Genesis 19 – The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

A. The two angels come to Sodom.

1. (1-3) Lot convinces the angelic visitors to stay with him.

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. 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.

a. Now the two angels came to Sodom: The two visitors that departed from Abraham in Genesis 18:22 as he and the Lord continued their conversation now came to Sodom. For the first time they are identified as angelic beings, who first accompanied the Lord as He visited Abraham at Mamre (Genesis 18:1-2).

i. We have no reason to believe that Lot immediately knew that these were angels; to him, they probably seemed to be distinguished guests with an air of righteousness and morality about them.

b. Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom: There was a steady progression of compromise in Lot’s life. He went from looking toward Sodom (Genesis 13:10), to pitching his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13:12), to living in Sodom and losing everything when Sodom was attacked (Genesis 14:12). Now, back at the infamous city, Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, indicating he was a civic leader.

i. The gate area of an ancient city was sort of a town hall where the important men of the city judged disputes, conferred with one another, and supervised those who entered and left the city.

ii. Lot himself was a righteous man who was grieved by the sin he saw around him (2 Peter 2:7-8). Tragically, because of his deep compromise, few of his family and none of his friends were spared God’s judgment. Compromise destroyed his testimony.

c. He insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house: According to the customs of the ancient Near East, the hospitality Lot offered to the visitors was not unusual, but the urgency with which he offered it was. Lot was obviously concerned for their safety, and he generously provided for his guests with a feast.

2. (4-5) The wickedness and depravity of the men of Sodom.

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.”

a. Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us: These citizens of Sodom clearly came to homosexually abuse and rape the two visitors. They were willing to break all principles of hospitality and morality for their own violent and sexual gratification.

b. The men of the city… both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house: This shows that the entire city was given over to this violence and immorality, and that this behavior wasn’t unusual, but it was accepted among the men of Sodom.

i. In Ezekiel 16, God later condemned and rebuked the great sin of Judah in the latter days of the divided monarchy. God compared Jerusalem to the ancient city of Sodom, saying they were like sisters. Then, God compared the sins of Sodom to the sins of Jerusalem at that time: Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit. (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

ii. The point of the Ezekiel passage was not to say that pride, idleness, injustice to the poor, and such were the only sins of Sodom that made them targets of judgment. Instead, those were the sins of Sodom also shared by her later “sister” Jerusalem. The Genesis text makes it plain that God was also grieved by their sexual violence and immorality, which is included in the Ezekiel list of sins under the words committed abomination. In addition, Jude 1:7 clearly states that sexual immorality was one of the sins God noted at Sodom and Gomorrah, connected to going “after strange flesh.” The open and approved practice of homosexuality was one of the many sins of Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighbor cities.

c. That we may know them carnally: The sin of the men of Sodom was plainly connected to their homosexuality. The Bible states that homosexual conduct is sin (Romans 1:26-28).

i. Both the Hebrew scriptures (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13) and the Greek scriptures (Romans 1:26-28) condemn homosexual conduct. Jesus Himself affirmed the Old Testament’s condemnation of homosexual conduct when He said, do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). Jesus also affirmed the Biblical ideal of marriage consisting of one man and one woman joined in a life-long relationship (Matthew 19:4-6).

ii. The Bible condemns homosexual conduct in the same context as it condemns incest and bestiality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13). If people decide that pleasure is the true goal of sex and therefore the measure of its morality, then there is no standing to say that incest or bestiality are sin. Then, the standard for sexual morality becomes “if it feels good, then do it.”

iii. Homosexual advocates have an interest in saying those who practice homosexuality are exactly like heterosexuals, except they love and have sex with people of their own gender. Yet when the conduct of homosexuals is observed, this is often not the case. Statistics often demonstrate that on average, male homosexuals have significantly more partners, are more promiscuous, and practice sex in public more often than heterosexuals. Romans 1:27-28 connects “burning lust” and a debased mind with the practice of male homosexuality.

iv. Homosexual activists have an interest in saying that 10%, 15%, or more of the general population is homosexual, but the most reliable statistics show only 2.3% of men in their 20’s and 30’s report ever having had a homosexual experience. Only 1.1% reported being exclusively homosexual. These low figures agree with several other surveys and those conducted in Britain and France. According to 2018 data from the United States National Health Information Survey, 97.6% of adults identified as straight (heterosexual), 1.6% identified as gay or lesbian, and 0.8% identified as bisexual.

v. Homosexual activists have an interest in saying they were born into their deviation, often with the sense that God deliberately created their homosexual desires, and He intends they should fulfill those cravings. All attempts thus far to prove this are inconclusive, but if it were found to be the case, it wouldn’t make a difference in a Biblical understanding of homosexual desire and conduct. The Bible teaches all are born with a predisposition to sin. It shouldn’t surprise us that some 2% of the population finds this predisposition expressed in homosexual desire.

vi. Homosexual activists have an interest in defining themselves as “gay,” a word that at one time meant “happy” or “carefree.” But “gay” is a poor description of a lifestyle that has such a high rate of death, disease, and suicide.

