Genesis19

Two angels arrive in Sodom and are hosted by Lot, but the city's wicked men demand access to them. The angels rescue Lot, his wife, and two daughters before God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, though Lot's wife disobeys and turns into a pillar of salt. Afterward, Lot and his daughters dwell in a cave, where, fearing isolation, the daughters intoxicate their father and conceive sons, Moab and Benammi, perpetuating their lineage.
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Angels Visit Lot in Sodom

1
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; ​
2
And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. ​
3
And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

The Wickedness of Sodom Exposed

4
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. ​
6
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7
And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8
Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. ​
9
And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10
But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door. ​

Warning and Impending Judgment

12
And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13
For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. ​
14
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. ​

The Escape to Zoar

15
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16
And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. ​
17
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. ​
18
And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19
Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20
Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. ​
21
And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22
Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. ​
23
The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

Destruction of the Cities of the Plain

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 gat up early in the morning 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, lo, 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 the which Lot dwelt. ​

Lot and His Daughters: Origin of Moab and Ammon

30
And Lot went up out of 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 firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
32
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. ​
33
And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
35
And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36
Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37
And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. ​
38
And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. ​

Study Notes for Genesis 19

Verse 1

The two visitors are the angels previously seen with the LORD in Genesis 18. Lot sat in the gate, which was the place of business, legal proceedings, and social prominence, indicating he held some status in the city.

Verse 2

Lot demonstrates the sacred duty of hospitality expected in the ancient Near East, a virtue that stands in stark contrast to the subsequent behavior of the city residents.

Verse 5

The phrase 'that we may know them' (Hebrew: *yada'*) is a euphemism for sexual intercourse. This demand reveals the deep moral perversion and violent intent of the Sodomites, confirming the severity of the 'outcry' mentioned in Genesis 18:20.

Verse 8

Lot's offer of his daughters, though morally appalling, underscores the absolute priority of protecting a guest under one's roof in ancient culture, even above the honor of one's own family. This shows Lot's desperate moral confusion after years of assimilation.

Verse 11

The immediate, localized blindness inflicted by the angels demonstrates their supernatural power and serves as a final, decisive warning to the inhabitants before the ultimate judgment.

Verse 13

The angels confirm that they are God’s agents sent specifically to execute the destruction of the city because its sin has reached a catastrophic level, fulfilling the divine investigation of Genesis 18.

Verse 14

The sons-in-law's dismissal of Lot's warning illustrates the spiritual blindness and complacency that results from living within a corrupt culture, leading them to mock the divine decree.

Verse 16

Lot 'lingered,' showing his spiritual lethargy and attachment to the condemned city. His rescue was not due to his own initiative but was an act of sovereign grace, as the LORD was merciful to him for Abraham’s sake (v. 29).

Verse 17

The command to 'look not behind thee' symbolizes the spiritual necessity of total separation from the condemned way of life, emphasizing that attachment to the world leads to ruin.

Verse 20

Lot’s fear prevents him from obeying the command to flee to the mountain; instead, he bargains for the small, nearby city of Zoar. This reveals his weakness and continued reliance on visible safety rather than divine protection.

Verse 22

The statement, 'I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither,' highlights God's protective commitment to the righteous (even the compromised Lot) before the full judgment is executed upon the wicked.

Verse 24

The destruction by 'brimstone and fire' suggests a catastrophic, yet divinely directed, event involving volcanic or seismic activity, marking the area as a place of irreversible judgment.

Verse 26

Lot's wife's disobedience and looking back signify a desire or longing for the life she was commanded to abandon. She serves as a lasting testament to the danger of spiritual compromise (Luke 17:32).

Verse 29

This verse provides the theological reason for Lot's deliverance: God remembered Abraham, confirming that Lot’s salvation was an extension of the covenant promise and Abraham’s intercession in Genesis 18.

Verse 30

Lot’s fear of Zoar, the city he had just negotiated for, demonstrates his continuing psychological instability and inability to trust after the trauma of the judgment.

Verse 32

The daughters’ primary motivation is not sexual pleasure but the cultural imperative to 'preserve seed,' ensuring the continuation of their father's lineage in what they perceive as the end of the world.

Verse 37

Moab, meaning 'from father,' becomes the ancestor of the Moabites, a people who would often be hostile to Israel, establishing an ancient rivalry rooted in this dishonorable event.

Verse 38

Ben-ammi, meaning 'son of my people,' becomes the ancestor of the Ammonites, another nation frequently antagonistic to the Israelites, completing the tragic legacy of Lot’s family.

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