†. Gen 19:1a . .The two angels arrived in Sodom
The word for "angels" is from mal'ak (mal-awk') from a root meaning to
dispatch as a deputy; viz: a messenger; specifically of God, i.e. an angel
and/or a prophet, priest or teacher.
Mal'ak doesn't eo ipso indicate a celestial being; because the word is focused
more on an office or a function rather than a person. According to verse 3,
these angels were capable of consuming food the same as were Abraham's
human guests up in Hebron. According to verse 10, they were gender
specific; viz: males. So from all outward appearances, these particular
mal'aks were fully functioning human beings.
†. Gen 19:1b . . in the evening,
The word for "evening" is 'ereb (eh'-reb) which technically means dusk;
which Webster's defines as: the darker part of twilight after sundown. It's
the same word as the evenings of Gen 1:5-31.
'ereb is a bit ambiguous. In spite of its technical meaning; 'ereb doesn't eo
ipso indicate either sundown or twilight. It can also indicate any time after
high noon when the sun is losing altitude; as in 1Sam 17:16 where Goliath
taunted Israel twice a Day-- once in the morning, and once in the afternoon.
On the surface, the two men appear to be ordinary travelers pulling into
town for the night after a day's journey. That's a sensible choice. Sodom was
walled, and much safer than camping out in the field where they would be
vulnerable to brigands and wild animals. In those days, the Jordan valley
had lions in it and Canaan was still pretty much out on the lawless frontier.
†. Gen 19:1c . . as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.
In those days the gate vicinity was an important civic location where people
could pick up the latest news and conduct public business like elections,
marriages, notary public, municipal court, rallies, and soap-box speeches. It
was in the gate of Bethlehem where Ruth's husband Boaz defended her
cause and claimed the woman of Moab for his wife. (Ruth 4)
Lot probably wrapped up every one of his days at the gate before going on
home; kind of like an ancient Miller time. Even today, either a newspaper or
a television news program caps the day for many men in America.
†. Gen 19:1d . .When Lot saw them, he rose to greet them
Don't miss this man's courteous manners. Even living amongst the
wickedest people in the whole region, Lot still practiced his uncle's brand of
hospitality. No doubt a result of the years he spent under Abraham's wing.
Actually Lot was a very good man in spite of his town's reputation. He stood
out like a carnation blooming in a landfill.
†. Gen 19:1e-2a . . bowing low with his face to the ground, he said:
Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant's house to spend the
night, and bathe your feet; then you may be on your way early.
Bowing low is both an act of worship and deference to one's superiors. The
word is shachah (shaw-khaw') the same word used at Gen 22:5 for
Abraham's worship during the course of offering his son Isaac as a burnt
offering; and during Abraham's bargaining with Heth's kin at Gen 23:7.
Something about the look of these strangers impressed Lot. He probably
didn't take in every stranger who came to Sodom; but must have sensed
something unusual in these two and decided right then and there that they
must stay at his home that night.
The word for "lords" that Genesis' author chose for the messengers is
'adown (aw-done') which is a nondescript title of respect like Master, Sir,
and/or Mister, and can apply to ordinary human beings like as in Rachel's
respect for her father Laban in Gen 32:35.
Coupled with hospitality, was no doubt Lot's fear for these stranger's safety.
Lot knew Sodom, and knew what might happen to those men if they stayed
anywhere else but in his home and behind his walls. Exactly why Lot took an
interest in these men's safety isn't stated. It could be that they were
unusually handsome and well-favored, and he very well knew what happens
to attractive strangers after dark in the town of Sodom. I suspect that those
people enjoyed some very perverted live entertainment.
†. Gen 19:2b . . But they said: No, we will spend the night in the
square.
Their response was most likely a temporary, courteous refusal, with the
intention of accepting Lot's hospitality only after some customary resistance
to test the sincerity of his offer. Their response to Lot is somewhat different
than the response of the men who visited Abraham. Those accepted
Abraham's offer immediately, and without resistance.
†. Gen 19:3 . . But he insisted, so they turned his way and entered
his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened
bread, and they ate.
This is the very first mention of unleavened bread in the Bible and it won't
show up again until Exodus 12:8 in the Passover meal.
