it a Law to himself for the future, Ezek. 14. 18.

27. And Abraham answered and faid, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but duft and afhes:

28. Peradventure there fhall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt thou deftroy all the city for lack of five? And be faid, If I find there fourty and five, I will not deftroy it.

29. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there fhall be fourty found there: And he said, I will not do it for fourties fake.

X

३०. 30. And he faid unto him, Ob let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak, Peradventure there fhall thirty be found there: And he faid, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

31. And he faid, Behold, now I have taken upon me to Speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there fhall be twen ty found there: And he faid, I will not destroy it for twenty's fake.

32. And he faid, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten fhall be found there. And be faid, I will not destroy it for ten's fake boo

53.3. And the LORD went his way, affoon as he had left communing with Abraham and Abraham returned unto his place.

:

33. The Lord went his way: Or, difap peared. The glory of the Lord, fays the Chaldee. See the Note

on ch. 17. v.23. His place: i. e. To the Plains of Mamre, where the Lord is faid to have appeared unto him, (v.1.)".

CHA P. XIX.

The ARGUMENT.

Lot entertains two Angels. The wicked Sodomites are ftricken with blindness. Lot warns his Sons-in-law to quit Sodom, who defpife his admonition. Lot, with his wife and Daughters, is brought out of Sodom, and efapes to Zoar. Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed Lot's Wife becomes a Pillar of Salt. The incestuous Original of Moab and Ammon.

I.

1. AND there came two an

to Sodom at even,

and Lot fat in the gate of Sodom:

I.

•Two Angels: Called Men,

ch. 18. 2, 22.

and Lot feeing them, rofe up to meet them, and he bowed himfelf, with his face toward the ground. 2. And he faid, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your fervants boufe, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye fhall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they faid, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night.

1

2. Turn in, &c. Lot alfo fhews Hofpitality, Heb. 13.2. invitation at first,pof Nay: They refufe his fibly to try how much he was in earnest, Luk. 24, 28, 29.

3.Unleavened bread: For hafte it is probable. See ch.18.6. and Exod. 12. 39.

4. All the people: Of every age; they were generally corrupted, righteous perfons athere not being ten mong them,ch.18.32g

5. And they called unto Lot, and faid unto him, where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

6. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and fhut the door after

bim,

5. Know them: viz Carnally, (Gen.4.1.) See verfe 8. Hence this Sin is called Sodomy.

6. At the door?

Or, to the gate. It is another word, in the Hebrew that is tranf

lated door afterward in this verfe and v. 9. And that seems to fignifie the immediate in-let into the house.

7. And faid, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

7. So wickedly: E:

ven against the courfe of nature, Rom. 1.27.

8. Two daughters: Whom he ought not to have exposed to

only

for

thefe wicked Men. And therefore he Shadow of my roof. thought himself obliged to protect them, fer.48.45.Judg.9.15

9. And they faid, Stand back. And they faid, again, This one fellow came in to fojourn, and he will needs be a judge: Now will we deal worse with thee, then with them. And they preffed fore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

9. Stand back: Or, get thee afide. They peak with contempt, .65.5. Judge: A Cenfor, or Reprover It is probable that of Manners, (v.7.) Lot had formerly reproved them, 2 Pet.

2.7,8.

10. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the boufe to them, and fut to the door.

11. And they fmote the men that were at the door of the house, with blindness, both small and great: fo

11. Blindness: ie With fuch a prefent darkness and obfcu

that they wearied themfelves to rity of fight, that find the door.

they could not find the door, 2 King.6.18.

12. And the men faid unto Lot, Haft thou here any befides? fon in law and thy fons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou haft in the city, bring them out of this place.

13. For we will destroy this 13. We will deplace, because the cry of them is ftroy: Hebr. We are waxen great before the face of the destroying.

LORD: and the LORD hath fent us to destroy it.

14. And Lot went out, and spake unto his fons in law, which married bis daughters, and faid, Up, get you out of this place, for the LORD will destroy this city: but be feemed = as one that mocked unto his fons in

law.

15. And when the morning arofe, then the angels haftened Lot, faying, Arife, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here, left thou be confumed in the iniquity of the city.

16. And while he lingered, the men laid bold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, the LORD being mercifull unto him: and they brought him forth, and fet him without the city.

17. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he faid, Escape for thy life,

14. Which married: Or, were taking, Hebr. e. They were betrothed, and were daughters, Deut. 22. fhortly to marry his 23. Matt. 1. 18, 20.

15. Which are here: Or, which thou haft, as both the Greek and Vulgar render it well, Iniquity: Or, punish

ment.

16. Being mercifull: i.e. Being minded to fpare him, and fave him from this com

mon destruction, in a liverance upon him. manner forces his de

17. He: i. e. One of the perfons before mentioned. Look not

look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: efcape to the mountain, left thou be confumed.

behind thee: This Command was gi ven, as appears by what follows, to his

Wife as well as to him, Luk. 17. 22. and 9.62. Matt.24. 16, 17, 18. Philip. 3. 13, 14.

18. And Lot faid unto them, Oh not fo, my lord.

19. Behold, now thy fervant hath found grace in thy fight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast hewed unto me in faving my life, and I cannot escape to the mountain, left fome evil take me, and I die.

20. Behold now, this city is near to fee unto, and it is a little one: Oh let me efcape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my foul fhall live.

21. And he faid unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city for the which thou haft Spoken.

21. I have accepted thee: Hebr. I have accepted thy face: i.e. I have granted thy petition. To turn a way the face, is to deny a request, 1 Kings 2. 16, 20.

• 22. Hafte thee, efcape thither: for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

:

well as the deftruction of Sodom. called from what we read, v. 20. 23. The fun was rifen upon the earth, when Lot entred into Zoar.

22. I cannot

do

ny thing: i. e. I cannot deftroy this place; God having ordered Lot's deliverance, as Zoar: Hebr. Little. So

23. The Sun was rifen: This is thought to be faid for two Reafons: (1.) To fhew that Zoar was near to Sodom. (2.) That when it is faid that God rained, it might not be thought to be natural, (there being no Clouds, as in other great Rains,) but miraculous. See Abravenel on the place.] And this feems probable from what follows.

24.

24. The Lord rain

Then the LORD rained upon Sodom, and upon Gomorrah, ed: From the Lord