Genesis 19:6

Gen 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

Ver. 6. Lot went out.] So he exposed himself, to save his strangers, hoping to save them from that abominable violence. The right of strangers is so holy, that there was scarce ever any nation so barbarous that would violate the same. When Stephen Gardiner had in his power the renowned clerk Peter Martyr, then teaching at Oxford, he would not keep him to punish him; but when he should go his way, as it is reported, gave him wherewith to bear his charges. But these Sodomites had not so much humanity left in them. They had put off the man, and were become dogs and worse. {Deu 23:18} Am I a dog? saith Abner; {2Sa 3:8} that is, so given as dogs be to lust. Lot was the world’s miracle, who kept himself fresh in Sodom’s salt waters.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19:6-9 Lot opposed homosexuality and rape and rebuked their wicked plans, but he was hypocritically willing to sacrifice his daughters to fend off the townsmen’s vice. Lot had originally pitched his tent next to Sodom; now Sodom controlled his life.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

6. And Lot went out at the door unto them. It appears from the fact that Lot went out and exposed himself to danger, how faithfully he observed the sacred right of hospitality. It was truly a rare virtue, that he preferred the safety and honor of the guests whom he had once undertaken to protect, to his own life: yet this degree of magnanimity is required from the children of God, that where duty and fidelity are concerned, they should not spare themselves. And although he was already grievously injured by the besieging of his house; he yet endeavors, by gentle words, to soothe ferocious minds, while he suppliantly entreats them to lay aside their wickedness, and addresses them by the title of brethren. Now it appears, how savage was their cruelty, and how violent the rage of their lust, when they were in no degree moved by such extraordinary mildness. But the description of a rage so brutal, tends to teach us that punishment was not inflicted upon them, until they had proceeded to the last stage of wickedness. And let us remember, that the reprobate, when they have been blinded by the just judgment of God, rush, as with devoted minds, through every kind of crime, and leave nothing undone, until they render themselves altogether hateful and detestable to God and men.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

And Lot went out at the door unto them,.... At the door of his house:

and shut the door after him; the door of the passage to his house, the courtyard door, for another word is here used; unless the one was properly the door, and the other a hatch: however, this precaution of shutting it was used to prevent the men of Sodom rushing in, and taking away the men by violence; and that Lot might have some opportunity of trying what he could do by arguments, to prevail upon them to desist from their attempt.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Vers. 6-8. And Lot went out at the door unto them, literally, at the doorway, or opening (pethach, from pathach, to open; cf. pateo, Latin; proquron, LXX); in which the gate or hanging door (deleth, from dalai, to be pendulous) swings, and which it closes (vide Gesenius, p. 201)and shut the door (deleth, ut supra; qura, LXX) after him, to protect his visitors, which he also sought to accomplish by personal exhortationand said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly and also by an infamous proposal which nothing can extenuate and the utmost charity finds difficult to reconcile any pretence of piety on the part of. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; i.e. unmarried, (cf. Gen_4:1) though, according to some, already betrothed to two Sodomites (Ver. 14)let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes. The usual apologies that in sacrificing his daughters to the Sodomites instead of giving up his guests to their unnatural lust. Lot

(1) selected the lesser of two sins (Ambrose);

(2) thereby protected his guests and discharged the duties of hospitality incumbent on him (Chrysostom);

(3) believed his daughters would not be desired by the Sodomites, either because of their well-known betrothal (Rosenm or because of the unnatural lust of the Sodomites (Lunge);

(4) acted through mental perturbation (Augustine) are insufficient to excuse the wickedness of one who in attempting to prevent one sin was himself guilty of another (Delitzsch), who in seeking to be a faithful friend forgot to be an affectionate father (Kalisch), and who, though bound to defend his guests at the risk of his own life, was not at liberty to purchase their safety by the sacrifice of his daughters ("Speakers Commentary"). Only unto these men laeh; an archaic form of hL,aeh; a proof of the antiquity of the Pentateuch (cf. Ver. 25; 26:3, 4; Lev_18:27; Deu_4:42 Deu_7:22 Deu_19:11) do nothing (i.e. offer to them neither violence nor dishonor); for therefore (vide Gen_18:5) came they under the shadow of my roof in order to find protection.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Lot went out to them, shut the door behind him to protect his guests, and offered to give his virgin daughters up to them. "Only to these men (האל, an archaism for האלּה rof, occurs also in Gen 19:25; Gen 26:3-4; Lev 18:27, and Deu 4:42; Deu 7:22; Deu 19:11; and אל for אלּה in Ch1 20:8) do nothing, for therefore (viz., to be protected from injury) have they come under the shadow of my roof." In his anxiety, Lot was willing to sacrifice to the sanctity of hospitality his duty as a father, which ought to have been still more sacred, "and committed the sin of seeking to avert sin by sin." Even if he expected that his daughters would suffer no harm, as they were betrothed to Sodomites (Gen 19:14), the offer was a grievous violation of his paternal duty. But this offer only heightened the brutality of the mob. "Stand back" (make way, Isa 49:20), they said; "the man, who came as a foreigner, is always wanting to play the judge" (probably because Lot had frequently reproved them for their licentious conduct, Pe2 2:7, Pe2 2:8): "not will we deal worse with thee than with them." With these words they pressed upon him, and approached the door to break it in. The men inside, that is to say, the angels, then pulled Lot into the house, shut the door, and by miraculous power smote the people without with blindness (סנורים here and Kg2 6:18 for mental blindness, in which the eye sees, but does not see the right object), as a punishment for their utter moral blindness, and an omen of the coming judgment.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

after himself

"behind him" or "after he went through"

I beg you, my brothers

"I plead with you, my brothers"

my brothers

Lot spoke in a friendly way to the men of the city hoping that they would listen to him. AT: "my friends" (See: Idiom)

do not act so wickedly

"do not do something so wicked" or "do not do such a wicked thing"

Look

"Pay attention" or "Look here"

have not slept with

"have not engaged in sex with." Your language may have a more polite way of saying this. AT: "have not known" (See: Euphemism)

whatever is good in your eyes

"whatever you desire" or "whatever you think is right"

under the shadow of my roof

The two men were guests in Lot's home, so he needed to protect them. The word "roof" is a synecdoche for the whole house and a metaphor for Lot protecting them. AT: "into my house, and God expects me to protect them" (See: Synecdoche and Metaphor)

translationWords

Lot

brother

evil

had relations with

shadow

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ויצא....סגר אחריו, either the person within the house locked the door from the inside, or Lot locked the door from the outside.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.