But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Gen 13:13
But the men of Sodom were wicked
The ministry of nature
We here behold the wickedness of man in strange conjunction (verse10) and contrast with the beauty of nature.
I. HUMAN DEPRAVITY AS DISCOVERED BY THE LIGHT OF NATURE.
1. The wealth of nature, and the poverty of man.
2. The cleanliness of nature, and the filthiness of man.
3. The order of nature, and the lawlessness of man.
4. The generosity of nature contrasted with the selfishness of man.
5. The joy of nature contrasted with the misery of man.
II. THE INABILITY OF NATURE TO RESTORE MAN TO PIETY AND HAPPINESS. Consider–
1. Those nations which dwell amid specially fair or splendid scenery. We have a striking illustration of the moral inefficiency of natural scenery in the text. The land is as the garden of the Lord. But the people? South speaks of sinners: Who first turn grace, and then nature itself, out of doors. This is descriptive of the inhabitants of this beautiful land. Again, we have an example in the Canaanites. And have we not examples in modern times of the inefficacy of nature to exalt man? The magnificent South Sea Islands and their inhabitants. Everywhere the glory of nature is stained with the scarlet of human sin, and nature can do nothing to purge that stain away. Or, consider–
2. Those individuals who live in special communion with mature. The sailor, the shepherd, the peasant–are these remarkable for refinement of taste or morals? We think not. But it may be said that these are only door keepers of the Palace Beautiful; well then, what of the High Priests, who draw near the inmost shrines of nature? The poet, the painter, the philosopher–what of these? Are these exceptionally good? We think the common verdict would be against them. No. The great and glorious globe is impotent to regenerate. It charms the eye, feasts the imagination, but it has no power to reach the deep places of our nature and fill us with purity and strength. Nature may make a good man better, but it cannot make a bad man good.
III. THE NEED AND PRECIOUSNESS OF THE GOSPEL. The lovers of nature remain corrupt and workers of iniquity, but the gospel changes the hearts and lives of those who accept it.
1. There is a lesson here for those who wish to substitute science for the Scriptures. Science, we are told, is to refine, moralize, spiritualize the people. Much of this is delusive. Scientific and philosophic knowledge has no power of itself to create right and truly religious feeling.
2. Another lesson is here for those who wish to open museums and picture galleries on Sunday. Contemplating marbles and pictures, do men gain the whiteness of the one or the beauty of the other? Let the moral statistics of Paris and Rome answer.
3. A final lesson is here for those who seek to substitute the temple of nature for the temple of grace. (W. L. Watkinson.)
Flee from unholy company
Darest thou come where such ill scents are to be taken as may soon infect thy soul? Of all trades, it would not do well for the collier and the fuller to live together. What one cleanseth the other will blacken and defile. The Spirit of God hath not washed thee clean, that thou shouldst run where thou will be made foul. (W. Gurnall.)
Shunning evil
It is related of William S. Stockton, the father of Frank Stockton, that he would cross to the sunny side of the street on a hot summers day so as to avoid the shadow of the Arch Street Theatre, such was his intense hatred of it. (H. O. Mackey.)
Evil to be shunned
Sir Peter Lely once said he never looked at a bad picture if he could help it, as he found it tainted his own pencil. (H. O.Mackey.)
Wicked companions
The impious lives of the wicked are as contagious as the most dreadful plague that infects the air. When the doves of Christ lie among such pots, their yellow feathers are sullied. You may observe that in the oven the fine bread frequently hangs upon the coarse, but the coarse very seldom adheres to the fine. If you mix an equal portion of sour vinegar and sweet wine together, you will find that the vinegar will sooner sour the wine than the wine sweeten the vinegar. That is a sound body that continues healthful in a pest house. It is a far greater wonder to see a saint maintain his purity among sinners than it is to behold a sinner becoming pure among saints. Christians are not always like fish, which retain their freshness in a salt sea; or, like the rose, which preserves its sweetness among the most noisome weeds; or, like the fire, which burns the hottest when the season is coldest. A good man was once heard to lament that, as often as he went into the company of the wicked, he returned less a man from them than he was before he joined with them. The Lords people, by keeping evil company, are like persons who are much exposed to the sun, insensibly tanned. (T. Secker.)
