the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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Genesis 13:13
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Now the men of Sodom were evil and sinners, exceedingly so, against Yahweh.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD.
But the men of Sodome [were] wicked, and exceedyng sinners agaynst the Lorde.
The Lord knew that the people of Sodom were very evil sinners.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.
Forsothe men of Sodom weren ful wickid, and synneris greetly bifore the Lord.
But the men of Sodome were wicked, and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
But ye men of Sodome were wicked, and synned exceadingly agaynst the LORDE.
The people of Sodom were evil—flagrant sinners against God .
Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked sinners against the LORD.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly.
Now the men of Sodom were evil, and great sinners before the Lord.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Yahweh exceedingly.
But the men of Sodom [were] wicked, and sinners before the LORD, exceedingly.
Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.
(Now the people of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord .)
But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
where the people were evil and sinned terribly against the Lord .
Now the men of S'dom were evil, committing great sins against Adonai .
And the people of Sodom were wicked, and great sinners before Jehovah.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and exceeding sinners against the Lord.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners in the presence of the LORD exceedingly.
whose people were wicked and sinned against the Lord .
Now the men of Sedom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against the LORD.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the LORD exceedingly.
But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord .
whose men were sinful, sinning against the Lord.
Now the people of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord .
But the men of Sodom were evil, and exceedingly sinful before God.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the LORD exceedingly.
But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.
Now, the men of Sodom were base and sinful, - against Yahweh, exceedingly.
And the men of Sodom were very wicked, and sinners before the face of the Lord beyond measure.
Now the men of Sodom were extremely wicked sinners against Yahweh.
And the men of Sodom were evil and sinners before Jehovah, exceedingly so.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord .
Now the people of Sodom were very evil and were always sinning against the Lord .
Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly against the Lord .
and the men of Sodom [are] evil, and sinners before Jehovah exceedingly.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
But the: Genesis 15:16, Genesis 18:20, Genesis 19:4-11, 1 Samuel 15:18, Isaiah 1:9, Isaiah 3:9, Ezekiel 16:46-50, Matthew 9:10, Matthew 9:13, Matthew 11:23, Matthew 11:24, John 9:24, John 9:31, Romans 1:27, 2 Peter 2:6-8, 2 Peter 2:10, Jude 1:7
before: Genesis 6:11, Genesis 10:9, Genesis 38:7, 2 Kings 21:6, Isaiah 3:8, Jeremiah 23:24, Hebrews 4:13
Reciprocal: Genesis 6:5 - God Genesis 14:12 - who Genesis 19:13 - cry Judges 2:11 - did evil 1 Samuel 2:17 - before Ezra 9:6 - our iniquities Job 8:4 - he have cast Psalms 107:34 - a fruitful Proverbs 13:20 - but Isaiah 1:4 - Ah sinful Isaiah 1:10 - Sodom Jeremiah 23:14 - Sodom Ezekiel 16:50 - and committed Joel 3:13 - for their Luke 17:28 - General Romans 5:13 - until 1 Peter 4:18 - the sinner 2 Peter 2:7 - vexed Revelation 11:8 - Sodom
Cross-References
The [population of the] earth was corrupt [absolutely depraved—spiritually and morally putrid] in God's sight, and the land was filled with violence [desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power].
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."
where he had first built an altar; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD [in prayer].
Now the land was not able to support them [that is, sustain all their grazing and water needs] while they lived near one another, for their possessions were too great for them to stay together.
So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife and disagreement between you and me, nor between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, because we are relatives.
"Is not the entire land before you? Please separate [yourself] from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left."
Then Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and he traveled east. So they separated from each other.
"Then in the fourth generation your descendants shall return here [to Canaan, the land of promise], for the wickedness and guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete (finished)."
And the LORD said, "The outcry [of the sin] of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him [in judgment].