The Hebrew word for "unleavened" is matstsah (mats-tsaw') which means,
specifically: an unfermented cake or loaf; in other words: bread made with
sweet dough rather than sour dough.
It's easy to make sour dough bread without the addition of cultured yeast
simply by putting fresh dough in a warm place and letting nature take its
course because even fresh non-yeasted dough contains a quantity of
naturally-occurring yeast which will cause fresh dough to go bad all by itself
over time without the addition of cultured yeast. So it's not the yeast
content that categorizes bread as leavened or unleavened; it's simply
whether the bread is made with spoiled dough or fresh dough.
†. 1Cor 5:6 . . Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
In the days prior to baking with cultured yeast, cooks kept a supply of
spoiled dough on hand for mixing with fresh dough and thus considerably
reduced the time required for fermentation by taking advantage of the
spoiled dough's yeast content.
But either way, bread with leavened dough takes longer to make because
time has to be allotted for the yeasts-- either the naturally-occurring yeasts
or the spoiled-dough yeasts --to do their job. So if you're in a hurry to feed
someone, then unfermented dough is the wiser choice; for example: at Ex
12:1-11 the Lord's passover instructions dictate the use of unleavened bread
doubtless to emphasize the urgency of the Jews' departure from Egypt.
†. Ex 12:11 . . And thus shall you eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes
on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste
†. Gen 19:4 . .They had not yet lain down, when the townspeople,
the men of Sodom, young and old-- all the people to the last man -
gathered about the house.
The word for "men" is from 'enowsh (en-oshe') : an ambiguous word that
means: a mortal; a human being in general (singly or collectively). It can
also mean: husband, person, and people.
So it wasn't just the males; it was everybody, young and old, gathered
around Lot's door. All of the women, all of the kids, and all of the men. The
entire town. Everybody.
I think the messengers were just about the prettiest men you ever laid eyes
on-- straight, pearly white teeth, wavy hair, great complexions, youthful
chiseled features, stood six foot two, and the spitting image of JFK Jr. This
was probably Sodom's first ever visit by world class male models and
nobody wanted to miss the show.
Cont.
/
The word for "angels" is from mal'ak (mal-awk') from a root meaning to
dispatch as a deputy; viz: a messenger; specifically of God, i.e. an angel
and/or a prophet, priest or teacher.
Mal'ak doesn't eo ipso indicate a celestial being; because the word is focused
more on an office or a function rather than a person. According to verse 3,
these angels were capable of consuming food the same as were Abraham's
human guests up in Hebron. According to verse 10, they were gender
specific; viz: males. So from all outward appearances, these particular
mal'aks were fully functioning human beings.
†. Gen 19:1b . . in the evening,
The word for "evening" is 'ereb (eh'-reb) which technically means dusk;
which Webster's defines as: the darker part of twilight after sundown. It's
the same word as the evenings of Gen 1:5-31.
'ereb is a bit ambiguous. In spite of its technical meaning; 'ereb doesn't eo
ipso indicate either sundown or twilight. It can also indicate any time after
high noon when the sun is losing altitude; as in 1Sam 17:16 where Goliath
taunted Israel twice a Day-- once in the morning, and once in the afternoon.
On the surface, the two men appear to be ordinary travelers pulling into
town for the night after a day's journey. That's a sensible choice. Sodom was
walled, and much safer than camping out in the field where they would be
vulnerable to brigands and wild animals. In those days, the Jordan valley
had lions in it and Canaan was still pretty much out on the lawless frontier.
†. Gen 19:1c . . as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.
In those days the gate vicinity was an important civic location where people
could pick up the latest news and conduct public business like elections,
marriages, notary public, municipal court, rallies, and soap-box speeches. It
was in the gate of Bethlehem where Ruth's husband Boaz defended her
cause and claimed the woman of Moab for his wife. (Ruth 4)
Lot probably wrapped up every one of his days at the gate before going on
home; kind of like an ancient Miller time. Even today, either a newspaper or
a television news program caps the day for many men in America.
†. Gen 19:1d . .When Lot saw them, he rose to greet them
Don't miss this man's courteous manners. Even living amongst the
wickedest people in the whole region, Lot still practiced his uncle's brand of
hospitality. No doubt a result of the years he spent under Abraham's wing.
