Genesis 19:14
So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Lot's sons-in-law don't believe his urgent warning because the same Hebrew word used for "mocked" here also describes the laughter of disbelief and ridicule. This highlights how deeply ingrained the culture of mockery in Sodom was, making even a life-saving message sound like a cruel joke to them.
Angels have warned Lot that God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to their extreme wickedness. Lot then tries to warn his sons-in-law, who are engaged to his daughters, but they dismiss his urgent plea as a joke. The divine judgment is imminent, and their disbelief seals their fate.
Imagine delivering a critical warning, only to be met with laughter. This is Lot's reality.
Lot's desperate plea to his sons-in-law to flee Sodom is met with disbelief. The text says, 'he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.' This highlights a profound spiritual disconnect.
The Gravity of the Message
Lot isn't casually suggesting a change of plans. He's relaying a divine message: 'for the LORD is about to destroy the city.' This is a matter of life and death, a final call to escape utter destruction.
The Blindness of the Unbeliever
His sons-in-law's reaction reveals their deep-seated disbelief and spiritual blindness. They couldn't grasp the reality of God's impending judgment. To them, Lot’s urgent warning sounded like a silly joke. This isn't just about Lot; it's a timeless picture of how people can dismiss God's truth when it challenges their comfortable status quo.
A Call to Discernment
Their inability to discern the truth in Lot's words underscores how sin can deaden our spiritual senses. They were so accustomed to the wicked ways of Sodom that the idea of divine judgment seemed preposterous.
Who exactly were these men Lot was warning? The wording has sparked debate for centuries.
The phrase 'sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters' (or 'the takers of his daughters') is a bit ambiguous. It opens up different ways to understand Lot's family situation and his warning.
Betrothed, Not Yet Married?
Many scholars, like those commenting on the ESV and Cambridge Bibles, lean towards the idea that these men were betrothed to Lot's daughters but not yet fully married or living with them. The Hebrew participle 'takers' supports this – they were in the process of 'taking' Lot's daughters as wives.
Why This Matters
Lot's sons-in-law represent the hardened hearts of Sodom's people, so deeply entrenched in their sin that they mock a divine warning, highlighting the difficulty of reaching those who refuse to believe or repent.
c. 2100 BC
Abram (Abraham) and Lot Separate
Abram and his nephew Lot separate due to conflict between their herdsmen. Lot chooses the well-watered plain of the Jordan, near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, while Abram settles in Canaan.
c. 2000 BC
Sodom and Gomorrah Flourish
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, located in a fertile plain, become prosperous centers. However, their inhabitants are described as extremely wicked and sinful before the LORD.
c. 2000 BC
Angels Visit Lot in Sodom
Two angels arrive in Sodom and are welcomed by Lot, who insists they stay with him. The men of Sodom surround Lot's house, demanding to have sexual relations with the visitors.
c. 2000 BC
Angels Intervene and Blind Sodomites
The angels strike the men outside Lot's house with blindness and instruct Lot to gather his family and flee the city, as it is to be destroyed.
This passage describes the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, highlighting the suddenness and completeness of God's judgment, just as Lot warned his sons-in-law about.
2 Peter 2:7This verse directly references Lot's distress and his righteous life being 'greatly troubled' by the wicked behavior of Sodom, which underscores the severity of the situation Lot was trying to warn his family about.
Genesis 19:15This verse immediately follows, showing the angels urging Lot to flee, which emphasizes the reality and urgency of the danger Lot was trying to convey to his sons-in-law.
Proverbs 1:7This proverb states that 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction,' which parallels the sons-in-law's dismissal of Lot's warning as foolishness or a joke.
Matthew 24:38-39Jesus uses the days of Noah and the destruction of Sodom as examples of how people were living in ignorance and caught unaware by judgment, similar to how Lot's sons-in-law treated his warning.
gillGenesis 19:14: "And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law."
And Lot went out,.... From his house, after the men of Sodom were gone from it, and before the morning, very probably about midnight: and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters: according to Aben Ezra, he had two other daughters that perished in Sodom,…
calvinGenesis 19:1-38: "And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;"
And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
Et dixit, Ecce, nunc domini mei, declinate obsecro ad domum ser…
Lot's sons-in-law don't believe his urgent warning because the same Hebrew word used for "mocked" here also describes the laughter of disbelief and ridicule. This highlights how deeply ingrained the culture of mockery in Sodom was, making even a life-saving message sound like a cruel joke to them.
Angels have warned Lot that God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to their extreme wickedness. Lot then tries to warn his sons-in-law, who are engaged to his daughters, but they dismiss his urgent plea as a joke. The divine judgment is imminent, and their disbelief seals their fate.
Angels have warned Lot that God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to their extreme wickedness. Lot then tries to warn his sons-in-law, who are engaged to his daughters, but they dismiss his urgent plea as a joke. The divine judgment is imminent, and their disbelief seals their fate.
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This interpretation is significant because it explains why Lot addressed the men directly and why his daughters weren't mentioned as being with them at this moment. If they were already married and living with their husbands, they likely would have been in their own homes. Their absence from the immediate scene, and Lot's focus on his future sons-in-law, highlights his urgency to save those closest to him before the impending doom.
A Glimpse into Lot's Priorities
Regardless of the precise marital status, Lot's primary concern was to rescue his family from the destruction that was coming.
c. 2000 BC— this verse
Lot Warns His Sons-in-Law
Lot goes out to warn his sons-in-law, who are betrothed to his daughters, urging them to escape the coming destruction. They dismiss his warning as a joke.
c. 2000 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
The LORD rains sulfur and fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them and all the cities of the plain. Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt.
"So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting." — Lot's sons-in-law don't believe his urgent warning because the same Hebrew word used for "mocked" here also describes the laughter of disbelief and ridicule. This highlights how deeply ingrained the…
