Advanced Commentary
Texts -- Genesis 19:1-4 (NET)
Pericope
NET
- Gen 19:1-38 -- The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Bible Dictionary
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Sodom
[ebd] burning; the walled, a city in the vale of Siddim (Gen. 13:10; 14:1-16). The wickedness of its inhabitants brought down upon it fire from heaven, by which it was destroyed (18:16-33; 19:1-29; Deut. 23:17). This city and its ...
[smith] (burning), one of the most ancient cities of Syria. It is commonly mentioned in connection with Gomorrah, but also with Admah and Zeboim, and on one occasion -- (Genesis 14:1) ... --with Bela or Zoar. Sodom was evidently the ...
[nave] SODOM, called also Sodoma. Situated in the plain of the Jordan, Gen. 13:10. The southeastern limit of the Canaanites, Gen. 10:19. Lot dwells at, Gen. 13:12. King of, joins other kings of the nations resisting the invasion ...
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Lot
[ebd] (Heb. goral, a "pebble"), a small stone used in casting lots (Num. 33:54; Jonah 1:7). The lot was always resorted to by the Hebrews with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a method of ascertaining the di...
[smith] (veil or covering), the son of Haran, and therefore the nephew of Abraham. (Genesis 11:27,31) (B.C. before 1926-1898.) His sisters were Milcah the wife of Nahor, and Iscah, by some identified with Sarah. haran died before the...
[nave] LOT 1. Feast of. See: Purim. 2. The son of Haran. Accompanies Terah from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran, Gen. 11:31. Migrates with Abraham to the land of Canaan, Gen. 12:4. Accompanies Abraham to Egypt; returns with him to B...
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Angel
[ebd] a word signifying, both in the Hebrew and Greek, a "messenger," and hence employed to denote any agent God sends forth to execute his purposes. It is used of an ordinary messenger (Job 1:14: 1 Sam. 11:3; Luke 7:24; 9:52), of...
[nave] ANGEL. One of the Holy Trinity Trinitarian authorities interpret the Scriptures cited under this topic as referring to Christ, who according to this view was the divine presence in the wilderness. Called Angel, Acts 7:30, ...
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Hospitality
[smith] Hospitality was regarded by most nations of the ancient world as one of the chief virtues. The Jewish laws respecting strangers (Leviticus 19:33,34) and the poor, (Leviticus 23:14) seq. Deuteronomy 15:7 And concerning redempt...
[nave] HOSPITALITY. Ex. 22:21; Ex. 23:9; Lev. 19:10, 33, 34; Lev. 24:22; Deut. 10:18, 19; Deut. 26:12, 13; Deut. 27:19; Prov. 9:1-4; Prov. 23:6-8; Isa. 58:6, 7; Matt. 22:2-10; Matt. 25:34-46; Luke 14:12-14; Rom. 12:13; Rom. 16:1, ...
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Abraham
[ebd] father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred in his native country of ...
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HOSPITALITY; HOST
[isbe] HOSPITALITY; HOST - hos-pi-tal'-i-ti, host (philoxenia, "love of strangers," xenos, "guest," "friend"; pandocheus, "innkeeper"): 1. Among Nomads: When the civilization of a people has advanced so far that some traveling has ...
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GOD, 2
[isbe] GOD, 2 - II. The Idea of God in the Old Testament. 1. Course of Its Development: Any attempt to write the whole history of the idea of God in the Old Testament would require a preliminary study of the literary and historical...
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MOAB; MOABITES
[isbe] MOAB; MOABITES - mo'-ab, mo'-ab-its (Moab, mo'abh, Moabite Stone, M-'-B; Greek (Septuagint) Moab, he Moabeitis, Moabitis; Moabite, mo'abhi; Moabites, bene mo'abh): 1. The Land: Moab was the district East of the Dead Sea, ext...
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Miracles
[nave] MIRACLES. Index of Sub-topics Catalog of, and Supernatural Events, Of Jesus, in Chronological Order, Of the Disciples of Jesus; Convincing Effect of; Design of; Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit; Miscellany of Minor Sub-...
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CITIES
[smith] The earliest notice in Scripture of city-building is of Enoch by Cain, in the land of his exile. (Genesis 4:17) After the confusion of tongues the descendants of Nimrod founded Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh, in the land of S...