3. (6-9) Lot bargains for the life and safety of his guests.

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.”

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.

a. Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly: This was a difficult argument for Lot to make. He and the men of Sodom had a completely different standard for deciding what was wicked and what was not. The men of Sodom thought they were pursuing pleasure and did not care that Lot thought it was wicked.

i. The difference in their standards points to an important question: If the culture abandons the Bible’s guide for sexual morality, what guide for sexual morality will be followed? To simply do as one pleases is not enough.

b. 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: Lot’s offer to the mob was horrible and cannot be justified. The men of Sodom showed a shocking demonstration of depravity, but Lot’s willingness to give up his daughters to the mob was just as shocking.

i. There is some explanation found in the low place of women in the pre-Christian world and the high place of protection and honor granted to any guest in one’s home. Under the sacred obligations of hospitality, it was often understood that a guest was to be protected more than one’s own family.

c. This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting like a judge: The men of Sodom mocked Lot, and they rejected his weak efforts to provide moral and spiritual leadership.

i. Perhaps Lot thought that through compromise he might reach these men, but just the opposite happened. They had no respect for him whatsoever, even though his friendly-first approach led him to call such wicked men my brethren.

4. (10-11) Angelic protection at 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.

a. The men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door: It must have taken great, perhaps supernatural, strength to do what the angels did at the door. Perhaps for the first time, Lot began to understand that his guests were more than men.

b. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness: Obviously, the work of striking the men blind was supernatural. Now, the mob had a physical blindness that matched their moral blindness.

B. The angels’ deliverance of Lot.

1. (12-14) The angels warn Lot; Lot warns his family.

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.”

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.

a. Have you anyone else here: The angels were not omniscient, knowing everything. Knowing the number and location of the members of Lot’s family was something that spiritual beings could easily observe, but at this point the angels did not know it apart from Lot’s answer.

i. Spurgeon saw something instructive in the angels’ question, have you anyone else here? The question shows the concern we should have for the salvation of not only ourselves, but our whole house.

b. To his sons-in-law: Lot’s daughters were unmarried and had not known a man (Genesis 19:8). These men were sons-in-law by the ancient practice of binding betrothal, not yet by marriage.

c. He seemed to be joking: This was the clear effect of Lot’s life of compromise. When he spoke with utmost seriousness to his sons-in-law about the judgment of God, they did not believe him. Not even they would be saved from the judgment to come.

d. We will destroy this place…the Lord has sent us to destroy it: For the first time, Lot heard of the intended work of these supernatural guests – to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom was destined for judgment, but God wanted to spare Lot and his family.

i. The life of Lot shows us that it is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life. Lot would be rescued, but his life would accomplish nothing, as in 1 Corinthians 3:15: If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

2. (15-16) The angels try to hurry Lot and his family.

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.

a. Arise, take your wife and your two daughters: There was now no mention of the two sons-in-law. They would be left behind as the angels urged Lot to escape the coming destruction and judgment on Sodom.

i. In their urging of Lot, we see that these angels may serve as a pattern of evangelism.

· They went after Lot, going to him and his house.

· They warned him of what was going to happen, and in plain words.

· They urged Lot, urging him to flee destruction.

b. While he lingered: Too much of Lot’s heart was in Sodom, so he did not have an urgency to leave the city. A lack of urgency to obey God (even when it is necessary and good) is a common sign of compromise and a backslidden condition.

i. The men took hold of his hand: “I thought, as I read my text, that it gave us a striking example of doing all we can. Lot and his wife, and the two daughters—well, that was four—the angels had only four hands, so they did all that they could—there was a hand for each. You notice the text expressly says, they took hold of the hand of Lot, and the hand of his wife, and the hand of his two daughters. There were no more persons, and no more helping hands, so that there was just enough instrumentality, but there was not a hand to spare.” (Spurgeon)

c. They brought him out and set him outside the city: In Genesis 18, Abraham asked God to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were ten righteous found there. Because there were not ten righteous people, God did not spare the city, but He still answered the heart of Abraham’s prayer by bringing Lot and his family out of Sodom, even if it was almost against Lot’s will.

i. Lot was in the worst of places. He had too much of the world to be happy in the Lord, and too much of the Lord to be happy in the world.

3. (17-22) The escape from Sodom.

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.”

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.”

