Genesis 19 - Page 6
Questions and Answers - Verses 16 – 19
16. a) Identify the following pronouns:
He (in, "He what-whated himself"): Lot
Himself (in, " He what-whated himself "): Lot
His (in, "into his hand"): Lot
His (in, "of his woman"): Lot
His (in, "of his daughters"): Lot
Him (in, "upon him"): Lot
They (in, "they caused him"): The angels
Him (in, " they caused him "): Lot
They (in, "they rested him"): The angels
Him (in, "they rested him"): Lot
16. b) What does the verb, ‘to what-what oneself’ mean?
It is an expression of confusion and consternation. It is seen by a person asking questions like, “What will happen to us?” “What will we do?” “What source of food will we have?” “To what location will we go?” In other words, a series of ‘what’ questions is spoken by a person who is ‘what-whating himself.’
16. c) Why did Lot ‘what-what himself’?
He was still in shock and grief regarding the fact that he is about to have at least two dead daughters and sons-in-law. Now, he will be homeless; landless; incomeless; and without any idea of how to start all over again. This kind of shock is very difficult for humans to withstand unless they have been trained (like in certain forms of military training).
16. d) Who took hold of whose hand, according to this verse?
The two angels each took hold of two persons, totaling four persons.
16. e) Explain the wording, caused to grasp into:
This shows that the angels didn’t seek permission; they grabbed the hands of these folks. There was no time for permission.
16. f) Why were two angels dispatched to do this rescue?
Each angel had two hands. Yehovah knew that only four persons will be grabbed to be taken out of the city. Yehovah knew very well that the sons-in-law wouldn’t be willing to go.
16. g) What took place that was “in the compassion of Yehovah upon him”?
It is the men causing to grasp into the four! It is the physical salvation of all four. (The text will describe what the angels do next.)
16. h) Define compassion:
The Hebrew word חמל, khamal, means to spare, pity, have compassion on. It is the closest to the English word mercy, but it is used far more rarely in the Bible. It shows investment on another because the other who is the target is in such a bad position. The one with compassion therefore determines to do something to help.
16. i) How did the angels cause Lot to exit, according to this verse?
They flew them out. The text declares that they rested him from outside the city.
16. j) Why does the text refer only to Lot being caused to exit when four were caused to exit?
It is because Lot is the main person of the group. He is the head of the group; the group has been transported.
A word used in the KJV in other texts is to translate. The following is the acceptation for this usage: to bear, carry, or move from one place, position, etc., to another; transfer (Dictionary.com).
16. k) What does “from outside to the city” mean?
This is a removal that isn’t only to the border of the city; it is beyond the border of the city.
16. l) What kind of a distance was this flight through the air?
It would have been like the equivalent of perhaps half a mile? We don’t know. Only, it wasn’t just a small amount of coverage for that flight.
17. a) Who is he in, “And he was”?
This is the event.
17. b) Who are their in this first sentence?
They are the two angels.
17. c) How did they manage to cause them to exit?
What did they do? They laid hold on the hands of two, each; and they flew them to outside of the city (including of the fields that belonged to the city). (The text doesn’t indicate if the flight was fast through the air, like being flown, or if it was more like teleportation.)
17. d) Who is he in, “And he said”?
It is one of the two angels.
17. e) What is the being as used in the Bible?
It consists of one, two, or all three of the following, depending on the text:
- Body
- Soul
- Spirit
17. f) In this verse, what is the being?
It is all three. What happened with Lot’s woman was that her body had escaped, but she, the soul, and her spirit didn’t escape.
17. g) What does “Cause thou to escape concerning thy being” mean?
It is another way of telling them to “get the heck out of Dallas!” In other words, he (Lot is the subject) must act to cause his own being to escape! He cannot stand there, and he must not look to anyone else to transport him! His being is in his own hands! If he will escape, he must go on his own.
The angels transported them outside of the city; the rest is up to Lot.
17. h) Why didn’t the angel speak to all in the group at this point, telling all of them to cause to escape concerning their beings? Why focus only on Lot?
The others are hearing what is being spoken to Lot. So, they are not in the dark regarding the command. They will know that what Lot is being commanded is also true for them. At times, a command to one person in a group is obviously a command for all in that group; at other times, a command to one person in a group is obviously a command for only that one person. Rarely will this be confusing.
