Genesis 19:15 · Bible study
Genesis 19:15 Commentary: Lot's Lingering and Divine Urgency
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Genesis 19:15: Lot hesitates, angels urge; the meaning of 'consumed in the iniquity of the city'; and what this teaches about spiritual readiness.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The angels urgently command Lot to leave Sodom at dawn or be destroyed along with it, highlighting both God's rescue and the danger of delay.
- Key words: “Hastened” (uts), to press or urge; “iniquity” (avon), sin and/or its punishment; “consumed” (saphah), to be swept away.
- Main debate: Whether “iniquity of the city” refers primarily to the city’s sin or to the punishment that sin incurs, and whether Lot’s lingering is a sign of weakness or a compassionate reluctance.
- Theological theme: Divine mercy meets human hesitation; God initiates rescue but requires a response of active faith.
- Best use: A call to examine areas where we delay obedience; a model for urgent prayer for lost families and cities.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
At daybreak the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
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.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And as the dawn arose, the angels urged Lot, saying, Up, take thy wife and thy two daughters who are present, lest thou perish in the iniquity of the city.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And when it was morning, the angels pressed him, saying: Arise, take thy wife, and the two daughters that thou hast: lest thou also perish in the wickedness of the city.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y al rayar el alba, los ángeles daban prisa á Lot, diciendo: Levántate, toma tu mujer, y tus dos hijas que se hallan aquí, porque no perezcas en el castigo de la ciudad.
E ao raiar a alva, os anjos davam pressa a Ló, dizendo: Levanta-te, toma tua mulher, e teus dois filhas que se acham aqui, para que não pereças no castigo da cidade.
Dès l’ aube du jour, les anges insistèrent auprès de Lot, en disant: Lève-toi, prends ta femme et tes deux filles qui se trouvent ici, de peur que tu ne périsses dans la ruine de la ville.
Da nun die Morgenröte aufging, hießen die Engel den Lot eilen und sprachen: Mache dich auf, nimm dein Weib und deine zwei Töchter, die vorhanden sind, daß du nicht auch umkommst in der Missetat dieser Stadt.
En als de dageraad opging, drongen de engelen Lot aan, zeggende: Maak u op, neem uw huisvrouw, en uw twee dochteren, die voorhanden zijn, opdat gij in de ongerechtigheid dezer stad niet omkomt.
E come l’alba cominciò ad apparire, gli angeli sollecitarono Lot, dicendo: “Lèvati, prendi tua moglie e le tue due figliuole che si trovan qui, affinché tu non perisca nel castigo di questa città”.
A gdy weszła zorza, przymuszali Aniołowie Lota, mówiąc: Wstań, weźmij żonę twoję, i dwie córki twoje, które tu są, byś snać nie zginął w nieprawości miasta tego.
Когда взошла заря, Ангелы начали торопить Лота, говоря: встань, возьми жену твою и двух дочерей твоих, которые у тебя, чтобы не погибнуть тебе за беззакония города.
天明了，天使 催逼 羅得 說：「起來！帶著 你的妻子 和 你在這裡的兩 個女兒 出去，免得 你因這城 裡的罪惡 同被剿滅。」
And when morning came, the angels did all in their power to make Lot go, saying, Get up quickly and take your wife and your two daughters who are here, and go, for fear that you come to destruction in the punishment of the town.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 19:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse captures a moment of intense urgency. The angels at dawn press Lot not just to leave but to “make haste” (the Hebrew uts, to press or urge). Lot, however, “lingered” (v. 16). The Cambridge Bible notes that the doom was to be inflicted before sunrise, so delay meant death. Calvin observes that Lot’s slowness stemmed from attachment to home and possessions; like a shipwreck victim clutching cargo, he hesitates to abandon what he cannot save. Keil and Delitzsch concur: his heart clung to earthly home. Matthew Henry sees in Lot’s hesitation a mirror of our own sluggishness in obeying God’s commands to flee sin. The key Hebrew word for “iniquity” (avon) is ambiguous, it can mean both sin and its punishment. The Cambridge Bible prefers “punishment” in this context, as do many modern translations (BSB: “punishment of the city”). So the threat is not simply being caught up in sin but sharing in the city’s catastrophic judgment.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The basic narrative action—angels urge Lot to leave Sodom at dawn to avoid being destroyed with the city—is universally understood and undisputed across traditions.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'iniquity' (avon) | All agree the word carries both the idea of sin and its consequence, and that Lot faced destruction if he stayed. | Some commentators (Cambridge, BSB) read it as 'punishment,' emphasizing judgment; others (KJV, Matthew Henry) retain 'iniquity,' focusing on the moral corruption that draws judgment. |
