As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The angels urged Lot to flee "lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city." This phrase, using the Hebrew word that can mean both "iniquity" and "punishment," hints that the very wickedness of Sodom was the force that would sweep them away, not just divine judgment from outside. It suggests that the city's corruption had reached such a point that its destruction was an inevitable consequence of its own internal decay.
As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The angels are urgently trying to get Lot and his family out of Sodom before the city's destruction, which is imminent as dawn breaks. Lot has been reluctant to leave, having tried and failed to convince his sons-in-law to join him, and the angels are now physically pulling him and his family along to ensure their escape from the coming judgment. This moment of urgency is the final push to save Lot's household from the annihilation that awaits the wicked city.
Imagine waking up to an urgent, insistent command: 'Up! Now!' This wasn't a suggestion; it was a life-or-death imperative from heavenly messengers.
The word "hastened" (or "urged") in this verse carries a powerful sense of urgency. The angels weren't gently nudging Lot; they were pressing him, emphasizing the critical nature of his departure.
A Narrow Window
The angels didn't just tell Lot to leave; they gave him the stark reason why: 'lest you be consumed.' This choice had eternal weight.
The phrase 'lest you be consumed' directly links Lot's potential destruction to the 'iniquity of the city.' This isn't just about geographical proximity; it's about the moral and spiritual contamination of Sodom.
The Danger of Association
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Understand the original words
mal'akh · Hebrew Noun
Messengers sent by God to perform His will, act as guardians, or announce divine judgments. They are created spiritual beings who serve as intermediaries between the heavenly and earthly realms.
avon · Hebrew Noun
The act of God bringing retribution upon sin. It reflects His holy character and His role as the righteous judge who cannot allow wickedness to go unpunished.
c. 2100 BC
Lot settles in Sodom
Following a dispute with his uncle Abraham, Lot chose to settle in the wicked city of Sodom, drawn by its fertile land. This marked his physical and spiritual separation from Abraham's righteous path.
c. 2100 BC
Angels visit Abraham and Lot
Two angels, disguised as men, visited Abraham to announce the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They then proceeded to Sodom, where Lot extended hospitality to them.
Night of Destruction
Sodom's depravity revealed
The men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house, demanding to have his angelic guests for vile purposes, revealing the depth of their depravity and the imminent judgment.
Night of Destruction— this verse
Angels urge Lot to flee
As dawn broke, the angels, realizing Lot's hesitation, urged him and his family to quickly leave the city before its destruction, warning them not to look back.
Morning of Destruction
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God rained down fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah, utterly destroying them and the surrounding cities of the plain due to their great wickedness.
This passage directly links the days of Noah to the days of Lot's destruction, highlighting how casually people lived before judgment came, mirroring the attitude in Sodom and the urgency of the angels' warning to Lot.
Luke 17:28-30Jesus references the destruction of Sodom, emphasizing the suddenness and completeness of judgment, which underscores the critical nature of the angels' urgent plea for Lot and his family to escape.
2 Peter 2:6-7Peter explicitly mentions Lot's rescue from Sodom as an example of God's deliverance of the righteous from judgment, framing Lot's urgent escape within the broader theme of God's intervention for those who live righteously amidst wickedness.
Revelation 18:4This verse contains a similar call to 'come out of her, my people,' echoing the urgency of Lot's evacuation from Sodom before its destruction, illustrating a recurring divine pattern of separating His people from impending judgment.
gillGenesis 19:15: "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city."
And when the morning arose,.... When it was break of day, for as yet the sun was not risen, nor did it rise until Lot got to Zoar, Genesis 19:23 . He was now returned from his sons-in-law, and by this time it began to be light: then the angels hastened Lot; urged him to get out of his house as fast as h…
ellicottGenesis 19:15: "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city."
(15) When the morning arose. —Lot had thus the night for making his preparations, but part of this he spent in his visits to his sons-in-law. Consumed.—Heb., swept away; and so in Genesis 19:17. See Genesis 18:23-24, where it is rendered “destroy.”
The angels urged Lot to flee "lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city." This phrase, using the Hebrew word that can mean both "iniquity" and "punishment," hints that the very wickedness of Sodom was the force that would sweep them away, not just divine judgment from outside. It suggests that the city's corruption had reached such a point that its destruction was an inevitable consequence of its own internal decay.
The angels are urgently trying to get Lot and his family out of Sodom before the city's destruction, which is imminent as dawn breaks. Lot has been reluctant to leave, having tried and failed to convince his sons-in-law to join him, and the angels are now physically pulling him and his family along to ensure their escape from the coming judgment. This moment of urgency is the final push to save Lot's household from the annihilation that awaits the wicked city.
The angels are urgently trying to get Lot and his family out of Sodom before the city's destruction, which is imminent as dawn breaks. Lot has been reluctant to leave, having tried and failed to convince his sons-in-law to join him, and the angels are now physically pulling him and his family along to ensure their escape from the coming judgment. This moment of urgency is the final push to save Lot's household from the annihilation that awaits the wicked city.
"As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.”" — The angels urged Lot to flee "lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city." This phrase, using the Hebrew word that can mean both "iniquity" and "punishment," hints that the very wickedness of S…
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Last reviewed October 2026