Bible Strands
Genesis 19:4
Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate moment after Lot forces the visitors inside, capturing the crowd’s movement just before the guests attempt to sleep. The scene shifts from interior hospitality to exterior hostility.
The words — The adverb טֶרֶם (te.Rem) literally means “before,” marking the compressed timeline of the event. The verb נָסַבּוּ (na.Sa.bu) translates as “they surrounded,” describing a complete physical encirclement of the house.
The thread — This coordinated mob action fulfills the widespread corruption outlined in Genesis 13:13 and Genesis 18:20. The restless pursuit of violence mirrors the behavioral pattern recorded in Proverbs 4:16.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note the completed encirclement before any demand is spoken. It asks for an unembellished acknowledgment of collective intent preceding verbal threat.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Cross-references
- Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.
- Proverbs 4:16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.
- Genesis 18:20 Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous,
- Exodus 23:2 You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
- Exodus 16:2 And there in the desert the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
- Proverbs 6:18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
- Jeremiah 5:1 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.
- Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?
- Micah 7:3 Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.
- Matthew 27:20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.