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.

a. Escape for your life! Do not look behind you: The angels had far greater urgent to rescue Lot and his family than they had to be rescued. This is strange, but common in spiritual things.

b. Please, no, my lords: Lot acted pathetic and whimpering in his prayer, especially in contrast to the bold intercession of Abraham in Genesis 18.

c. I cannot do anything until you arrive there: This answered Abraham’s question, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25). God, faithful to His own righteousness and honor, could not bring this judgment on Sodom until the few righteous people were rescued.

d. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar: The name Zoar means small or insignificant. It was the little city Lot bargained with the angel about.

C. God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

1. (23-26) The cities destroyed, and Lot’s wife is turned to a pillar of salt.

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.

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

a. When Lot entered Zoar. Then the Lord: As the angel said in Genesis 19:22, judgment could not come upon Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot and his family were safe in Zoar; otherwise, it would violate God’s promise to Abraham, at least in principle.

b. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah: These cities were judged completely and severely, but only after God confirmed their great wickedness and gave them a righteous witness in Lot.

i. Today, some think these cities are buried under the Dead Sea or in that general area, and their complete destruction is a testament to God’s judgment and grace in delivering His righteous people.

ii. Before this destruction, the area of Sodom was unbelievably beautiful and productive, like the garden of the Lord (Genesis 13:10). Yet this great privilege and blessing did not turn their hearts toward God.

iii. As well, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah saw more of the power, grace, and mercy of God than any of the other people of the region. They had been delivered from ruin by God’s work through Abraham. They heard the testimony from Melchizedek and saw the example of Melchizedek and Abraham. They had great blessing and great evidence of God’s care for them, yet they rejected it all.

c. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt: Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt because she looked back behind, after the angels had specifically warned, do not look behind you (Genesis 19:17). Some think she lingered behind and was somehow caught up in the cataclysm, but it was more likely a unique judgment of God for the state of her heart. Her looking back likely showed a love for Sodom and regret for its destruction.

i. “The word looked back has the connotation of looking intently. It might possibly be rendered lagged back, or maybe even returned back.” (Morris)

ii. In referring to the end times, Jesus warned: Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32). As believers perceive the end of the age, no Christian should have a heart like Lot’s wife. God’s people should not have a heart that longs for a corrupt and passing world. A believer should not have a heart that will, in some sense, regret the judgment God will bring on it.

iii. Christians should look forward to their deliverance, not back at a world passing away and ripe for judgment.

2. (27-29) Abraham learns of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction.

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.

a. Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord: The sense is that Abraham, with deeply moved memory of the previous day (Genesis 18), wanted to remember his meeting with God.

b. He saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace: When Abraham saw the smoke of the cities and their destruction, he knew that his request was answered. God delivered Lot before the destruction came.

i. He saw: Spurgeon used this passage to think about what emotions are appropriate for the believer as they look upon God’s judgment on the wicked.

· They should have a humble submission to God’s will.

· They should have a deep sense of gratitude for their rescue.

· They should have an increased watchfulness over their own life.

· They should remember the great evil of sin.

3. (30-32) Lot and his daughters live in a wilderness cave.

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. 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.”

a. Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains: It isn’t explained why Lot and his daughters became dissatisfied with Zoar, or why the people of Zoar became dissatisfied with them. Yet for some reason, they left the small city of Zoar and went to the mountains and dwelt in a cave.

b. Let us make our father drink wine: Lot and his family lost everything in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even so, they quickly had a stock of wine. They either brought this with them, or they obtained it in Zoar.

c. We will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father: This is a remarkable and seemingly desperate sin from Lot’s daughters. Some suggest that they believed that the whole world had perished with Sodom and Gomorrah, and it was now their responsibility to repopulate the earth through their father. However, their brief time in Zoar was enough to show there were other people.

i. Living in the low moral environment of Sodom had a great and harmful effect on Lot’s family. His compromise affected far more than himself.

4. (33-38) Moab and Ammon are born from this incestuous relationship.

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.

Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 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.

a. The firstborn went in and lay with her father: The record of such disgraceful sins, even with no mention of approval, causes some readers of the Bible to feel uncomfortable.

i. Yet Donald Barnhouse observed: “It is far better for children to learn the facts of life from the Word of God where sin is condemned than from dirty words on alley walls, or from lewd stories. No one can escape knowledge of sin…these things are never mentioned without being accompanied by the stern warnings that God hates sin and punishes it.”

ii. “Ironically, in his own drunkenness Lot carried out the shameful act that he himself had suggested to the men of Sodom: he lay with his own daughters.” (Sailhamer)

b. Moab; he is the father of the Moabites.… Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon: Their descendants would become enemies and obstacles for Israel, just like the descendants of Ishmael. Lot’s life ended in ruin regarding the past, the present, and the future – and all because of his love for the world and the compromise that came from that love.

©1996–present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik