Genesis 19:4-11 · Bible study
Genesis 19:4-11 Commentary: Total Depravity at the Door
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
The men of Sodom, young and old, surround Lot's house. This passage shows collective sin, corrupt hospitality, and divine rescue.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The men of Sodom from every age and class unite in violent sexual assault, revealing total corruption and triggering divine rescue.
- Key words: yada (know, euphemism for sex); sanverim (sudden blindness, used also in 2 Kings 6:18); kol (all), stressed three times.
- Main debate: Lot’s offer of his daughters, selfless hospitality within ancient custom (Clarke, Cambridge) or moral failure (Calvin, Wesley, Henry).
- Theological theme: Corporate sin and its consequences; the tension between protecting guests and family; God’s rescue of the righteous even when they are compromised.
- Best use: Preaching on the danger of collective evil, the limits of cultural norms, and the necessity of divine intervention when human efforts fail.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
4Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.
5They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”
6Lot went outside to meet them, shutting the door behind him.
7“Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!
8Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them as you please. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”
9“Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.
10But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
11And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
WEB World English Bible 2000
4But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.
5They called to Lot, and said to him, “Where are the men who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us, that we may have sex with them.”
6Lot went out to them through the door, and shut the door after himself.
7He said, “Please, my brothers, don’t act so wickedly.
8See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
9They said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one fellow came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge. Now we will deal worse with you than with them!” They pressed hard on the man Lot, and came near to break the door.
10But the men reached out their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.
11They struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
KJV King James Version 1769
4But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
4But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter;
5and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him.
7And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
8Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing, forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.
9And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door.
10But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
4Before 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;
5and 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.'
6And Lot goeth out unto them, to the opening, and the door hath shut behind him,
7and saith, `Do not, I pray you, my brethren, do evil;
8lo, 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.'
9And 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.
10And the men put forth their hand, and bring in Lot unto them, into the house, and have shut the door;
11and 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.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
4Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the youngest to the oldest — all the people from every quarter.
5And they called to Lot, and said to him, Where are the men that have come in to thee to-night? bring them out to us that we may know them.
6And Lot went out to them to the entrance, and shut the door after him,
7and said, I pray you, my brethren, do not wickedly!
8Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man: let me now bring them out to you; and do to them as is good in your sight: only, to these men do nothing; for therefore have they come under the shadow of my roof.
9And they said, Back there! And they said [again], This one came to sojourn, and he must be a judge? Now we will deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed hard on the man — on Lot; and drew near to break the door.
10And the men stretched out their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.
11And they smote the men that were at the entrance of the house with blindness, from the smallest to the greatest; and they wearied themselves to find the entrance.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
4But before they went to bed, the men of the city beset the house, both young and old, all the people together.
5And they called Lot, and said to him: Where are the men that came in to thee at night? bring them out hither, that we may know them:
6Lot went out to them, and shut the door after him, and said:
7Do not so, I beseech you, my brethren, do not commit this evil.
8I have two daughters who, as yet, have not known man; I will bring them out to you, and abuse you them as it shall please you, so that you do no evil to these men, because they are come in under the shadow of my roof.
9But they said: Get thee back thither. And again: Thou camest in, said they, as a stranger, was it to be a judge? therefore we will afflict thee more than them. And they pressed very violently upon Lot: and they were even at the point of breaking open the doors.
10And behold the men put out their hand, and drew in Lot unto them, and shut the door.
11And them, that were without, they struck with blindness from the least to the greatest, so that they could not find the door.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 19:4
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 passage reveals the total moral corruption of Sodom. The narrator stresses that all the men, young and old, from every quarter, participated in the assault (Cambridge; Calvin; Lange). The verb sequence, they “surrounded the house,” they “called to Lot”, shows deliberate, unified action. The demand “that we may know them” (v.5) is universally understood as a euphemism for sexual assault (Clarke; Gill). Lot’s offer of his daughters is sharply debated. Some commentators, following ancient hospitality customs, see it as a desperate but misguided attempt to protect guests at any cost (Cambridge; Clarke). Others, like Calvin and Wesley, judge it a grave sin, a failure to protect his family. Yet the crowd’s rejection escalates the violence: they threaten Lot, press against the door, and only divine intervention, the angels’ blindness, stops them (Calvin; Gill). The blindness (Heb. sanverim, a rare word also used in 2 Kings 6:18) is widely read as temporary, either physical or mental confusion that prevented them from finding the door (Clarke; Gill). Together, these verses show a community so hardened in evil that they are ripe for judgment (Lange; Matthew Henry).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Unanimous total corruption: The text stresses 'all' from 'young to old' and every quarter; cross-references like Genesis 13:13 and 18:20 reinforce that Sodom's sin had reached a tipping point.
- Lot's offer as flawed hospitality: Some argue that Lot's proposal was a grave sin (Calvin, Wesley); others see it as culturally understandable but still wrong (Cambridge).
- Blindness as temporary or mental: Clarke and Gill debate whether the blindness was physical or a dark confusion; the word sanverim is rare, leaving room for interpretation.
What is clear: All men of Sodom, regardless of age, participated in an attempt to violently sexually assault Lot's guests, revealing a city entirely given over to evil and ripe for judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the mob's demand | All commentators understand v.5 as a demand for homosexual rape, using 'know' as a sexual euphemism. | Some (Clarke, Gill) focus on the violence and violation of hospitality; others (Lange) stress the specifically same-sex nature as the 'abomination' of Leviticus 18:22. Both streams agree that the act is wicked. |
| Lot's proposal to hand over his daughters | Everyone agrees that Lot acted to protect his guests, invoking the sacred duty of hospitality. | The morality is split. Cambridge and Clarke see it as excusable by ancient Eastern norms; Calvin, Wesley, and Henry call it a sin, a defect in Lot's character, showing he should not have risked his daughters' honor. |
| Whether 'young and old' means literal children | Commentators agree that the phrase shows the universality of participation: no one was exempt. | Some (Gill, Cambridge) read it as 'from the youngest man to the oldest,' not necessarily boys under the age of accountability. Others (Lange, Calvin) take it as inclusive of all ages, emphasizing the depth of corruption. |
| The nature of the blindness (sanverim) | The blindness was a divine act that ended the assault. | Clarke and Gill note two possibilities: temporary physical blindness, or a mental confusion/darkness (cf. the Wisdom of Solomon 19:17). The Hebrew word is rare and may allow either reading. |
| Lot as a judge in the gate | The crowd's taunt (v.9) shows they resent his foreigner-turned-judge role. | Calvin and Gill take Lot's sitting in the gate (19:1) as evidence he held a magistracy. Cambridge is more cautious, suggesting he had simply gained some standing, not a formal office. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The gate of an ancient Near Eastern city was far more than an entrance. It was the center of public life: legal cases were heard, business transacted, and strangers assessed. Lot “was sitting in the gate” (19:1), suggesting he had achieved some standing in Sodom, perhaps even a role as a judge (Keil; Calvin). The men’s taunt, “This one fellow came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge”, turns precisely on this. They reject his authority as a resident alien.
Hospitality in the nomadic and settled cultures of the ancient Near East carried sacred weight. To accept a guest under one’s roof meant protective obligations so strong that a host was expected to defend the guest with his own life (Clarke; Cambridge). Lot’s offer of his daughters, shocking to modern readers, can only be understood against this backdrop. The Cambridge Bible notes that “no sacrifice was considered too great to maintain inviolate the safety of a stranger.” Yet the same commentators note that this standard coexisted with a tragically low view of women. The Hebrew text uses the euphemism “they have not known a man” (lo yade’u ish, v.8), which matches the sexual language of the mob’s demand.
The mob includes “both young and old” (v.4). This is not a fringe or spontaneous riot. The narrator insists on universality: “all the people from every quarter” (lit. “from the end,” mi-katseh). Calvin observes that Moses “sets before our eyes a lively picture of Sodom”, a city where sin was unanimous, shameless, and publicly aggressive. The assault happens at night, but night was not a cover; it was a typical time for such mob actions (Gill). The outcry against Sodom (Gen 18:20) finds its concrete expression here: a whole society joining in violence toward strangers.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants in Genesis 19:4-11. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. One minor grammatical note: the word ha'el (v.8, translated 'these men') is an archaic demonstrative form (Keil), but this does not affect meaning. The LXX rendering uses aorasia for 'blindness,' which suggests a temporary deprivation of sight rather than complete permanent loss.
Reception History
This passage has been read across church history as the definitive account of Sodom's sin. Early Church Fathers like Ambrose and Chrysostom used it to condemn homosexual acts while also seeing Lot's actions through the lens of hospitality. The desert fathers saw in the mob an image of collective demonic temptation. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther used the passage to warn against the corruption that comes when a community abandons natural order. In modernity, the story is read both as a text about sexual ethics and, increasingly, as a warning against mob violence, inhospitality, and the moral danger of groupthink. Lot's offer of his daughters remains a deeply troubling point, prompting many traditions to caution against using ancient customs to excuse sinful choices.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Sin becomes universal. The passage stresses that every man from youngest to oldest participated. This is not individual wrongdoing but collective, public evil. It shows how a whole city can become hardened when good leadership fails and rebellion goes unchecked.
- Hospitality twisted and refused. Lot tries to honor the ancient sacred duty of protecting guests. But his proposal to hand over his daughters reveals moral confusion. The crowd rejects any restraint, choosing violence over community norms.
- God’s intervention cuts through. When human effort fails, when the door is about to break, the angels reach out and pull Lot to safety. The blindness that follows is both judgment and mercy: it halts the mob and saves Lot.
Five-point outline
- Setting the scene (v.4). Before the guests lie down, the whole city surrounds the house. The timing underscores the city’s eagerness for evil.
- The demand (v.5). They do not hide their intention. The euphemism “know” still exposes raw, violent lust.
- Lot’s impossible choice (vv.6-8). Stepping outside, he pleads for restraint but offers his daughters. His courage in defending guests vies with his failure as a father.
- The mob’s rebellion (v.9). They reject his authority outright, threatening him and pressing to break the door. Sin has no boundaries when it controls a crowd.
- Divine rescue and judgment (vv.10-11). The angels bring Lot inside and strike the mob with blindness. The door they cannot find becomes a symbol of their spiritual blindness.
Illustration hooks
- Mob mentality at a school. How quickly a group can move from gossip to bullying when everyone joins in, and how hard it is for one person to resist. Lot stands almost alone.
- The guest in a tense home. A host who will do almost anything to keep a visitor safe, even to the point of making irrational or wrong choices, shows the extremes of ancient hospitality.
- A locked door at night. Most of us have felt the fear of a threat outside our home. The scene outside Lot’s door is that fear magnified to citywide violence.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How could Lot offer his own daughters? Was he a coward or just a product of his culture?
- Does this passage mean God hates all homosexual acts, or is it about violence and inhospitality?
- Why does God wait until now to destroy Sodom? What made this the final straw?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with collective sin, compromised faith, and surprising grace. The men of Sodom are not named one by one; they are “all the people from every quarter.” Lot, the only righteous man in the city, makes choices that trouble us deeply. Where is God in this? The angels act when human resources fail.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 4-5 aloud. What reactions do you have to the scene? Why does the narrator stress “both young and old”?
- Lot calls the mob “brothers” (v.7). What does that word choice suggest about his attempt to reason with them? How do they respond?
- Lot offers his virgin daughters to the crowd (v.8). What traditions of hospitality might have led him to this? In what ways does his faith seem both strong and weak here?
