📖 Genesis 19: The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
19 The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in Sodom’s gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground 2 and said, “My lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.”
“No,” they said. “We would rather spend the night in the square.”
3 But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate.
4 Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. 5 They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!”
6 Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him. 7 He said, “Don’t do this evil, my brothers. 8 Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t been intimate with a man. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.”
9 “Get out of the way!” they said, adding, “This one came here as an alien, but he’s acting like a judge! Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door. 10 But the angels reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the entrance of the house, both young and old, with blindness so that they were unable to find the entrance.
12 Then the angels said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, 13 for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is so great before the Lord, that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 At daybreak the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. Because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.
17 As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords—please. 19 Your servant has indeed found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. 20 Look, this town is close enough for me to flee to. It is a small place. Please let me run to it—it’s only a small place, isn’t it?—so that I can survive.”
21 And he said to him, “All right, I’ll grant your request about this matter too and will not demolish the town you mentioned. 22 Hurry up! Run to it, for I can not do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city is Zoar.
23 The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then out of the sky the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur from the Lord. 25 He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.
27 Early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up from the land like the smoke of a furnace. 29 So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the middle of the upheaval when he demolished the cities where Lot had lived.
The Origin of Moab and Ammon
30 Lot departed from Zoar and lived in the mountains along with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. Instead, he and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us as is the custom of all the land. 32 Come, let’s get our father to drink wine so that we can sleep with him and preserve our father’s line.” 33 So they got their father to drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the firstborn said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight so you can go sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.” 35 That night they again got their father to drink wine, and the younger went and slept with him; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
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📜 Genesis 19: Judgment and the Preservation of Lineage
Good morning. Today, we're diving into Genesis chapter 19, a pivotal narrative that details the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and its immediate aftermath. This chapter is critical for understanding themes of divine judgment, hospitality vs. immorality, and the complex beginnings of certain nations in the Old Testament.
The Arrival in Sodom and the Test of Hospitality (vv. 1–11)
The chapter opens with the arrival of two angels, whom the text identifies as "the two angels," entering the city of Sodom.
Lot's Action: Lot, Abraham's nephew, is found sitting in the city's gateway. Recognizing their importance, or simply upholding the ancient near-eastern custom of hospitality, Lot immediately offers the strangers shelter in his home. The angels initially decline but are persuaded by Lot's strong urging.
Sodom's Sin: Before the men retire for the night, the entire male population of Sodom, from young to old, surrounds Lot's house. Their intent is explicit and shocking: they demand that Lot surrender his guests so they can "have sex with them!" This is the ultimate violation of hospitality and a demonstration of profound moral corruption and aggression.
Lot's Desperate Offer: In a morally ambiguous attempt to protect his guests, Lot offers his two daughters to the mob instead. While horrifying to modern readers, this highlights the paramount status of guest-protection in that culture. The mob, however, rejects this offer, scorning Lot, who is merely an "alien" attempting to act as a "judge."
Divine Intervention: The angels intervene, pulling Lot back into the house and shutting the door. They then strike the mob at the entrance with blindness, completely disorienting them and allowing for the preparations of the next phase. This act confirms the visitors' divine nature and purpose.
The Warning and Lot’s Hesitation (vv. 12–22)
The angels reveal their mission to Lot: the Lord is about to destroy the city because the outcry against its people is great.
The Escape Plan: Lot is told to gather his family—sons-in-law, sons, and daughters—and evacuate immediately.
Sons-in-Law's Reaction: When Lot informs his future sons-in-law, they "thought he was joking." This disbelief seals their fate, illustrating the depth of the city's blindness to impending judgment.
Lot's Delay: At daybreak, the angels urge Lot to hurry, but he hesitated. This detail emphasizes his attachment to the doomed place. It is only because of the Lord's compassion that the angels physically grab Lot, his wife, and his two daughters, and pull them out of the city.
The Command and Zoar: Outside the city, the angel gives the crucial instruction: "Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain!" Lot pleads to escape to a small, nearby town instead of the mountains, arguing that the disaster will overtake him. The angel grants his request, and this small town is named Zoar (related to the Hebrew word for "small").
The Destruction and Lot’s Wife (vv. 23–29)
The scene shifts to the moment of divine judgment.
The Cataclysm: As soon as Lot reaches Zoar, the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur from the Lord out of the sky. The Lord demolished both cities, the entire surrounding plain, all the inhabitants, and everything that grew on the ground.
A Pillar of Salt: Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. This is a powerful, visual warning against disobedience, attachment to a sinful way of life, or a lack of trust in God's provision.
Abraham's View: Abraham observes the aftermath from a distance, seeing smoke rising from the land like the smoke of a furnace. The text concludes this section by stating that God remembered Abraham and, for his sake, brought Lot out of the upheaval.
The Origin of Moab and Ammon (vv. 30–38)
The final section of the chapter deals with the disturbing sequence of events that follow the escape.
Fear and Isolation: Lot leaves Zoar and lives in a cave in the mountains with his two daughters, afraid to stay in the small town.
The Daughters' Plan: Believing they are the only ones left and concerned with "preserving our father’s line" (lineage), the older daughter proposes a plan to her younger sister. They decide to get their father drunk and sleep with him. This action is framed as a desperate, culturally-driven act to secure progeny, though it is clearly presented as an immoral act.
The Result: Both daughters become pregnant by their father.
The firstborn gives birth to Moab, the ancestor of the Moabites.
The younger gives birth to Ben-ammi, the ancestor of the Ammonites.
This provides an origin story for two nations that would later become frequent adversaries of Israel, rooted in an act of incest that followed the great judgment.
Key Takeaways
Severity of Sin: The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is the Bible's most graphic account of divine judgment against profound, widespread moral corruption.
Importance of Righteousness: Lot was saved not because he was fully righteous, but because he was brought out of the sin of the cities (and ultimately because God remembered Abraham).
The Danger of Looking Back: Lot's wife serves as an enduring metaphor for the danger of clinging to one's past life or possessions when called to pursue salvation.
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