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But the men of Sodom [were] wicked,.... Which either he knew not, and so ignorantly made this bad choice, to take up his abode among such very wicked men, which occasioned a great deal of grief, trouble, and vexation to him; or if he knew it, the pleasing prospect of convenience for his cattle, and of enriching himself, was a temptation to him, and prevailed upon him to take such a step; and so Jarchi interprets it, "although" they were so, Lot was not restrained from dwelling among them:
and sinners before the Lord exceedingly; exceeding great sinners, guilty of the most notorious crimes, and addicted to the most scandalous and unnatural lusts that can be thought of; and these they committed openly and publicly in the sight of God, in the most daring and impudent manner, and in defiance of him, without any fear or shame. The Targum of Jonathan reckons up many of their sins, as defrauding of one another in their substance, sinning in their bodies, incest, unclean copulation, shedding of innocent blood, worshipping of idols, and rebelling against the name of the Lord; see Isaiah 3:9.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Abram and Lot Separate
7. פר×× perıÌzıÌy, Perizzi, âdescendant of Paraz.â ×¤×¨× paÌraÌz, âleader,â or inhabitant of the plain or open country.
10. ××ר kıÌkar, âcircle, border, vale, cake, talent;â related: âbow, bend, go round, dance.â ×ר×× yardeÌn, Jardan, âdescending.â Usually with the article in prose. צער tsoâar, Tsoâar, âsmallness.â
18. ×××¨× mamreÌ', Mamre, âfat, strong, ruler.â ××ר×× chebroÌn, Chebron, âconjunction, confederacy.â
Lot has been hitherto kept in association with Abram by the ties of kinmanship. But it becomes gradually manifest that he has an independent interest, and is no longer disposed to follow the fortunes of the chosen of God. In the natural course of things, this under-feeling comes to the surface. Their serfs come into collision; and as Abram makes no claim of authority over Lot, he offers him the choice of a dwelling-place in the land. This issues in a peaceable separation, in which Abram appears to great advantage. The chosen of the Lord is now in the course of providence isolated from all associations of kindred. He stands alone, in a strange land. He again obeys the summons to survey the land promised to him and his seed in perpetuity.
Genesis 13:1-4
Went up out of Mizraim. - Egypt is a low-lying valley, out of which the traveler ascends into Arabia Petraea and the hill-country of Kenaan. Abram returns, a wiser and a better man. When called to leave his native land, he had immediately obeyed. Such obedience evinced the existence of the new power of godliness in his breast. But he gets beyond the land of promise into a land of carnality, and out of the way of truth into a way of deceit. Such a course betrays the struggle between moral good and evil which has begun within him. This discovery humbles and vexes him. Self-condemnation and repentance are at work within him. We do not know that all these feelings rise into consciousness, but we have no doubt that their result, in a subdued, sobered, chastened spirit, is here, and will soon manifest itself.
And Lot with him. - Lot accompanied him into Egypt, because he comes with him out of it. The south is so called in respect, not to Egypt, but to the land of promise. It acquired this title before the times of the patriarch, among the Hebrew-speaking tribes inhabiting it. The great riches of Abram consist in cattle and the precious metals. The former is the chief form of wealth in the East. Abramâs flocks are mentioned in preparation for the following occurrence. He advances north to the place between Bethel and Ai, and perhaps still further, according to Genesis 13:4, to the place of Shekem, where he built the first altar in the land. He now calls on the name of the Lord. The process of contrition in a new heart, has come to its right issue in confession and supplication. The sense of acceptance with God, which he had before experienced in these places of meeting with God, he has now recovered. The spirit of adoption, therefore, speaks within him.
Genesis 13:5-7
The collision. Lot now also abounded in the wealth of the East. The two opulent sheiks (elders, heads of houses) cannot dwell together anymore. Their serfs come to strife. The carnal temper comes out among their dependents. Such disputes were unavoidable in the circumstances. Neither party had any title to the land. Landed property was not yet clearly defined or secured by law. The land therefore was in common - wherever anybody availed himself of the best spot for grazing that he could find unoccupied. We can easily understand what facilities and temptations this would offer for the strong to overbear the weak. We meet with many incidental notices of such oppression Genesis 21:25; Genesis 26:15-22; Exodus 2:16-19. The folly and impropriety of quarreling among kinsmen about pasture grounds on the present occasion is enhanced by the circumstance that Abram and Lot are mere strangers among the Kenaanites and the Perizzites, the settled occupants of the country.