The idea was to not confuse all in the group; the angel knew that whatever Lot did, the rest would do the same.
Lot is the head of this family remaining; Lot is the responsible party, and the reason why they are escaping at all!
17. i) What does peer mean?
It means to look at something that is distant or small in order to discern what is being viewed. Binoculars are instruments of peering. Dictionary.com has one acceptation that fits: to look narrowly or searchingly, as in the effort to discern clearly. Thus, it indicates focusing on something.
Thus, to peer requires more time and consideration. It is not done instantaneously.
The word look in Hebrew is from the verb to see. The verb to see doesn’t include any assumption of consideration, of discerning, of any effort. One can see with other characteristics being included, but they must be added in Hebrew, and cannot be assumed.
17. j) Who are thou and thee in, “Peer-thou not after thee”?
Thou and thee are Lot.
17. k) Why is the command to not peer after Lot so important?
The angel knew that if Lot peered after himself (that is, if Lot looked back to the city to peer at it), he would reinvest in the city, and would be destroyed with the city.
No text here commands Lot to not look back; peering isn’t the same as looking.
17. l) What is the act of peering after?
The word after indicates behind. In other words, don’t peer behind thee. Peering ahead is fine.
17. m) Why is a warning given about not peering behind?
Lot is being warned that to peer behind is lethal. This warning is given because the angel speaking knows what can and will happen if this command is violated. Such commands are given to preserve life.
17. n) How could one stand in all the round area?
One couldn’t. This is a misunderstanding of the text. The statement considers the entire round area: the geographical area. The command is to stand nowhere in that area; the entire area is off-limits (if Lot desires to live).
17. o) What does the round area include?
It includes all of Sodom. This was a circle with the city in the middle and farming and grazing fields around it. The command is to flee outside of the entire area.
17. p) Which direction is mountainward?
It is eastward. An entire range of rock hills is to the east, and extends for many miles both northward and southward. These hills, called ‘mountains’ in this text, are very stark, very bare, very red, very unfriendly-looking for the lack of green, for the lack of trees.
17. q) Was Lot himself in danger of being consumed with the city?
If he didn’t follow the commands, he was in as much danger as anyone in the city!
In the End Times, the same thing will occur for ‘the good guys!’ They will be in danger of death with the cities if they don’t obey the specific commands that they will be given, or if they don’t follow their senses regarding what is occurring! (For they will know, from what they hear others saying, that they must leave, or die!)
17. r) Define scrape-off in this text:
It is to remove as with a tool or a knife, as to shave. It is a very demeaning word for killing a population. In this case, Yehovah will be the scraper! It is like scraping off dog excrement from one’s shoe.
18. a) What did Lot mean by, “Not!”?
He was telling these angels, whom he was calling “my lords,” that he could not escape mountainward. He terribly feared going to those hills; he knew how desolate they are.
18. b) Was Lot doing right by referring to the angels as, “my lords”?
The word lord means sir. It is a demonstration of respect, and also a willingness to serve. It is an indication of humility.
He was doing right, because the angels appeared as humans, and they demonstrated great powers. A reader of the Bible who is careful will find that humans are higher in ranks than angels. Therefore, prostrating to an angel isn’t appropriate. Prostrating to humans by humans is fine. Lot didn’t have the theology of humans having higher rank, though he likely knew that. All he knew was that these human-appearing angels were telling him to flee to a desolate place; he had to respond.
18. c) Explain the use of na:
It is a Hebrew particle (that is, a word that has no other forms but the one) that is a softener of what is being communicated.
As one knows who sends text messages, without softeners, folks who receive the text can assume a very strong voice, and can be offended. A softener would help text messages! It also helped those in personal communications, because Hebrew is a very ‘direct’ language. What one says can sound rude. A softener removes the rudeness aspect.
19. a) Is it ever right for a human to be a slave to an angel?
No. This is never right. However, if a human sees an angel who appears as a human, and who has powers that are life-saving, that human is doing no wrong to see himself/herself as a slave to a good angel. It isn’t right, but it also isn’t a violation.
19. b) What is so important about a slave finding favour in the eyes of a master or lord?
That means that the slave is exhibiting behaviour that is pleasing to the master, and that the master or lord is more likely to grant a request of the slave.