- The men of Sodom say, “He came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge” (v.9). How does their rejection of Lot’s authority mirror a rejection of God’s values?
- In verses 10-11, the angels pull Lot inside and strike the men with blindness. What does this action reveal about God’s protection and judgment? Why use blindness specifically?
- Compare this passage with Judges 19:22-25. What patterns of sin and hospitality do you see repeating? What does that tell us about human nature?
- If you had been in Lot’s position, what would have been the hardest part? How does this story challenge you to think about the influences of the society you live in?
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 13:13 | Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh. |
| Genesis 18:20 | Yahweh said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, |
| Exodus 16:2 | The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; |
| Exodus 23:2 | “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice. |
| Proverbs 4:16 | For they don’t sleep unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall. |
| Proverbs 6:18 | a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief, |
| Jeremiah 5:1 | “Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in its wide places, if you can find a man, if there is anyone who does justly, who seeks truth, then I will pardon her. |
| Jeremiah 5:6 | Therefore a lion out of the forest will kill them. A wolf of the evenings will destroy them. A leopard will watch against their cities. Everyone who goes out there will be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many and their backsliding has increased. |
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
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that Lot’s offer of his daughters is only understandable through the lens of ancient Eastern hospitality, which demanded protecting guests at all costs. He views this cultural imperative as the sole factor that might excuse Lot’s desperate and hasty proposal to the mob. Regarding the angels’ act, Clarke notes they blinded the men either by directly impairing their sight or by casting a deep darkness that hid Lot’s door entirely.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the comprehensive moral chaos of Sodom: the people had lost all sense of shame, so their lust turned into violent cruelty, mixing every kind of sin together. He also notes that Lot's courage was real but flawed, as he tried to fix one evil with another. The miraculous blindness shows God's power and the wicked's stubborn rage: they see yet cannot see, still furiously fighting God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that Lot's shocking offer of his daughters must be understood within the ancient hospitality code, where a guest's safety was paramount. The explanation lies not in personal weakness, but in the era's terribly low estimate of women, which made such a sacrifice seem meritorious. The writer also notes that the Hebrew phrase "from every quarter" shows that all classes of Sodom shared the same guilt.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The notes highlight how the mob’s demand to "know" the visitors reveals their intent for violent sexual abuse rather than mere acquaintance. Lot’s shocking offer of his daughters underscores the extreme cultural value placed on hospitality and guest protection, even at the cost of family honor. The angels’ intervention demonstrates divine power to protect strangers while judging the city’s pervasive wickedness.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the blindness struck the Sodomites was not a total loss of sight but a disorienting confusion specific to the door of Lot's house. They could see other objects yet wore themselves out searching for the entrance, unable to find it even as they continued seeking. This peculiar judgment, described here and in 2 Kings 6:18, left them trapped in futile effort while protecting Lot and the angels inside.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB sees the men surrounding Lot’s house as appalling proof of Sodom’s wickedness. But he adds that this environment had already corrupted Lot himself: evil associations had eroded good character, which alone explains why Lot acted as he did.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch highlight that in offering his daughters, Lot committed the sin of trying to avert sin by sin — sacrificing his sacred paternal duty to uphold the sacred rite of hospitality. They view the blindness inflicted on the mob as a direct punishment for their moral blindness and an omen of Sodom’s coming judgment.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights that the blindness striking the Sodomites was not natural but a supernatural combining of angelic power and demonic fury. Their persistent groping for the door even after being blinded reveals a depravity so complete that judgment is inevitable.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry argues that the mob’s universal participation proves Sodom’s wickedness was total and epidemic. He observes that both old and young joined the riot, showing sin had infected every segment of society without exception. This unanimity in evil filled their measure of guilt, confirming that divine judgment was fully justified by their collective depravity.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the total corruption of Sodom, where every age joined the attack. He sharply condemns Lot's offer of his daughters as an unjustifiable evil, for we must never do wrong even for a good end. The blindness ended the attack and previewed the destruction to come.