Custom had no doubt already given the possessor a prior claim. Abram and Lot were there merely on sufferance, because the country was thinly populated, and many fertile spots were still unoccupied. The Perizzite is generally associated with, and invariably distinguished from, the Kenaanite Genesis 15:20; Genesis 34:30; Exodus 3:8, Exodus 3:17. This tribe is not found among the descendants of Kenaan in the table of nations. They stand side by side with them, and seem therefore not to be a subject, but an independent race. They may have been a Shemite clan, roaming over the land before the arrival of the Hamites. They seem to have been by name and custom rather wanderers or nomads than dwellers in the plain or in the villages. They dwelt in the mountains of Judah and Ephraim Judges 1:4; Joshua 17:15. They are noticed even so late as in the time of Ezra Ezra 9:1. The presence of two powerful tribes, independent of each other, was favorable to the quiet and peaceful residence of Abram and Lot, but not certainly to their living at feud with each other.
Genesis 13:8-9
The strife among the underlings does not alienate their masters. Abram appeals to the obligations of brotherhood. He proposes to obviate any further difference by yielding to Lot the choice of all the land. The heavenly principle of forbearance evidently holds the supremacy in Abramâs breast. He walks in the moral atmosphere of the sermon on the mount Matthew 5:28-42.
Genesis 13:10-13
Lot accepts the offer of his noble-hearted kinsman. He cannot do otherwise, as he is the companion, while his uncle is the principal. He willingly concedes to Abram his present position, and, after a lingering attendance on his kinsman, retires to take the ground of self-dependence. Outward and earthly motives prevail with him in the selection of his new abode. He is charmed by the well-watered lowlands bordering on the Jordan and its affluents. He is here less liable to a periodical famine, and he roams with his serfs and herds in the direction of Sodom. This town and Amorah (Gomorrah), were still flourishing at the time of Lotâs arrival. The country in which they stood was of extraordinary beauty and fertility. The River Jordan, one of the sources of which is at Panium, after flowing through the waters of Merom, or the lake Semechonitis (Huleh), falls into the Sea of Galilee or Kinnereth, which is six hundred and fifty-three feet below the level of the Mediterranean, and thence descends into the basin of the Salt Sea, which is now thirteen hundred and sixteen feet beneath the same level, by a winding course of about two hundred miles, over twenty-seven threatening rapids.
This river may well be called the Descender. We do not know on what part of the border of Jordan Lot looked down from the heights about Shekem or Ai, as the country underwent a great change at a later period. But its appearance was then so attractive as to bear comparison with the garden of the Lord and the land of Egypt. The garden of Eden still dwelt in the recollections of men. The fertility of Egypt had been recently witnessed by the two kinsmen. It was a valley fertilized by the overflowing of the Nile, as this valley was by the Jordan and its tributary streams. âAs thou goest unto Zoar.â The origin of this name is given in Genesis 19:20-22. It lay probably to the south of the Salt Sea, in the wady Kerak. âAnd Lot journeyed eastâ ×ק×× mıÌqedem. From the hill-country of Shekem or Ai the Jordan lay to the east.
Genesis 13:12
The men of Sodom were wicked. - The higher blessing of good society, then, was missing in the choice of Lot. It is probable he was a single man when he parted from Abram, and therefore that he married a woman of Sodom. He has in that case fallen into the snare of matching, or, at all events, mingling with the ungodly. This was the damning sin of the antediluvians Genesis 6:1-7. âSinners before the Lord exceedingly.â Their country was as the garden of the Lord. But the beauty of the landscape and the superabundance of the luxuries it afforded, did not abate the sinful disposition of the inhabitants. Their moral corruption only broke forth into greater vileness of lust, and more daring defiance of heaven. They sinned âexceedingly and before the Lord.â Lot had fallen into the very vortex of vice and blasphemy.