| Lot's character: righteous or flawed? | All see Lot as a righteous man (2 Peter 2:7-8) who was rescued by God's mercy. | Calvin and Matthew Henry emphasize his lingering as a moral failure and a warning against spiritual sluggishness. JFB and Keil are more charitable, attributing his delay to shock or attachment to his home. |
| The identity of the 'angels' | They are divine messengers sent by Yahweh to execute judgment and rescue Lot. | Some (Lange) see them as the two angels from chapter 18, possibly theophanic; others simply as angelic beings. The text itself does not emphasize their nature beyond being messengers. |
| The phrase 'your two daughters who are here' | This distinguishes the daughters present with Lot from other family members (sons-in-law, married daughters). | Gill notes that some rabbis concluded Lot had other daughters elsewhere, while others (including most commentators) read it as simply 'who are present with you now', the family in the house. |
| The urgency of the command | All agree the angels' haste is because judgment is imminent and Lot must leave immediately. | The extent to which this reflects a general principle of Christian readiness vs. a specific historical situation is debated: some apply it directly to spiritual life (Matthew Henry), while others focus on the narrative's historical context. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse opens “when the morning came”, literally “the dawn ascended” (Hebrew: hashachar alah). The sun would not rise until Lot reached Zoar (v. 23), so the angels acted in the gray half-light before full day. Judgment was timed to strike with the rising sun, leaving no window for hesitation.
Lot was already in the city gate the previous evening (v. 1), gate area of an ancient Near Eastern city was the center of commerce and justice. Poole notes this was a place of hospitality, but also of corruption. Lange adds that “his sitting at the gate” is mentioned to his reproach, he had settled among the morally compromised. The angels had blinded the men of Sodom (v. 11) for trying to assault them, so the city was in chaos. Lot had just warned his sons-in-law, who thought he was joking (v. 14). He is alone in taking the threat seriously.
The phrase “your two daughters who are here” (nintzaot, “who are found present”) distinguishes them from the daughters who were married to the scoffing sons-in-law. Gill cites Aben Ezra’s conclusion that Lot had other daughters elsewhere, but the context suggests rather that only those present in the house were being offered deliverance. The word “consumed” (saphah, to snatch, sweep away) appears also in Numbers 16:24, 27, where Korah’s family is told to separate from the tents of the rebels or be swept away with them. This reinforces the idea of a physical, corporate judgment from which one must physically separate.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Genesis 19:15 is well preserved with no significant variant readings in the major manuscript traditions (Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls). The Septuagint renders “iniquity” (avon) as ἀνομία (lawlessness), which aligns with the sense of moral corruption. The Vulgate translates it as “iniquitas” (iniquity). The consulted commentaries note no textual disagreements; the only interpretive nuance is the semantic range of avon (sin vs. punishment), which is a lexical rather than a textual issue.
Reception History
From the early church onward, this verse has been read as a prototype of the final judgment and the call to flee from sin. Origen and Augustine saw Lot’s deliverance as a type of the believer rescued from the world’s corruption. The phrase “lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city” was used by preachers like Chrysostom to urge repentance before the coming wrath. In the Reformation, Calvin and Luther emphasized Lot’s hesitation as a mirror of the human heart’s reluctance to abandon sin; Matthew Henry applied it to the necessity of “spiritual haste” in responding to the gospel. Modern readings (e.g., Genesis: Brazos Theological Commentary) treat the verse as a caution against being so entangled in a sinful culture that one cannot leave when God calls.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Urgency of the Call: Dawn breaks, and the angels press Lot with the verb uts, to urge insistently. God’s rescue is always timely but never patient with our delays.
- The Danger of Lingering: Lot’s feet are slow even when his life is at stake. Calvin calls this “human infirmity that still adhered to him,” but Matthew Henry warns more sharply: hesitation in fleeing sin can be fatal.
- The Scope of Salvation: The command includes wife and daughters who are “here.” God saves households, not isolated individuals, but only those willing to go.
Five-point outline
- The Dawn of Reckoning: Morning came. Judgment does not announce itself long ahead; it arrives with the light.
- Angelic Impatience: The angels hasten Lot. Even supernatural messengers must push against human reluctance.
- The Specific Command: “Take your wife and your two daughters.” No time for packing, bargaining, or farewells.