19. c) Why are eyes mentioned in this expression?
The slave’s behaviour is being seen by the master. This expression is a ‘childism;’ it is an expression best understood by a very young child who understands adults by the ways that their eyes respond to them. Very young children figure that if they aren’t seen, they are invisible! If they are seen, they are susceptible! The Hebrew language uses children’s expressions throughout.
19. d) How did Lot determine that somehow Lot had found favour in the eyes of these guests?
These guests had saved him from those from the edge! These guests also had transported them from the city about to be destroyed. Indeed, Lot must have realized that these guests had come as sojourners for Lot’s sake. Therefore, Lot knew that Lot had found favour in the eyes of these sojourners. (Please be aware that Lot is so confused, that he might not have registered that these are actually angels; they could be humans with great powers.)
19. e) Is one of the two messengers the leader of the two, such that Lot is addressing just one of the two at this time?
Lot’s response can be to the last speaker and the one who took him by the hand to transport him. I don’t see in the text where the angels are different in ranks one from the other. They could be, or they could be of the same rank.
19. f) Define grace:
This is a fervent, ardent zeal by which one is actuated (moved to take action), being either for or against the target.
For example, a she-bear will demonstrate the very same grace toward her cub and toward a wolf attempting to get her cub! That very same grace will ‘feel’ different to the cub and to the wolf!
Yehovah’s grace in everlasting Salvation to the Saints is the same grace in everlasting damnation to those who perish.
19. g) Why did Lot state that the sojourner had magnified the sojourner’s grace? Explain magnification:
To magnify is to cause to appear big (or bigger). The object doesn’t change size; the perspective changes dramatically.
The rescue was extraordinary! This wasn’t a small demonstration of grace; it was a miraculous demonstration of grace. Thus, the amount of zeal that this rescue took was very big!
19. h) Why did Lot speak only of himself in the grace that this sojourner had done?
He is speaking singularly to the messenger, and is about to make a request regarding himself.
19. i) Define being:
See 17-e above.
19. j) What is Lot stating that the sojourner did when Lot said, “And thou magnified thy grace that thou did with me to cause-to-keep-alive my being”?
Lot is admitting already that the sojourner has saved Lot’s life! Lot already knows this! Though nothing yet has happened to the citizens of the city, Lot knows that Lot’s life has already been saved.
Lot knew that the sojourners had saved Lot’s life before when they had brought Lot into the house and they had closed the door. This must be to what he is referring.
19. k) Why does Lot view that he won’t be able to escape to the mountain?
He is so concerned that ‘the bad’ (whatever that is) will cling to him by his going to the hill range that is some miles off.
Consider that Lot will view that going into the hills will lead to his death just as much as remaining in the area. Instead, he will propose to go to a city where he can live.
19. l) What is ‘the bad’ of which Lot speaks?
One proposal was that the bad referred to the memory of what will take place: that the remembrance of losing his daughters who remained will kill him. Another proposal is that something in the mountains will cling to him, like the lack of vegetation, of food supplies, of life. Whatever the bad is, Lot views it as life-threatening. It is as if no matter where he went, except to another city, whatever is the cause of the destruction of Sodom will follow him.
19. m) Why does Lot put stock in “the bad”?
Lot knows that the entire area is polluted with the kinds of sin that are in Sodom. He also knows that he isn’t equipped to deal with those stark hills, where rainfall can be less than 10 inches a year: in other words, a dry desert among deserts. His concern is that he is being rescued from a city about to be totally scraped off, and is being sent to a place where he and his family will die of thirst even before dying of hunger. The angels flew them out with no provisions. Thus, he fears; he doesn’t assume that Yehovah will do miracles for him.
19. n) Is Lot right that the bad will cling to him, and he will die?
He isn’t right, but he also isn’t presumptuous. In other words, he, like the Saints in the Bible, didn’t presume on God and on God’s goodness. Modern Conservative Liberal Christianity is filled with arrogant presumers in so many denominations. Those who truly fear Yehovah the Gods of Israel and who have sense won’t presume; they will make requests. A major subtheme in many movies and films today is, “Everything will be alright.” Folks advise others in this way: “It will be Ok.” This is presumption! It gives false hope! Things may not be Ok at all! Instead, one can make a request.
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Original page July 31, 2026