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GENESIS, 4
[isbe] GENESIS, 4 - IV. The Historical Character. 1. History of the Patriarchs: (Genesis 12 through 50): (1) Unfounded Attacks upon the History. (a) From General Dogmatic Principles: In order to disprove the historical character of...
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God
[nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...
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STRANGER AND SOJOURNER (IN THE OLD TESTAMENT)
[isbe] STRANGER AND SOJOURNER (IN THE OLD TESTAMENT) - stranj'-er: I. THE GER 1. Legal provisions (1) Principles (2) Rules 2. Relation to Sacrifice and Ritual 3. Historical Circumstances II. THE TOSHABH III. THE NOKHRI OR BEN NEKHA...
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LOT (1)
[isbe] LOT (1) - lot: I. Personality. The man who bore the name Lot (lot; Lot) is mentioned for the first time in Gen 11:27, at the beginning of that section of Genesis which is entitled "the generations of Terah." After Terah's 3 ...
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City
[ebd] The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain (Gen. 4:17). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12). Next, we have a record of the cities o...
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Salutations
[nave] SALUTATIONS By kissing, 2 Sam. 20:9; Matt. 26:49. By bowing, Gen. 18:2; 19:1, 2; 23:7; 27:29; 33:3; 37:10; 41:43; 43:26, 28; 49:8; 1 Sam. 25:23; 2 Sam. 18:28; 1 Kin. 1:16; Esth. 8:3; Matt. 2:11; Mark 5:22. Addresses in: "...
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GATE
[ebd] (1.) Of cities, as of Jerusalem (Jer. 37:13; Neh. 1:3; 2:3; 3:3), of Sodom (Gen. 19:1), of Gaza (Judg. 16:3). (2.) Of royal palaces (Neh. 2:8). (3.) Of the temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6:34, 35; 2 Kings 18:16); of the holy pla...
[smith] The gate and gateways of eastern cities anciently held and still hold an important part, not only in the defence but in the public economy of the place. They are thus sometimes taken as representing the city itself. (Genesis ...
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Bread
[smith] The preparation of bread as an article of food dates from a very early period. (Genesis 18:6) The corn or grain employed was of various sorts. The best bread was made of wheat, but "barley" and spelt were also used. (John 6:9...
[nave] BREAD Called the Staff of Life, Ezek. 4:16; 5:16; 14:13. Kinds of Bread of affliction, 1 Kin. 22:27; Psa. 127:2; Hos. 9:4; Isa. 30:20; made with yeast, Lev. 7:13; 23:17; Hos. 7:4; Amos 4:5; Matt. 13:33; not made with yeast...
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Feast
[ebd] as a mark of hospitality (Gen. 19:3; 2 Sam. 3:20; 2 Kings 6:23); on occasions of domestic joy (Luke 15:23; Gen. 21:8); on birthdays (Gen. 40:20; Job 1:4; Matt. 14:6); and on the occasion of a marriage (Judg. 14:10; Gen. 29:2...
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Gates
[nave] GATES Of cities, Deut. 3:5; Josh. 6:26; 1 Sam. 23:7; 2 Sam. 18:24; 2 Chr. 8:5. Made of iron, Acts 12:10; wood, Neh. 1:3; bronze, Psa. 107:16; Isa. 45:2. Double doors, Isa. 45:1; Ezek. 41:24. The open square of, a place fo...
Arts
Questions
- The pillar which is mentioned in the story concerning the fate of Lot's wife, in Genesis 19, is referred to by a number of writers. Josephus (in Antiquities 1,11,14) wrote that it still remained in his day, and he had seen it...
- I would say this about the angel sparing Abraham's son, Ishmael. In his covenant with Abraham God promised that He would bless the seed of Abraham and those who blessed him (Genesis 12:1-3, etc.). I believe that God's blessin...
- The main chapters in the Old and New Testament that deal with the issue of homosexuality are: Old Testament: Leviticus 18:22, 29; 20:13; Genesis 19 (see also Genesis 18 for the context and problem of unrighteousness that e...
Sermon Illustrations
Genesis 13:13;
A Good Reason to Scream;
I Shout and Scream to Prevent Them from Changing Me;
Double Minded Man
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
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The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
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Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
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The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
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The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
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"The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
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One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
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A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
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"These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
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The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
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This chapter records how Abram, though threatened with major conflict with Lot because of their herdsmen's strife, magnanimously gave his nephew his choice of what land he wanted. Lot took an area that was very fertile, thoug...