- The Warning: “Lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.” The same word (avon) covers sin and its consequence, you cannot separate the two.
- The Silent Contrast: Lot moves while his sons-in-law stay behind (v. 14). The door of mercy was still open, but only for those who would leave.
Illustration hooks
- A family living in a flood zone who refuse to evacuate until water is at the door. The warning seems exaggerated until it is too late.
- A person dependent on a comfortable but destructive lifestyle who keeps postponing change, thinking “just one more day.”
- The airport announcement: “This is the final boarding call.” Passengers who tarry risk missing the flight. Delay is not neutral, it becomes a decision.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God is merciful, why would He destroy an entire city?
- How do I know when God is telling me to leave a situation rather than stay and be salt and light?
- What does it mean to be “consumed in the iniquity” of a place, is it punishment, or does it mean being absorbed into its sin?
Leading a Discussion
The story of Lot's escape from Sodom is more than ancient history. It holds up a mirror to our own hesitations when God calls us to leave behind what is comfortable but corrupt. This verse captures the moment of truth, the dawn when decisions can no longer be postponed. Use the questions below to explore how a loving God urges His children to move, and why we so often resist.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about the angels' tone in this verse? Why do you think they “hastened” Lot rather than simply instructing him? (Observation)
- Lot was already in his home, presumably safe for the night. What might have made him slow to leave? Think about possessions, relationships, or simply disbelief. (Interpretation)
- The Hebrew word for “iniquity” (avon) can mean both sin and punishment. How does this double meaning affect how you read the angels' warning? (Interpretation)
- Lot's wife and daughters are included in the rescue, but they must act. In what ways does salvation require a response from us, even when it is entirely God's work? (Application)
- Second Peter 2:7-8 describes Lot as a righteous man tormented by the lawlessness around him. How does this verse complicate or deepen that description? (Cross-reference)
- When have you felt “pressed” by circumstances or by conscience to leave a situation that was pulling you away from God? How did you respond? (Application)
- This passage ends with Lot bargaining to go to Zoar (v. 18-22). What does that say about his faith even after the rescue begins? (Application)
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 19:17 | It came to pass, when they had taken them out, that he said, “Escape for your life! Don’t look behind you, and don’t stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be consumed!” |
| Genesis 19:22 | Hurry, escape there, for I can’t do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. |
| Numbers 16:24 | “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram!’” |
| Numbers 16:27 | So they went away from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side. Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. |
| Proverbs 6:4 | Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. |
| Proverbs 6:5 | Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. |
| Luke 13:24 | “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able. |
| Luke 13:25 | When once the master of the house has risen up and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees Lot's lingering as a mirror of our own natural slowness to obey, even when we trust God's word. The angels must hurry him along because human worries, like exile and loss, entangle the mind. This shows we must shake off indolence and respond promptly, or Satan will add more delays.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentators stress the angels’ urgency by tying the destruction to daybreak: Lot would perish if still inside the city at sunrise. They also note that the word often translated “iniquity” here more accurately means “punishment,” shifting the focus from sin to the consequence about to fall.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The note stresses the angels' urgency as evidence of God's mercy: Lot lingers, so the angels force him to act. Only his wife and two daughters are called to flee, showing that those who refuse to believe are left to the city's destruction.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill clarifies that the angels' instruction to take the daughters "which are here" does not imply Lot had other daughters elsewhere. The phrase simply distinguishes those present from the absent sons-in-law. He adds that Onkelos interprets it as referring to those who believed the warning about Sodom's destruction.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB suggests two charitable reasons why Lot lingered: either he was reluctant to leave his accumulated wealth behind, or the overwhelming horror of the coming judgment left him paralyzed. Either way, his delay would have been fatal without the angels' urgent intervention.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights that Lot did not leave willingly; his heart clung to his home and possessions, so he delayed. It was only because of God's sparing mercy that the angels seized him and his family by force and led them out of the city.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange interprets Lot’s offer of his daughters not merely as desperation but as a calculated irony that exposes Sodom’s depravity. He suggests Lot, knowing their unnatural lusts, used this shocking proposal to provoke them further, aiming to trigger divine judgment through their own shameless rage against the sacred rights of hospitality.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes how Lot lingered even after the angels warned him, and then bargained to settle in Zoar rather than obey the command to flee to the mountain. He sees in this a display of human reluctance and weak faith, yet also God's patient mercy in accommodating Lot's fear.