Gen 19:1, 12, 16, Exo 3:2, 6, Judg 13:6, 21 | Clarke | e4.org | CHAPTER XIX The two angels mentioned in the preceding chapter, come in the evening to Sodom , 1. Lot, who was sitting at the gate, invites them to enter his house, take some refreshment, and tarry all night; which they at first refuse , 2; but on being pressingly solicited, they at last comply , 3. The abominable conduct of the men of Sodom , 4, 5. Lot's deep concern for the honour and safely of his guests, which leads him to make a most exceptionable proposal to those wicked men , 6-8. The violent proceedings of the Sodomites , 9. Lot rescued from their barbarity by the angels, who smite them with blindness , 10, 11. The angels exhort Lot and his family to flee from that wicked place, as God was about to destroy it , 12, 13. Lot's fruitless exhortation to his sons-in-law , 14. The angels hasten Lot and his family to depart , 15, 16. Their exhortation , 17. Lot's request , 18-20. He is permitted to escape to Zoar , 21-23. Fire and brimstone are rained down from heaven upon all the cities of the plain, by which they are entirely destroyed , 24, 25. Lot's wife, looking behind, becomes a pillar of salt , 26. Abraham, early in the morning, discovers the desolation of those iniquitous cities , 27-29. Lot, fearing to continue in Zoar, went with his two daughters to the mountain, and dwelt in a cave , 30. The strange conduct of his daughters, and his unhappy deception , 31-36. Moab and Ammon born, from whom sprang the Moabites and Ammonites , 37, 38. NOTES ON CHAP. XIX Verse 1. Two angels ] The two referred to . Sat in the gate ] Probably, in order to prevent unwary travellers from being entrapped by his wicked townsmen, he waited at the gate of the city to bring the strangers he might meet with to his own house, as well as to transact his own business. Or, as the gate was the place of judgment, he might have been sitting there as magistrate to hear and determine disputes. Bowed himself ] Not through religious reverence, for he did not know the quality of his guests; but through the customary form of civility. See on verses of the preceding chapter.

‏ Genesis 19:1

CHAPTER XIX

The two angels mentioned in the preceding chapter, come in the evening to Sodom, 1.

Lot, who was sitting at the gate, invites them to enter his house, take some refreshment, and tarry all night; which they at first refuse, 2;

but on being pressingly solicited, they at last comply, 3.

The abominable conduct of the men of Sodom, 4, 5.

Lot's deep concern for the honour and safely of his guests, which leads him to make a most exceptionable proposal to those wicked men, 6-8.

The violent proceedings of the Sodomites, 9.

Lot rescued from their barbarity by the angels, who smite them with blindness, 10, 11.

The angels exhort Lot and his family to flee from that wicked place, as God was about to destroy it, 12, 13.

Lot's fruitless exhortation to his sons-in-law, 14.

The angels hasten Lot and his family to depart, 15, 16.

Their exhortation, 17.

Lot's request, 18-20.

He is permitted to escape to Zoar, 21-23.

Fire and brimstone are rained down from heaven upon all the cities of the plain, by which they are entirely destroyed, 24, 25.

Lot's wife, looking behind, becomes a pillar of salt, 26.

Abraham, early in the morning, discovers the desolation of those iniquitous cities, 27-29.

Lot, fearing to continue in Zoar, went with his two daughters to the mountain, and dwelt in a cave, 30.

The strange conduct of his daughters, and his unhappy deception, 31-36.

Moab and Ammon born, from whom sprang the Moabites and Ammonites, 37, 38.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIX

Verse 1. Two angels] The two referred to Ge 18:22.

Sat in the gate] Probably, in order to prevent unwary travellers from being entrapped by his wicked townsmen, he waited at the gate of the city to bring the strangers he might meet with to his own house, as well as to transact his own business. Or, as the gate was the place of judgment, he might have been sitting there as magistrate to hear and determine disputes.

Bowed himself] Not through religious reverence, for he did not know the quality of his guests; but through the customary form of civility. See on verses Ge 18:3-5 of the preceding chapter.

‏ Genesis 19:12

Verse 12. Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law] Here there appears to be but one meant, as the word chathan is in the singular number; but in Ge 19:14 the word is plural, chathanaiv, his sons-in-law. There were only two in number; as we do not hear that Lot had more than two daughters: and these seem not to have been actually married to those daughters, but only betrothed, as is evident from what Lot says, Ge 19:8; for they had not known man, but were the spouses elect of those who are here called his sons-in-law. But though these might be reputed as a part of Lot's family, and entitled on this account to God's protection, yet it is sufficiently plain that they did not escape the perdition of these wicked men; and the reason is given, Ge 19:14, they received the solemn warning as a ridiculous tale, the creature of Lot's invention, or the offspring of his fear. Therefore they made no provision for their escape, and doubtless perished, notwithstanding the sincerely offered grace, in the perdition that fell on this ungodly city.

‏ Genesis 19:16

Verse 16. While he lingered] Probably in affectionate though useless entreaties to prevail on the remaining parts of his family to escape from the destruction that was now descending; laid hold upon his hand-pulled them away by mere force, the Lord being merciful; else they had been left to perish in their lingering, as the others were in their gainsaying.

‏ Exodus 3:2

Verse 2. The angel of the Lord] Not a created angel certainly; for he is called Jehovah, Ex 3:4, &c., and has the most expressive attributes of the Godhead applied to him, Ex 3:14, &c. Yet he is an angel, malach, a messenger, in whom was the name of God, Ex 23:21; and in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Col 2:9; and who, in all these primitive times, was the Messenger of the covenant, Mal 3:1. And who was this but JESUS, the Leader, Redeemer, and Saviour of mankind? See Clarke on Ge 16:7.

A flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush] Fire was, not only among the Hebrews but also among many other ancient nations, a very significant emblem of the Deity. God accompanied the Israelites in all their journeyings through the wilderness as a pillar of fire by night; and probably a fire or flame in the holy of holies, between the cherubim, was the general symbol of his presence; and traditions of these things, which must have been current in the east, have probably given birth, not only to the pretty general opinion that God appears in the likeness of fire, but to the whole of the Zoroastrian system of fire-worship. It has been reported of Zoroaster, or Zeradusht, that having retired to a mountain for the study of wisdom, and the benefit of solitude, the whole mountain was one day enveloped with flame, out of the midst of which he came without receiving any injury; on which he offered sacrifices to God, who, he was persuaded, had then appeared to him. M. Anquetil du Perron gives much curious information on this subject in his Zend Avesta. The modern Parsees call fire the off-spring of Ormusd, and worship it with a vast variety of ceremonies.

Among the fragments attributed to AEschylus, and collected by Stanley in his invaluable edition of this poet, p. 647, col. 1, we find the following beautiful verses:-

χωριζεθνητωντονθεονκαιμηδοκει

ομοιοναυτωσαπκινονκαθεσταναι

ουκοισθαδαυτον. ποτεμενωςπυρφαινεται

απλαστονορμη. ποτεδυδωρποτεδεγνοφος

"Distinguish God from mortal men; and do not suppose that any thing fleshly is like unto him. Thou knowest him not: sometimes indeed he appears as a formless and impetuous FIRE, sometimes as water, sometimes as thick darkness." The poet proceeds:-

τρεμειδορηκαιγαιακαιπελεριος

βυθοςθαλασσηςκωρεωνυψοςμεγα

οτανεπιβλεψηγοργονομμαδεσποτου

"The mountains, the earth, the deep and extensive sea, and the summits of the highest mountains tremble whenever the terrible eye of the Supreme Lord looks down upon them."

These are very remarkable fragments, and seem all to be collected from traditions relative to the different manifestations of God to the Israelites in Egypt, and in the wilderness. Moses wished to see God, but he could behold nothing but an indescribable glory: nothing like mortals, nothing like a human body, appeared at any time to his eye, or to those of the Israelites. "Ye saw no manner of similitude," said Moses, "on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the FIRE," De 4:15. But sometimes the Divine power and justice were manifested by the indescribable, formless, impetuous, consuming flame; at other times he appeared by the water which he brought out of the flinty rock; and in the thick darkness on Horeb, when the fiery law proceeded from his right hand, then the earth quaked and the mountain trembled: and when his terrible eye looked out upon the Egyptians through the pillar of cloud and fire, their chariot wheels were struck off, and confusion and dismay were spread through all the hosts of Pharaoh; Ex 14:24, 25.

And the bush was not consumed.] 1. An emblem of the state of Israel in its various distresses and persecutions: it was in the fire of adversity, but was not consumed. 2. An emblem also of the state of the Church of God in the wilderness, in persecutions often, in the midst of its enemies, in the region of the shadow of death-yet not consumed. 3. An emblem also of the state of every follower of Christ: cast down, but not forsaken; grievously tempted, but not destroyed; walking through the fire, but still unconsumed! Why are all these preserved in the midst of those things which have a natural tendency to destroy them! Because GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF THEM; it was this that preserved the bush from destruction; and it was this that preserved the Israelites; and it is this, and this alone, that preserves the Church, and holds the soul of every genuine believer in the spiritual life. He in whose heart Christ dwells not by faith, will soon be consumed by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

‏ Exodus 3:6

Verse 6. I am the God of thy father] Though the word abi, father, is here used in the singular, St Stephen, quoting this place, Ac 7:32, uses the plural, οθεοςτωνπατερωνσου, The God of thy FATHERS; and that this is the meaning the following words prove: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. These were the fathers of Moses in a direct line. This reading is confirmed by the Samaritan and by the Coptic. ABRAHAM was the father of the Ishmaelites, and with him was the covenant first made. ISAAC was the father of the Edomites as well as the Israelites, and with him was the covenant renewed. JACOB was the father of the twelve patriarchs, who were founders of the Jewish nation, and to him were the promises particularly confirmed. Hence we see that the Arabs and Turks in general, who are descendants of Ishmael; the Edomites, now absorbed among the Jews, (See Clarke on Ge 25:23,) who are the descendants of Esau; and the Jewish people, wheresoever scattered, who are the descendants of Jacob, are all heirs of the promises included in this primitive covenant; and their gathering in with the fulness of the Gentiles may be confidently expected.

And Moses hid his face] For similar acts, see the passages referred to in the margin. He was afraid to look-he was overawed by God's presence, and dazzled with the splendour of the appearance.

‏ Judges 13:6

Verse 6. But I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name] This clause is rendered very differently by the Vulgate, the negative NOT being omitted: Quem cum interrogassem quis esset, et unde venisset, et quo nomine vocaretur, noluit mihi dicere; sed hoc respondit. "Who, when I asked who he was and whence he came, and by what name he was called, would not tell me; but this he said," &c.

The negative is also wanting in the Septuagint, as it stands in the Complutensian Polyglot: καιηρωτωναυτονποθενεστινκαιτο ονομααυτουουκαπηγγειλεμοι; "And I asked him whence he was, and his name, but he did not tell me." This is also the reading of the Codex Alexandrinus; but the Septuagint, in the London Polyglot, together with the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, read the negative particle with the Hebrew text, I asked NOT his name, &c.