Tag: Genesis 19

Moment of Wrath

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The destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was a demonstration of God’s wrath and anger.

The rabbis asked about this anger and poured over the scripture to understand it better.

God is a righteous judge,
And a God who shows indignation every day.
Psalm 7:11 (NASB)

On the one hand, Psalm 7 teaches us that God is angry every day. In verse 11, some translations say “anger at the wicked,” but this is not what the text says.

It says anger. Every day.

So in response, the rabbis then ask, “if God is angry every day, surely God is not angry all day long.”

In Psalm 30, they point out that God’s anger only lasts “for a moment.” (phew!)

For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:

But then, how long is “a moment?”

There are several answers they provide as possibilities. Among them, this is my favorite:

“One fifty-eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty-eighth of an hour, that is a moment.”

God’s anger lasts a moment. And how long is a moment? One fifty-eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty-eighth of an hour, that is a moment.
Berakhot 7a:8

This translates into 1.01 seconds. God is angry for just one second per day! But… when?

Which second of the day is reserved for God’s anger?

One teaching says that nobody knows, except for one person in the world: Balaam, the wicked. If you recall, he’s the one who tried to curse Israel, but God flipped the script on him, causing him to bless Israel instead.

Then he took up his discourse and said,

“The declaration of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the declaration of the man whose eye is opened,
The declaration of him who hears the words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered:
Numbers 24:15-16

The teaching says Balaam had secret knowledge of the exact moment God would be angry. Balaam tried to focus that anger at Israel to curse them, but he was unsuccessful. And so they suggest that even though Balaam knew the moment of God’s anger, God simply withheld his anger during that time, leaving only blessings available for Balaam to use on Israel. They point to Micah 6:5 as a remembrance of God witholding His anger.

It’s a fun thought, but it’s weird to think that Balaam would have this secret knowledge. It feels like a stranger-than-normal kind of thing.

Another teaching says that God’s anger occurs specifically at sunrise, linked to the kings of the earth setting their crowns on their heads at sunrise, giving their worship to the sun, and this teaching points to Sodom and Gomorrah.

The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven,
Genesis 19:23-24 (NASB)

There’s a figure of speech that’s related to this: “the moment of God’s anger,” which is tied to when the sun rises, or more specifically, “when the rooster crows.”

And this is also tied to when a curse is possible, tying back to Balaam’s story.

A certain heretic who was in Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi’s neighborhood would upset him by incessantly challenging the legitimacy of verses. One day, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi took a rooster and placed it between the legs of the bed upon which he sat and looked at it. He thought: When the moment of God’s anger arrives, I will curse him and be rid of him. When the moment of God’s anger arrived, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi slept. When he woke up, he said to himself: Conclude from the fact that I nodded off that it is not proper conduct to do so, to curse people, even if they are wicked.
Berakhot 7a:19

Isn’t that interesting?

Sodom’s Sun God

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The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven,
Genesis 19:23-24 (NASB)

In the same way we learn that the plagues in Egypt point to God’s triumph over specific Egyptian gods, there is a teaching that says that the inhabitants of the 5 cities of Sodom and Gomorrah worshipped the sun.

ויאיצו, in order that their destruction should take place at the very moment the sun, their great god, would come forth. (compare Berachot 7)
Sforno on Genesis 19:15

Bridegroom

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So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry[a] his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
Genesis 19:14 (NIV)

[a] Or were married to

The rabbis debate over the size of Lot’s family. When his two daughters are first introduced, Lot says that they haven’t “known a man,” which sounds like unwed women.

But when the text introduces Lot’s sons-in-law, we are presented with interpretational challenges.

On the one hand, scholars point out that this word חָתָן (hatan) “son-in-law” most often means just that. They are married. The first twelve times (starting here in v14) this word appears in Scripture, it means “husband of the daughter.” They are married.

So the rabbis wonder: maybe these sons-in-law are married to other daughters who live elsewhere in the city and aren’t connected to the two at home. When the angels ask about family in the city, there are others out there: sons-in-law, other sons, and other daughters.

The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here — sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here.”
Genesis 19:12 (NIV)

Another view is that these “sons in law” are actually betrothed to the first two daughters, and that Lot was being a little tricky when he offered them to the mob. He was technically correct, but was being deceptive.

It is unclear. But what can we learn from the different interpretations?

If there is more family, perhaps it points forward to the Exodus, when some Israelites failed to obey the instruction to cover their doorposts with blood. Their firstborn sons were not spared, so it should be understood that just because you are family doesn’t mean that you are safe. You have to actually obey and exit the city, whether Sodom or Egypt.

But suppose these the men who are betrothed to the two daughteres first mentioned in the story. They are future husbands.

This word hatan is also translated “bridegroom,” and it points to God’s heart towards his people.

As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
Isaiah 62:5 (NIV)

In this interpretation, we are shown an opposite. These wicked men of Sodom are anti-bridegrooms. Rather than rejoicing over and protecting their future brides, they don’t take Lot seriously. Their commitments to Lot’s daughters are meaningless, as they don’t stand with the daughters to protect them or be with them.

In this interpretation, these sons-in-law represent a corruption of hatan. Everything about Sodom is broken.

Blindness

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And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Genesis 19:11 (NKJV)

When the angels blinded the men trying to get past Lot, the rabbis point out a couple of fascinating things about the word-choices here.

First, this isn’t merely physical blindness. Surely a blind person can find a door if they really tried. This describes a stupor.

The word choice verifies this. The story uses an uncommon hebrew word for “blindness.”

