“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.”
My Notes
What Does Genesis 19:5 Mean?
"Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them." The men of Sodom surround Lot's house and demand access to his guests. The word "know" (yada) carries sexual connotation here — they intend to sexually assault the visitors. The entire city — "both old and young, all the people from every quarter" (verse 4) — participates. The evil is communal, comprehensive, and targeted at the vulnerable.
The universality — old and young, every quarter — means this isn't a fringe group. It's the whole city. The violence isn't committed by a few criminals. It's perpetrated by the community. The moral collapse is total.
Lot's guests are angels (verse 1), but the men of Sodom don't know that. They see strangers — vulnerable travelers dependent on a host's protection. The demand to "bring them out" violates the most sacred obligation of ancient hospitality: the host protects the guest at any cost. The violation of hospitality is the violation that triggers judgment.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What happens when evil becomes universal in a community rather than marginal?
- 2.How does the violation of hospitality — failing to protect the vulnerable — connect to Sodom's judgment?
- 3.What does the universality of participation teach about communal moral responsibility?
- 4.How do you maintain personal integrity when the community around you has collapsed morally?
Devotional
The entire city demands access to Lot's guests. Old and young. Every quarter. The evil isn't a few bad actors. It's everyone. The community's moral collapse is total.
The demand to 'know' the visitors is a demand to violate the most vulnerable people in the city: strangers who came seeking shelter. In the ancient world, hospitality was sacred — the host was obligated to protect guests with his life. The men of Sodom aren't just committing sexual violence. They're destroying the foundational social contract that makes civilization possible.
The universality is the most damning detail: every person from every quarter. Not a minority. Not a fringe. Everyone. When an entire community participates in evil — when the corruption has reached every age group and every neighborhood — the judgment that follows isn't against a few individuals. It's against the system that produced unanimous wickedness.
This verse is one of the most disturbing in Genesis, and it should be read with the gravity it demands. The evil is sexual violence against vulnerable strangers. The participation is universal. The motivation is power and degradation. And the divine response — the destruction of the city — is proportional to the totality of the corruption.
Sodom's sin isn't reducible to one category. Ezekiel 16:49 identifies it as pride, fulness of bread, idleness, and neglect of the poor. The sexual violence of Genesis 19 is the climactic expression of a deeper corruption: a community that has lost all regard for human dignity, hospitality, and the vulnerability of others.
What happens to a community when evil becomes universal rather than marginal?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And they called unto Lot,.... With a loud voice, that he might hear, they being in the street, and he within doors; and…
- The Destruction of Sodom and Amorah 9. גשׁ־<הלאה gesh-hāl'âh, “approach to a distant point,” stand back. 11. סנורים…
Where are the men which came in to thee, etc. - This account justifies the character given of this depraved people in…
Now it appeared, beyond contradiction, that the cry of Sodom was no louder than there was cause for. This night's work…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture