot, further emphasizing the balance between judgment and grace.

Genesis 19:30 (NKJV)
Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

Although Lot initially fled to Zoar, he became afraid to remain there, likely due to a sense of insecurity after witnessing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his daughters moved to the mountains, where they found refuge in a cave. This return to isolation symbolizes a loss of stability for Lot. His decision to leave Zoar, despite its sparing from destruction, demonstrates his ongoing fear and disconnection from the world. The cave, a symbol of desolation, highlights the drastic change from living in a bustling city to now living in fear and isolation.

Genesis 19:31-32 (NKJV)
Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”

Lot’s daughters, isolated in the mountains, believed that no men were left to marry and continue their family line. Their fear of being childless led them to devise a plan to get their father drunk and conceive children by him. This desperate action reveals how the influence of Sodom’s immoral culture had affected even Lot’s daughters. They resorted to incest, which was contrary to God's moral laws. Their misguided sense of duty to preserve their father’s lineage demonstrates the lingering impact of living in a corrupt society and the distorted values they carried with them.

Genesis 19:33-35 (NKJV)
So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

Lot’s daughters carried out their plan, making Lot drink wine until he was unaware of his actions. The firstborn daughter went in to lie with him, taking advantage of his inebriated state. On the next day, she encouraged her younger sister to do the same, repeating the process. Lot, completely unaware of what was happening due to his drunkenness, unknowingly participated in this sin. This situation reflects the tragic moral degradation in Lot’s family, showing how even the righteous can be influenced by the sinful environment around them. The daughters’ actions reveal their desperation and lack of trust in God’s ability to provide for them in their isolation.

Genesis 19:36 (NKJV)
Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

The result of the daughters’ actions was that both of them became pregnant by their father. This verse marks the outcome of their desperate scheme, and it shows the serious consequences of their morally wrong decision. This incestuous union would later have significant historical consequences, as the children born from these acts became the founders of two nations that would come into conflict with Israel. The tragic results of sin are seen not only in the immediate family but also in future generations, as Lot’s daughters’ actions would have long-lasting effects.

Genesis 19:37-38 (NKJV)
37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

These verses describe the aftermath of Lot’s daughters’ actions after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Fearing that no men were left to give them children, they deceived their father Lot into fathering their sons through incest. The older daughter named her son Moab, who became the ancestor of the Moabites, a people who later had a tense relationship with Israel. The younger daughter named her son Ben-Ammi, the ancestor of the Ammonites, another group who frequently opposed Israel. This passage serves as a foundational narrative for the origins of these two nations, both of which play significant roles in later biblical history, often as enemies of Israel.