The two messengers arrived in Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to greet them and, bowing low with his face to the ground,
he said, “Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant’s house to spend the night, and bathe your feet; then you may be on your way early.” But they said, “No, we will spend the night in the square.”
They had not yet lain down, when the town council [and] the militia of Sodom town council [and] the militia of Sodom Cf. Gen. 34.20, Josh. 7.4–5, and Judg. 20.2. Heb. we-’anshe ha-‘ir ’anshe sedom; NJPS “the townspeople, the men of Sodom,” trad. “the men of the city, the men of Sodom.” —insignificant and influential alike, insignificant and influential alike NJPS “young and old,” trad. “both young and old”; Heb. mi-na‘ar we-‘ad zaqen. See the Dictionary under na‘ar and “elders.” the whole assemb
And they shouted to Lot and said to him, “Where are the ones ” NJPS “men.” See the Dictionary under ’ish. who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may be intimate with be intimate with I.e., humiliate. them.”
Translation Notes
*ones — Lit. “participants whose involvement defines the depicted situation.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויקראו
323
אללוט
76
ויאמרו
263
לו
36
איה
16
האנשים
406
אשרבאו
510
אליך
61
הלילה
80
הוציאם
152
אלינו
97
ונדעה
135
אתם
441
Genesis 19:6
Gematria: 1659
ויצאאלהםלוטהפתחהוהדלתסגראחריו
So Lot went out to them to the entrance, shut the door behind him,
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויצא
107
אלהם
76
לוט
45
הפתחה
498
והדלת
445
סגר
263
אחריו
225
Genesis 19:7
Gematria: 1034
ויאמראלנאאחיתרעו
and said, “I beg you, my friends, do not commit such a wrong.
Look, I have two daughters daughters I.e., of great value to Lot; cf. Judg. 11.35; 2 Sam. 12.3. who have not known a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you please; do to them as you please I.e., I will entrust them to you as hostages if you will trust me meanwhile with the visitors. but do not do anything to the others, the others NJPS “these men.” Cf. note at v. 5. since they have come under the shelter of my roof.”
But they said, “Stand back! The fellow,” they said, “came here as an alien, and already he acts the ruler! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” And they pressed hard against that householder against that householder Heb. ba-’ish; NJPS “against the person [of Lot],” trad. “upon the man.” See the Dictionary under ’ish. —against Lot—and moved forward to break the door.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויאמרו
263
גשהלאה
344
ויאמרו
263
האחד
18
באלגור
242
וישפט
405
שפוט
395
עתה
475
נרע
320
לך
50
מהם
85
ויפצרו
392
באיש
313
בלוט
47
מאד
45
ויגשו
325
לשבר
532
הדלת
439
Genesis 19:10
Gematria: 3325
וישלחוהאנשיםאתידםויביאואתלוטאליהםהביתהואתהדלתסגרו
But the agents agents See notes at 18.2, 16; cf. 19.1. stretched out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
And the people people So NJPS; lit. “[other] participants whose involvement defines the depicted situation.” Trad. “men.” See the Dictionary under ’ish. who were at the entrance of the house, low and high alike, low and high alike Cf. note at v. 4. Heb. mi-katon we-‘ad gadol; NJPS “young and old,” trad. “both small and great.” they struck with blinding light, so that they were helpless to find the entrance.
Then the agents said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? Sons-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else that you have in the city—bring them out of the place.
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for יהוה is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law as one who jests.
As dawn broke, the messengers urged Lot on, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two remaining daughters, lest you be swept away because of the iniquity of the city.”
Still he delayed. So the agents seized his hand, and the hands of his wife and his two daughters—in יהוה’s mercy on him—and brought him out and left him outside the city.
When they had brought them outside, one said, “Flee for your life! Do not look behind you, nor stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, lest you be swept away.”
You have been so gracious to your servant, and have already shown me so much kindness in order to save my life; but I cannot flee to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.
Hurry, flee there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Hence the town came to be called Zoar. Zoar Connected with miṣ‘ar “a little place,” v. 20.
Word-by-Word Analysis
מהר
245
המלט
84
שמה
345
כי
30
לא
31
אוכל
57
לעשות
806
דבר
206
עדבאך
97
שמה
345
עלכן
170
קרא
301
שםהעיר
625
צוער
366
Genesis 19:23
Gematria: 1561
השמשיצאעלהארץולוטבאצערה
As the sun rose upon the earth and Lot entered Zoar,
Word-by-Word Analysis
השמש
645
יצא
101
עלהארץ
396
ולוט
51
בא
3
צערה
365
Genesis 19:24
Gematria: 2873
ויהוההמטירעלסדםועלעמרהגפריתואשמאתיהוהמןהשמים
יהוה rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfurous fire from יהוה out of heaven—
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויהוה
32
המטיר
264
עלסדם
204
ועלעמרה
421
גפרית
693
ואש
307
מאת
441
יהוה
26
מןהשמים
485
Genesis 19:25
Gematria: 2888
ויהפךאתהעריםהאלואתכלהככרואתכלישביהעריםוצמחהאדמה
annihilating those cities and the entire Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויהפך
121
אתהערים
726
האל
36
ואת
407
כלהככר
295
ואת
407
כלישבי
372
הערים
325
וצמח
144
האדמה
55
Genesis 19:26
Gematria: 2040
ותבטאשתומאחריוותהינציבמלח
Lot’s ” wife looked back, ” and she thereupon turned into a pillar of salt.
Translation Notes
*Lot’s — Lit. “His.
*back — Lit. “behind him.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ותבט
417
אשתו
707
מאחריו
265
ותהי
421
נציב
152
מלח
78
Genesis 19:27
Gematria: 2672
וישכםאברהםבבקראלהמקוםאשרעמדשםאתפנייהוה
Next morning, Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood before יהוה,
Thus it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain and annihilated the cities where Lot dwelt, God was mindful of Abraham and removed Lot from the midst of the upheaval.
Lot went up from Zoar and settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; and he and his two daughters lived in a cave.
The next day the older one said to the younger, “See, I lay with Father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go and lie with him, that we may maintain life through our father.”
And the younger also bore a son, and she called him Ben-ammi; Ben-ammi As though “son of my (paternal) kindred.” See further the Dictionary under ‘am. he is the father of the Ammonites of today.