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Chapters 18 and 19 constitute one integrated story, but we shall consider it section by section. Like the Flood story, it has a chiastic structure this time focusing on the announcement of the destruction of Sodom (19:12-13)....
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Chapters 18 and 19 "paint a vivid contrast between the respective patriarchal ancestors, Abraham and Lot, with an obvious moralistic intent (i.e., a demonstration that human initiatives--Lot's choice--always lead to catastrop...
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The writer composed chapter 20 as another chiasm with the focal point being Abimelech warning his servants (v. 8). Two dialogues dominate the story: the one between God and Abimelech (vv. 3-7) and the one between Abimelech an...
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Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
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A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
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Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
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Joshua reveals that God hates sin because He loves people. (This is the message statement.) Of course He also hates sin because it offends His holiness. However in Joshua I believe the emphasis is on God's concern for the Isr...
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Joshua reveals that victory, success, and progress result when God's people trust and obey Him consistently. Judges shows that defeat, failure, and retrogression follow when they fail to trust and obey consistently. In this r...
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The old man who took the Levite and his travelling companions in for the night evidently had moved to Gibeah temporarily, perhaps as a farm laborer (v. 16; cf. v. 23; Gen. 19:9). The contrast between this stranger's hospitali...
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Only a group of "worthless fellows"("sons of Beliel,"i.e., ungodly men, AV, RV) surrounded the stranger's house (v. 22). However the men of Gibeah as a whole defended the actions of this group. Furthermore the whole tribe of ...
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The gate of cities like Bethlehem was the place where people transacted official business (cf. Gen. 19:1; 2 Sam. 15:2-6; 1 Kings 22:10; Amos 5:10, 12, 15)."In ancient cities the gate' was a short passageway through the thick ...
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The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
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34:1-3 David exulted in the Lord and called on his people to praise God with him.34:4-7 The psalmist's recent experience of God's answering his prayer for help and delivering him (vv. 4, 6) was only one example to him. Those ...
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105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
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Israel was guilty of forsaking her God and, as a result, she had become broken and desolate.1:2-3 God Himself charged the Israelites with their sin. He called the heavens and earth to listen (cf. Deut. 30:19; 32:1). His peopl...
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This is another autobiographical "confession."It is a personal lament or curse poem concerning the sorrow Jeremiah had experienced for most of his life because of the calling that the Lord had laid on him."In these verses Jer...
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Having given a true prophecy about the future, Jeremiah proceeded to announce God's judgment on the false prophets who were misleading His people with false prophecies (cf. v. 1). This section consists of six different messag...
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The Edomites lived to the southeast of Judah, south of Moab. The Zered River was their northern border, the Gulf of Aqabah (about 100 miles to the south) the southern, the Arabah the western, and the desert the eastern border...
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16:44-47 Other people would quote the proverb, "Like mother, like daughter,"in regard to Jerusalem. She was like her Hittite "mother"who was also idolatrous and selfish. And she was like her older (larger) sister, Samaria, an...
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4:6 The Lord had brought famine throughout the land to warn His people about their disobedience and His displeasure, but this judgment did not move them to repent (cf. 1 Kings 8:37). Famine was one of the curses that God said...
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Jesus explained further how the 12 Apostles were to conduct themselves on their mission.10:9-10 They were not to take enough money with them to sustain them while they ministered. "Acquire"(NASB, Gr. ktesesthe) can mean "take...
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In this parable the rich man and his brothers who did not listen to Moses and the prophets (vv. 29-31) represent the Pharisees (vv. 16-17). The Pharisees believed in a future life and a coming judgment, but they, as the rich ...
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The emphasis here is on the physical reality of Jesus' body after His resurrection whereas in the previous pericope the stress was on His supernatural nature. The incident clarifies that the One who rose from the dead was ind...
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Jesus next addressed those in His audience who had expressed some faith Him (v. 30).8:31 The mark of a true disciple is continuation in the instructions of his or her teacher. A disciple is by definition a learner, not necess...
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14:22 There were two members of the Twelve named Judas. The one who voiced this question was Judas the son or brother of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). He is probably the same man as Thaddaeus (cf. Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19)....
Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)
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Genesis 18:16-33The first verse of this chapter says that the Lord appeared' unto Abraham, and then proceeds to tell that three men stood over against him,' thus indicating that these were, collectively, the manifestation of ...