Genesis 19:17

15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ^a“Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”

16 And while he lingered, the men ^atook hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the ^bLord being merciful to him, ^cand they brought him out and set him outside the city.

17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that¹ he said, ^a“Escape for your life! ^bDo not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape ^cto the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, ^ano, my lords!

19 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.

20 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.”

21 And he said to him, “See, ^aI have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.

22 Hurry, escape there. For ^aI cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore ^bthe name of the city was called¹ Zoar.

23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.

24 Then the Lord rained ^abrimstone and ^bfire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.

25 So He¹ overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and ^awhat grew on the ground.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

<< Genesis 19:16

Genesis 19:18 >>

What Does Genesis 19:17 Mean?

Genesis 19:17-22

Compared with the rest of the story, there is a sudden change in the pronouns from plural to singular. Notice verse 17, "So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said"—one of the messengers speaks. In verse 18, Lot addresses them and uses the term "lords." Keil & Delitzsch Commentary says, No, "lord" is singular in the Hebrew.

Adonai, "Lord," is the name of God. Is it the name of Melchizedek? Was Melchizedek there to destroy the city? If the messenger was not Melchizedek, why did Lot call him "lord"? Why in verses 21 and 22 does the angel take the authority to himself to destroy the city? He says to Lot, "I cannot do anything until you arrive there," and then verse 24 relates, "The LORD rained down. . . ." Is the LORD the same "lord" who was the "I" of verse 22? An interesting sequence of verses.

Not only does Keil & Delitzsch say this, but the Jewish Publication Society's Tanahk, the King James Version, and the Revised Standard Version all reinforce this idea in various ways.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Faith (Part Four)

<< Genesis 19:16

Genesis 19:18 >>

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What Does Genesis 19:17 Mean?

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