The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 322

greo.t before the face _of the Lord (cf. eh. vi. also given to Lot's wife and daughters; per- 11; x. 9); and the Lord (Jehovah) hath haps to hicle God's working in the fiery eent us (language never employed by the judgment from mortal vision (Knobel), but Maleach Jeh()1}ah) to destroy it. more likely to express detestation of tho Ver. 14.-And Lot went out (obviously abhorred citr (Bush), to guard against the that same evening), and spake unto his sons incipience o any desire to return (Lange), in law, which married his daughters,- and to stimulate their zeal to escape destruc- litcrally, those talcing his claughters, mean- tion. Neither stay thou in all the plain- ing either those who hacl taken them (LX.X., or " circle" (vide eh. xiii. 10 ). Once so Targums, Knobel, Delitzsch), or more pro- attractive for its beauty, it must now bo bably those intending to take them, their abandoned for its clanger. Escape to the affianced husbands (Josephus, Vulgate, Cleri- mountain (the moW1tain of :Moab, on the cus, Rosenmiiller, Ewald, Keil, Kalisch)- cast of the Dead Sea), lest thou be consumed. and said, Up, get you out of this place; Ver. 18.-And Lot said unto them, Oh, for the Lord (Jehovah) will destroy this not so, my Lord. Adonai, which should _(literally, tke) city. But (literally, and) he rather be translated Lord; whence it would seemed as one that mocked-as one that almost seem as if Lot knew that his inter- m,acle laughter; from the same root as the locutor was Jehovah. Keil admits that Lot word Isaac (eh. xvii. 19 ; cf. Judges xvi 25) recognised a. manifestation of God in the -unto his·sons in law. angels, ancl Lange speaks of a. miraculous Vers. 15, 16.-And when the morning report of the voice of Goel coming to him arose,-literally, as soon as the dawn (from along with the mil'aculous vision of the 11Jt?, to break forth as the light) went up, angels. That the historian uses "them" i. e. _on the first appearance of the morning instead of "him" only proves that at the twilight-then the angels hastened Lot, time J ehovali was accompanied by the angels, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two as he had previously been at 1,Iamro (vide daughters, which arc here;-literally, which eh. xviii. 1). ai·e foitncl; not implying tl1e existence of Ver. 19.-Behold now, thy servant hath other daughters (Knobel), but contrasting found g1·11ce in thy sight (cf. eh. x-viii. 3), with the sons in law (Keil, Kalisch)-lest and thou hast me.gnified thy mercy (lan- thou be consumed in the iniquity (or punish- guage inappropriate to be addressed to the ment, as in Isa. v. 18) of the city. And angels, though exactly suitable if applied while he lingered,-Lot's irresolution would by Lot to Jehovah), which thou hast showed have been his ruin but for liis attendants. unto me in saving my life; and I cannot His heart manifestly clung to the earthly escape to the mountain, lest some evil (moro possessions he was leaving. The angels correctly, the evil, i. e. the dcstrnetion made no mention of his attempting to save threatened upon Sodom) take me, and I die. a portion of his greath wealth-the men laid Ver. 20.-Bl!_hold now, this city is nea.r hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of to flee unto (literally, thither), and it is a hie wife, and upon the hand of his two little one: Oh,_Iet me escape thither, (is it aaughters; the Lord being merciful to him: not a little one 1; o.nd my soul shall live. -litoriilly, in the mei·C'IJ, or gentleness, of Lot's meaning was that since Zoar was tho Jehovah to Mm; the primary idea of tho smallest of the cities of the Pentapolis, it verb from which the noun is derived being would not be o. great <lemand on God's mercy that of softness (cf. Isa. lxiii. 9)-and they to spam it, 1tnd it would save him from brought him forth, and set him without the further exertions for his safety. A singular city. display of moral obtuseness and indolent Ver. 17. -And it came to pass, when they selfishness on the p~rt of Lot. )l,ad brought them (i. e. Lot and his family) Ver. 21.-And he said unto him, See, I forth abroad (literally, without,· sc. the city), ho.ve accepted thee (literally, I have lifted that he-one of tho angels (Rabbi Solomon, up thy face, tl1a petitioner us1ui.lly supplicat- Jarchi, Rosenmiillcr, Lange, 'Speaker's ing with his face toward the ground, so that Commentary'); the one that hacl takon Lot's the elevation of his countenance expressed hand (Inglis); Jehovah speaking through the granting of his request) concerning this the angel (Delitzsch) ; the angel speaking in thing also, that I will not overthrow this the name of God (Keil, Kalisch) ; Jehovah city, for the which thou hast spoken. himself, who, though not mentioned, had Ver. 22. - Haste thee, escape thither; how nppenred upon the scene (Ainsworth, for I ce.nnot do anything till thou be come Candlish}-eaid, Esoape for thy life (liter- thither. Therefore the ne.me of the city ally, for thy soul; nnd clearly in this C11se was ce.lled Zoar. I. e. "The Little;" obvi- the loss of the soul in the higher sense must ously from Lot's remark concerning it (vor. havo bean involved in the destruction of tho 20); }:.~ywp (LXX. ). The original namo of life); look not behind thee. From the event tho city was Ilela (eh. xiv. 2, ff. 11•). It has it may he inferred that this injunction was been sou:3ht for in tl10 Wncly Znwcirnh, a pass  THE BOOR OF GENESIS. [err. XIX. 12-28.