Genesis 13:14-18
The man chosen of God now stands alone. He has evinced an humble and self-renouncing spirit. This presents a suitable occasion for the Lord to draw near and speak to His servant. His works are re-assuring. The Lord was not yet done with showing him the land. He therefore calls upon him to look northward and southward and eastward and westward. He then promises again to give all the land which he saw, as far as his eye could reach, to him and to his seed forever. Abram is here regarded as the head of a chosen seed, and hence, the bestowment of this fair territory on the race is an actual grant of it to the head of the race. The term âforever,â for a perpetual possession, means as long as the order of things to which it belongs lasts. The holder of a promise has his duties to perform, and the neglect of these really cancels the obligation to perpetuate the covenant. This is a plain point of equity between parties to a covenant, and regulates all that depends on the personal acts of the covenanter. Thirdly, He announces that He will make his seed âas the dust of the earth.â This multitude of seed, even when we take the ordinary sense which the form of expression bears in popular use, far transcends the productive powers of the promised land in its utmost extent. Yet to Abram, who was accustomed to the petty tribes that then roved over the pastures of Mesopotamia and Palestine, this disproportion would not be apparent. A people who should fill the land of Canaan, would seem to him innumerable. But we see that the promise begins already to enlarge itself beyond the bounds of the natural seed of Abram. He is again enjoined to walk over his inheritance, and contemplate it in all its length and breadth, with the reiterated assurance that it will be his.
Genesis 13:18
Abram obeys the voice of heaven. He moves his tent from the northern station, where he had parted with Lot, and encamps by the oaks of Mamre, an Amorite sheik. He loves the open country, as he is a stranger, and deals in flocks and herds. The oaks, otherwise rendered by Onkelos and the Vulgate âplains of Mamre,â are said to be in Hebron, a place and town about twenty miles south of Jerusalem, on the way to Beersheba. It is a town of great antiquity, having been built seven years before Zoan (Tanis) in Egypt Numbers 13:22. It was sometimes called Mamre in Abramâs time, from his confederate of that name. It was also named Kiriath Arba, the city of Arba, a great man among the Anakim Joshua 15:13-14. But upon being taken by Kaleb it recovered the name of Hebron. It is now el-Khulil (the friend, that is, of God; a designation of Abram). The variety of name indicates variety of masters; first, a Shemite it may be, then the Amorites, then the Hittites Genesis 23:0, then the Anakim, then Judah, and lastly the Muslims.
A third altar is here built by Abram. His wandering course requires a varying place of worship. It is the Omnipresent One whom he adores. The previous visits of the Lord had completed the restoration of his inward peace, security, and liberty of access to God, which had been disturbed by his descent to Egypt, and the temptation that had overcome him there. He feels himself again at peace with God, and his fortitude is renewed. He grows in spiritual knowledge and practice under the great Teacher.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 13:13. The men of Sodom were wicked — רע×× raim, from רע, ra, to break in pieces, destroy, and afflict; meaning persons who broke the established order of things, destroyed and confounded the distinctions between right and wrong, and who afflicted and tormented both themselves and others. And sinners, ××××× chattaim, from ××× chata, to miss the mark, to step wrong, to miscarry; the same as αμαÏÏÎ±Î½Ï in Greek, from a, negative, and μαÏÏÏÏ to hit a mark; so a sinner is one who is ever aiming at happiness and constantly missing his mark; because, being wicked-radically evil within, every affection and passion depraved and out of order, he seeks for happiness where it never can be found, in worldly honours and possessions, and in sensual gratifications, the end of which is disappointment, affliction, vexation, and ruin. Such were the companions Lot must have in the fruitful land he had chosen. This, however, amounts to no more than the common character of sinful man; but the people of Sodom were exceedingly sinful and wicked before, or against, the Lord-they were sinners of no common character; they excelled in unrighteousness, and soon filled up the measure of their iniquities. See chap. xix.