Actually Lot was a very good man in spite of his town's reputation. He stood
out like a carnation blooming in a landfill.
†. Gen 19:1e-2a . . bowing low with his face to the ground, he said:
Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant's house to spend the
night, and bathe your feet; then you may be on your way early.
Bowing low is both an act of worship and deference to one's superiors. The
word is shachah (shaw-khaw') the same word used at Gen 22:5 for
Abraham's worship during the course of offering his son Isaac as a burnt
offering; and during Abraham's bargaining with Heth's kin at Gen 23:7.
Something about the look of these strangers impressed Lot. He probably
didn't take in every stranger who came to Sodom; but must have sensed
something unusual in these two and decided right then and there that they
must stay at his home that night.
The word for "lords" that Genesis' author chose for the messengers is
'adown (aw-done') which is a nondescript title of respect like Master, Sir,
and/or Mister, and can apply to ordinary human beings like as in Rachel's
respect for her father Laban in Gen 32:35.
Coupled with hospitality, was no doubt Lot's fear for these stranger's safety.
Lot knew Sodom, and knew what might happen to those men if they stayed
anywhere else but in his home and behind his walls. Exactly why Lot took an
interest in these men's safety isn't stated. It could be that they were
unusually handsome and well-favored, and he very well knew what happens
to attractive strangers after dark in the town of Sodom. I suspect that those
people enjoyed some very perverted live entertainment.
†. Gen 19:2b . . But they said: No, we will spend the night in the
square.
Their response was most likely a temporary, courteous refusal, with the
intention of accepting Lot's hospitality only after some customary resistance
to test the sincerity of his offer. Their response to Lot is somewhat different
than the response of the men who visited Abraham. Those accepted
Abraham's offer immediately, and without resistance.
†. Gen 19:3 . . But he insisted, so they turned his way and entered
his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened
bread, and they ate.
This is the very first mention of unleavened bread in the Bible and it won't
show up again until Exodus 12:8 in the Passover meal.
The Hebrew word for "unleavened" is matstsah (mats-tsaw') which means,
specifically: an unfermented cake or loaf; in other words: bread made with
sweet dough rather than sour dough.
It's easy to make sour dough bread without the addition of cultured yeast
simply by putting fresh dough in a warm place and letting nature take its
course because even fresh non-yeasted dough contains a quantity of
naturally-occurring yeast which will cause fresh dough to go bad all by itself
over time without the addition of cultured yeast. So it's not the yeast
content that categorizes bread as leavened or unleavened; it's simply
whether the bread is made with spoiled dough or fresh dough.
†. 1Cor 5:6 . . Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
In the days prior to baking with cultured yeast, cooks kept a supply of
spoiled dough on hand for mixing with fresh dough and thus considerably
reduced the time required for fermentation by taking advantage of the
spoiled dough's yeast content.
But either way, bread with leavened dough takes longer to make because
time has to be allotted for the yeasts-- either the naturally-occurring yeasts
or the spoiled-dough yeasts --to do their job. So if you're in a hurry to feed
someone, then unfermented dough is the wiser choice; for example: at Ex
12:1-11 the Lord's passover instructions dictate the use of unleavened bread
doubtless to emphasize the urgency of the Jews' departure from Egypt.
†. Ex 12:11 . . And thus shall you eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes
on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste
†. Gen 19:4 . .They had not yet lain down, when the townspeople,
the men of Sodom, young and old-- all the people to the last man -
gathered about the house.
The word for "men" is from 'enowsh (en-oshe') : an ambiguous word that
means: a mortal; a human being in general (singly or collectively). It can
also mean: husband, person, and people.
So it wasn't just the males; it was everybody, young and old, gathered
around Lot's door. All of the women, all of the kids, and all of the men. The
entire town. Everybody.
I think the messengers were just about the prettiest men you ever laid eyes
on-- straight, pearly white teeth, wavy hair, great complexions, youthful
chiseled features, stood six foot two, and the spitting image of JFK Jr. This
was probably Sodom's first ever visit by world class male models and
nobody wanted to miss the show.
Cont.
/