Danger of contamination
Sophronius, a wise teacher, would not suffer even his grown-up sons and daughters to associate with those whose conduct was not pure and upright. Dear father, said the gentle Eulalia to him one day when he forbade her, in company with her brother, to visit the volatile Lucinda, you must think us very childish if you imagine that we should be exposed to danger by it. The father took in silence a dead coal from the hearth, and reached it to his daughter. It will not burn you, my child; take it. Eulalia did so, and behold her beautiful white hand was soiled and blackened, and, as it chanced, her white dress also. You cannot be too careful in handling coals, said Eulalia, in vexation. Yes, truly, said the father. You see, my child, that coals, even if they do not burn, blacken; so it is with the company of the vicious. (From the German.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 13. The men of Sodom were wicked] raim, from , 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 in Greek, from a, negative, and 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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Eminent, noted, and impudent sinners; see Gen 18:20; Eze 16:49; which is here added as a secret reproof to Lot, who was either careless in his inquiry into the dispositions and manners of those among whom he intended to fix his abode, which for many reasons he should have searched out; or he was willing to expose himself to all the hazards which he might incur by their neighbourhood and familiarity, for the sweetness and fertility of the soil; an error which is frequently committed by men in the choice of their habitations, and which oft costs them dear, as it did Lot in the following story.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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 Isa 3:9.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
13. But the men of Sodom. Lot thought himself happy that so rich a habitation had fallen to his share: but he learns at length, that the choice to which he had hastened, with a rashness equal to his avarice, had been unhappily granted to him; since he had to deal with proud and perverse neighbors, with whose conduct it was much harder to bear, than it was to contend with the sterility of the earth. Therefore, seeing that he was led away solely by the pleasantness of the prospect, he pays the penalty of his foolish cupidity. Let us then learn by this example, that our eyes are not to be trusted; but that we must rather be on our guard lest we be ensnared by them, and be encircled, unawares, with many evils; just as Lot, when he fancied that he was dwelling in paradise, was nearly plunged into the depths of hell. But it seems wonderful, that Moses, when he wishes to condemn the men of Sodom for their extreme wickedness, should say that they were wicked before the Lord; and not rather before men; for when we come to God’s tribunal, every mouth must be stopped, and all the world must be subject to condemnation; wherefore Moses may be thought to speak thus by way of extenuation. But the case is otherwise: for he means that they were not merely under the dominion of those common vices which everywhere prevail among men, but were abandoned to most execrable crimes, the cry of which rose even to heaven, (as we shall afterwards see,) and demanded vengeance from God. That God, however, bore with them for a time: and not only so, but suffered them to inhabit a most fertile region, though they were utterly unworthy of light and of life, affords, as we hence learn, no ground to the wicked of self-congratulation, when God bears also with them for a time, or when, by treating them kindly, and even liberally, he, by his indulgence, strives with their ingratitude. Yet although they exult in their luxury, and even become outrageous against God, let the sons of God be admonished not to envy their fortune; but to wait a little while, till God, arousing them from their intoxication, shall call them to his dreadful judgment. Therefore, Ezekiel, speaking of the men of Sodom, declares it to have been the cause of their destruction, that, being saturated with bread and wine, and filled with delicacies, they had exercised a proud cruelty against the poor, (Eze 16:49.)
