Genesis 19:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them."

NIV: They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."

NASB: 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 have relations with them.'

CSB: 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!"

NLT: They shouted to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.”

Every single man in the city of Sodom has gathered and surrounded Lot's house. They know he has welcomed two travelers into his home. The men of Sodom don't know these strangers are angels disguised in human form, sent from God to confirm the sins of Sodom in preparation for God's judgment.

The men of Sodom demonstrate their wickedness in the most grotesque and obvious way possible. They demand for Lot to send the strangers out, so they may "know" them. This language is a commonly-used Hebrew euphemism for sex. Despite absurd claims to the contrary, the "knowledge" sought here is not curiosity or friendliness. Lot's reaction, shown in the next two verses, proves this: he will beg the men not to "act so wickedly." The violent and angry response of this same crowd proves the point even further. The context of this passage makes the situation absolutely clear: the men of Sodom want Lot to turn his guests over for sexual purposes.

Genesis 19:1–22 describes what happens following the Lord's assurance to Abraham that He will not destroy Sodom if He finds ten righteous people there. Despite such a low standard, Sodom fails the test. Every man in the city attempts to rape two of the Lord's angels who are in human form. The angels intervene, eventually removing Lot and his family from the city by force, and out of God's mercy. The angels instruct the family to run to the hills, but Lot asks if they can flee to the tiny town of Zoar instead. The angels allow this.

Two angels, disguised as men, visit Abraham's nephew, Lot, in the city of Sodom. After the men of Sodom attempt to rape the angels in Lot's home, the angels rescue Lot and his family, forcibly removing them from the city. Then God sends fire and sulfur from heaven. This destroys all of the land and people in and around the cities. As stated in earlier verses, this is the result of their great and ongoing wickedness. Lot's wife is turned to a pillar of salt when she disobeys the angels by looking back on the destruction. Lot and his daughters flee first to Zoar, then to a cave in the hills. There, Lot's confused and frightened daughters get him drunk, have sex with him, and each become pregnant.

In the previous chapter, Abraham had bargained with God on behalf of his nephew Lot and the people of Sodom. The Lord assured Abraham He would not destroy the cities if He found ten righteous people there. Chapter 19 immediately demonstrates no righteous people are to be found. Every man of Sodom attempts to attack two visitors, who are God's angels in human form. As the angels rescue Lot, God's judgment falls, utterly destroying everything in the area around Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his daughters end up in a cave in the hills, where the daughters scheme to conceive children by making their father drunk. This ends Lot's role in the story of Genesis, with future chapters focusing exclusively on the life and descendants of Abraham.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 12/21/2024 8:39:24 PM