The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 319

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XIX. b1·oad open spaces (i. e. the streets of the town) 1oe u·i/1 pass the ni,ght ,· no great Yer. 1.-And there came two angels- hardship in thnt climate. literallJ, the t100 angel.s, i. e. the two men Ver. 3. - And he preseed upon them of the preceding chapter who accompanied greatly. Being himself sincerely desirous Jehovah to Mamre; ol ovo ayy,no, (LXX.) to extend to them hospitality, nnd knowing -to Sodom at even (hnving left the tent well the dnnger to which they woul<l be of Abrabo.m shortly after noon); and Lot- exposed from the violenc~ and licentiousness last heard of in the narrative as c.'tptured by of the townsmen. And they turned in unto the Asi&tic kings, nnd delivered by his uncle him, and entered into his house; and he (eh .. xiv. 12, 16)-sat in the gate of Sodom. made them a feast,-mishteli, from sliatlw.h ip~, from the idea of opening, signified the to drink, is rightly rendered 1r6rov (LXX. j' gateway or entrance of a camp (Exod. xxxii. a drink, or refreshing beverage (cf. Esthc~ 26, 27), of a palaro (Esther iL 19), of n v. 6 ; vii. 7)-and did bake nnlee.vened temple (Ezek. viii. 5), of a land (J er. xv. 7), bread-literally, bread of sweetness, that is, or of a city (Josh. ii. 7). Corresponding to bread not soured by leaven. The banquet the ancient forum of the Romans, or ngora of was thus of the simplest kind, chiefly, it the Greeks, the city gate among the Hebrews may be hoped, for the sake of dispatch. And wns the customary place of resort for the they did eat. settlement of dispntos, the transaction of Ver. 4.-But before they lay down, the business, or the cnjoymen t of ordinary social men of the city; even the men of Sodom; intercourse (cf. eh. xxriv. 20; Deut. xri. compassed the house round, both old and 19; xrii. 15; Ruth iv. 1; Prov. xxxi 23), young, all the people from every quarter. It was probably an arch with deep recesses, I. e. of the town, as in Jer. Ii. 31 (La.Dge); in "·hich were placed chairs for the judges from the extremity, 01'. extremities, of the or city ma,,,c,il;trates, and seats or benches for town (Kalisch) ; from the extremities, i e. the citizens who had business to transact. all the population coil tained within the So Homer describes the Trojan elders as extremities (Rosenmiiller); 1111 the citizens sitting at the Sc:ean gate (iii. 148). In to the last man (Keil). The text probably ,,hat capacity Lot was sitting in the gnte conveys the.miter's idea. is not narrated. That he was on the outlook Ver. 5.-And they called unto Lot, and for travellers on whom to practise the hos- said unto him, Where are the men which pitality he had learned from his uncle (Poole, came in to thee this night 1 Josephus sup- Calvin, Willet, Lange) is perhaps to form poses them to have been of beautiful coun- too high an ideal of his piety (Kalisch) ; tenances(' Ant.,' i.. ll, 3), which excited the while the explanation thnt he had been pro- lust of the Sodomites, nncl caused them to moted to the dignity of one of the city assault Lot's house with shameful cries. judges, though not perhaps justified as an Bring them out unto us, that we may know inference from ver. 9, is not at all unlikely, them. The sin here euphemistically referred considering his relationship to Abraham. to (cf. Judges xix:. 22) was exceedingly pre- And Lot seeing them (and recognising them valent among the Canaanites (Levi t. xvi ii. to be strangers by their dress nnd looks) 22) nnd other heathen nations (Rom. i. 27). rose up to meet them ;-having not yet Under the law of Moses it was punishable by abandoned the practice of hospitality, or for- denth. gotten, throngh mingling with tlie Sodom- Vere. 6-8.-And Lot went out at the ites, the respectful courtesy which was clue door unto them,-litcrally, at the doo1-way, to strangers, since the writer adds-and he or opening ( pethach, from patliach, to open ; bowed himself with his face toward the cf. pateo, Latin; 1rp60upov, LXX.); in which ground (cf. eh. xviii. 2). the gate or hanging door (d/Jli!tli, from dalal, Ver. 2.-And he said, Behold now, my to be pendulous) swings, and which it closes lords,-Adonai (vide eh. xviii. 3). As yet (vule Gesenius, p. 201)-and shut the door Lot only recognised them as men-turn in, (deleth, ut supra; Ovpa, LXX.) after him,- I pray yon, into your servant's house, and to protect his visitors, which ho also sought tarry all night, and wash your feet (cf. eh. to accomplish by persona.I exhortation-and n·iii. 4 ), and ye shall rise up early, and go said, I pray you, brethren, do not so on your ways. Though an act of kindness wickedly- and also by an infamous pro-: "" tbc part of Lot, his invitation was not posal which nothing can extenuate and the accepLe<l l>y ihe angels obviously with a utmost charity fill<ls difficult to reroncile view to try his c!,arncter (cf. Luke xxiv. 28). with any pretence of piety on the part or And they ea.id, Nay; but we will abide in Lot. Behold now, I have two daughters the street all night. Literally, for in t!.e which he.ve not known man ·-i. f, umuanicu CH, XIX. 1-11.] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 253