191 And two of the messengers come towards Sodom at even, and Lot is sitting at the gate of Sodom, and Lot seeth, and riseth to meet them, and boweth himself—face to the earth, 2 and he saith, 'Lo, I pray you, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, unto the house of your servant, and lodge, and wash your feet—then ye have risen early and gone on your way;' and they say, 'Nay, but in the broad place we do lodge.' 3 And he presseth on them greatly, and they turn aside unto him, and come in unto his house; and he maketh for them a banquet, and hath baked unleavened things; and they do eat.
4 Before they lie down, the men of the city—men of Sodom—have come round about against the house, from young even unto aged, all the people from the extremity; 5 and they call unto Lot and say to him, 'Where 'are' the men who have come in unto thee to-night? bring them out unto us, and we know them.' 6 And Lot goeth out unto them, to the opening, and the door hath shut behind him, 7 and saith, 'Do not, I pray you, my brethren, do evil; 8 lo, I pray you, I have two daughters, who have not known any one; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do to them as 'is' good in your eyes; only to these men do not anything, for therefore have they come in within the shadow of my roof.' 9 And they say, 'Come nigh hither;' they say also, 'This one hath come in to sojourn, and he certainly judgeth! now, we do evil to thee more than 'to' them;' and they press against the man, against Lot greatly, and come nigh to break the door. 10 And the men put forth their hand, and bring in Lot unto them, into the house, and have shut the door; 11 and the men who 'are' at the opening of the house they have smitten with blindness, from small even unto great, and they weary themselves to find the opening.
12 And the men say unto Lot, 'Whom hast thou here still? son-in-law, thy sons also, and thy daughters, and all whom thou hast in the city, bring out from this place; 13 for we are destroying this place, for their cry hath been great 'before' the face of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth send us to destroy it.' 14 And Lot goeth out, and speaketh unto his sons-in-law, those taking his daughters, and saith, 'Rise, go out from this place, for Jehovah is destroying the city;' and he is as 'one' mocking in the eyes of his sons-in-law.
15 And when the dawn hath ascended, then the messengers press upon Lot, saying, 'Rise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters who are found present, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.' 16 And he lingereth, and the men lay hold on his hand, and on the hand of his wife, and on the hand of his two daughters, through the mercy of Jehovah unto him, and they bring him out, and cause him to rest without the city. 17 And it cometh to pass when he hath brought them out without, that he saith, 'Escape for thy life; look not expectingly behind thee, nor stand thou in all the circuit; to the mountain escape, lest thou be consumed.' 18 And Lot saith unto them, 'Not 'so', I pray thee, my lord; 19 lo, I pray thee, thy servant hath found grace in thine eyes, and thou dost make great thy kindness which thou hast done with me by saving my life, and I am unable to escape to the mountain, lest the evil cleave 'to' me, and I have died; 20 lo, I pray thee, this city 'is' near to flee thither, and it 'is' little; let me escape, I pray thee, thither, (is it not little?) and my soul doth live.' 21 And he saith unto him, 'Lo, I have accepted thy face also for this thing, without overthrowing the city 'for' which thou hast spoken; 22 haste, escape thither, for I am not able to do anything till thine entering thither;' therefore hath he calleth the name of the city Zoar. 23 The sun hath gone out on the earth, and Lot hath entered into Zoar,
24 and Jehovah hath rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah, from the heavens; 25 and He overthroweth these cities, and all the circuit, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which is shooting up from the ground.
26 And his wife looketh expectingly from behind him, and she is—a pillar of salt!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 19:1-26
Commentary on Genesis 19:1-29
(Read Genesis 19:1-29)
Lot was good, but there was not one more of the same character in the city. All the people of Sodom were very wicked and vile. Care was therefore taken for saving Lot and his family. Lot lingered; he trifled. Thus many who are under convictions about their spiritual state, and the necessity of a change, defer that needful work. The salvation of the most righteous men is of God's mercy, not by their own merit. We are saved by grace. God's power also must be acknowledged in bringing souls out of a sinful state If God had not been merciful to us, our lingering had been our ruin. Lot must flee for his life. He must not hanker after Sodom. Such commands as these are given to those who, through grace, are delivered out of a sinful state and condition. Return not to sin and Satan. Rest not in self and the world. Reach toward Christ and heaven, for that is escaping to the mountain, short of which we must not stop. Concerning this destruction, observe that it is a revelation of the wrath of God against sin and sinners of all ages. Let us learn from hence the evil of sin, and its hurtful nature; it leads to ruin.