Ordinarily, the word used for “blind” is ivvare (עיוור), and it just means… blind. But here, the word is sanvare (סָנְוֵר), and it carries a sense of mental or spiritual blindness.

This word sanvare is so uncommon that it’s only used once more in the whole Bible, in 2 Kings 6:8-23.

In the story, there’s an enemy who surrounds the prophet Elisha in Dothan, and when Elisha’s servant’s eyes are open, he sees an army of angels with chariots of *fire.*

It’s where we get these lyrics to a famous hymn:

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
2 Kings 6:16 (NKJV)

And then Elisha prays that God strike the enemies with blindness. With sanvare.

The blinded and confused enemies are then led by Elisha into Israel’s territory, but rather than have them killed, Elisha prepared a great feast for them.

In Sodom, we have a feast (Genesis 19:3), surrounded (19:4), blindness (19:11), people moved (19:16), and then fire (19:24).

In Dothan, we have surrounded (2 Kings 6:14), fire (6:17), blindness (6:18), people moved (6:19), and a feast (6:23).

Isn’t that interesting?

In the case of Sodom, we have what starts with a feast and hospitality, but it ends in fire and destruction.

On the case of Dothan, we have what starts out as the outlay of destruction by fire, but it ends in a feast.

What do you suppose scripture is teaching us?

As Messengers

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In Genesis 19, we read that two “angels” (malakim, or messengers) arrive in Sodom.

But after that, there’s nothing to indicate that they’re angels again until verse 15, when the text says the angels urged Lot to leave the city with his wife and two daughters. Every other time, they’re simply called “the men.”

The men of Sodom call them “the men.”
Lot calls them “the men.”

But the weird part is that even the NARRATOR calls them “the men.”

And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
Genesis 19:5 (NKJV)

See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
Genesis 19:8 (NKJV)

But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
Genesis 19:10 (NKJV)

h’anashim. הָאֲנָשִׁ֜ים. The men.

Perhaps we’re supposed to understand that for the men of Sodom, for Lot, and even for the reader, we’re meant to see these angels as completely indistinguishable from humans. We’re being told that even if we were there in the story, we would have also thought they were just men.

And with that, perhaps we’re meant to learn that God often speaks to us… through people. Words of encouragement, blessing, and even warnings can be from God, but through people who are acting as messengers. As malakim.

To Judge

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And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.
Genesis 19:9 (NKJV)

The ancient Hebrew uses double-words for emphasis.

When the wicked men of Sodom accuse Lot of acting as judge, they use a double-word structure. This phrase never appears anywhere else in the scripture.

וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שָׁפוֹט – vayyishpot shafot

“And he judged, judging.”

The root word שָׁפַט “shafat,” meaning “to judge,” first appears in Genesis 16:5, when Sarai says to Abram, “may God judge between you and me.”

The next is when Abraham pleads with God: “won’t the Judge of the earth do rightly?”

And then it’s here, in double-emphasis.

In the first instance, Sarai is claiming the moral high ground, using a phrase reserved for someone willing to stand before God in her accusation against her husband.

In the second instance, Abraham addresses God’s own moral high ground, appealing to God’s righteousness and God’s unique ability to render judgement rightly in light of mercy.

So when the text shows us that men of Sodom use this word, we are shown an irony.

In the same way “yadah” (to know) has been corrupted, so has “shafat” (to judge). Because there is nothing to judge at this point.

The word shafat presents a picture of someone deciding who is wrong and who is right. The “judge,” or law-giver applies wisdom to examine the evidence and make the determination when there is disagreement, or when it’s hard to tell due to limited evidence.

But the readers have already been told that the men of Sodom are wicked; judgement has already been established back in Genesis 13:13.

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
Genesis 13:13 (NKJV)

The men of Sodom calling Lot a judge is irony for the reader.

Three Angels, Three Women

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In Genesis 18, Abraham is visited by three “men” who are later revealed to be angels, or “malakim” in the next chapter.

In Genesis 19, there are three women described: Lot’s two daughters, and Lot’s wife.

Lot’s two daughters survive with him, but his wife dies when she is turned into a pillar of salt.

There were three women; two women live, one dies.

There were three angels; two angels are present, one is absent.

Perhaps this is related.

Corruption of Knowing

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And 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.
Genesis 19:5 (KJV)

The rabbis agree that Genesis 19 refers to homosexual relations, but it’s clear that this isn’t the “to know” that Adam and Eve experienced in Genesis 4:1. It’s not a union of two who become one flesh. And it’s not like the “to know” that God experiences with Abraham in Genesis 18:19, where spiritual intimacy and oneness is presented to us.

It’s a threat of violence against unwilling participants. In that regard, it’s more like Genesis 6:4, with similar consequences.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:4 (NASB)

After this, the Flood. After this, the Fire.

The Men of the City

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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.
Genesis 19:4 (NASB)

Genesis 19 identifies the city of Sodom twice in verse 1, so when verse 4 uses this phrase “the men of the city, the men of Sodom,” the rabbis tell us that this is hint from Torah.

The focus is “men of the city,” and that’s meant to tie us back to the great wicked city of Babel.

Surrounded

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Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house.
Genesis 19:4 (NIV)

When you study biblical words, you find yourself asking a lot more questions.

This word “surrounded” has only been used twice in Genesis prior to this. Both times are in Genesis 2, describing the rivers that surrounded the land.

The name of the first is Pishon; it [a]flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Genesis 2:11 (NASB)

The name of the second river is Gihon; it [a]flows around the whole land of Cush.
Genesis 2:13 (NASB)

[a] Lit surrounds

It feels connected. Perhaps.