Genesis 19:6

Study note

Setting — Lot steps outside to confront the mob demanding his guests, closing the entrance door behind him. This action occurs between their violent demand in Genesis 19:5 and his subsequent plea in Genesis 19:7.

The words — The Hebrew verb סָגַר (sa.Gar) means "he closed," paired with וְ/הַ/דֶּ֖לֶת (ve./ha./De.let) for "the door" and אַחֲרָֽי/ו ('a.cha.Ra/v) for "behind him." Lot physically secures the threshold as he moves outward to meet them.

The thread — The same sequence of a host going out to confront a hostile crowd while shutting the door appears in Judges 19:23. Both passages use this structural parallel to mark the collapse of accepted hospitality boundaries.

Why it lands — The text records Lot's physical barrier and outward movement without endorsing his later compromise. It demands recognition of how desperate protection attempts can still operate within compromised moral frameworks.

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.