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
13. Wicked and sinners As more fully exhibited in chap . 19 . The fairest and most inviting regions of the earth,
“Where every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile,”
may furnish the conditions of excessive licentiousness and crime. Sadly did Lot mistake in looking more on outward and temporal beauty than on moral and religious worth.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 13:13. Men of Sodomsinners before the Lord i.e.. Very great sinners in his sight, who cannot be deceived, see ch. Gen 10:9. The Chaldee paraphrase renders it: “They put their riches to an iniquitous use, and their bodies to the worst vices before the Lord.” This verse seems inserted to prepare us for the horrid catastrophe related in the subsequent chapters.
REFLECTIONS.We have here Lot’s choice; in which not only some symptoms appear of selfishness in securing the best land, but of unkindness and ingratitude in parting thus readily from his kind benefactor. How hard is it even for good men to divest themselves of self-interest. Observe,
1. The place. All the plain of Jordan: and a delicious spot it was, like Eden, for beauty and fertility. Here he resolves to fix his abode, without farther consideration, or weighing the inconveniences to which he exposed himself from the people who dwelt there. We are too apt to be guided by the eye; but sense is a bad director: in such cases, we usually rue the choice we make, whether of company, or of dwelling under their influence. Would we succeed well, we should always first consider what is best for our souls.
2. The people. Vile and wicked exceedingly. All were bad, but some much worse than others, and the worse for the blessings they enjoyed; nothing so much contributing to fill up a man’s iniquities, as abused mercies. To be placed among such a people, though his dwelling and conversation among them was a gracious warning and call from God to them, it was a heavy affliction and trouble to himself. Note; (1.) God marks every man’s sins according to their aggravations: great sinners will have great punishments. (2.) God’s ministers must remember, wherever they are, their business is to appear for God, though they be only sojourners. (3.) It is often the heavy lot of good men, to live among bad neighbours. (4.) It is a sad reflection, when they have brought themselves into these circumstances.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 13:13 But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Ver. 13. But the men of Sodom were wicked, &c. ] See their chief sins set down, Eze 16:49-50 . The Chaldee Paraphrast here translateth, they were first unrighteous with their mammon: and secondly, sinners with their bodies, before the Lord. That unnameable sin had its name from them, who against nature were scalded in their lust, one toward another. Rom 1:27 The apostle there gives it in of the heathen philosophers, many of whom were patrons of this abhorred filth; as Cicero complains of Plato; and Socrates was shrewdly suspected, to be no more honest than he should be with Alcibiades; nor Seneca with Nero. a “The wisdom from above is pure,” saith St James; Jam 1:17 and in this wisdom is “truth” and purity, saith Solomon, Pro 8:7 whereas all worldly wisdom is stained with error or lewdness. God punisheth the pride of all flesh with some foul sin, and so sets a Noverint universi , as it were, upon the world’s wizards, that all men may know them to be but arrant fools.
And sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
a Seneca delectabatur exoletis ,& c. – Dio in Nerone.
A parenthetical statement to show the nature of Lot’s choice. Figure of speech. Parenthesis. App-6.
wicked and sinners = very wicked sinners. Figure of speech. Hendiadys.
But the: Gen 15:16, Gen 18:20, Gen 19:4-11, 1Sa 15:18, Isa 1:9, Isa 3:9, Eze 16:46-50, Mat 9:10, Mat 9:13, Mat 11:23, Mat 11:24, Joh 9:24, Joh 9:31, Rom 1:27, 2Pe 2:6-8, 2Pe 2:10, Jud 1:7
before: Gen 6:11, Gen 10:9, Gen 38:7, 2Ki 21:6, Isa 3:8, Jer 23:24, Heb 4:13
Reciprocal: Gen 6:5 – God Gen 14:12 – who Gen 19:13 – cry Jdg 2:11 – did evil 1Sa 2:17 – before Ezr 9:6 – our iniquities Job 8:4 – he have cast Psa 107:34 – a fruitful Pro 13:20 – but Isa 1:4 – Ah sinful Isa 1:10 – Sodom Jer 23:14 – Sodom Eze 16:50 – and committed Joe 3:13 – for their Luk 17:28 – General Rom 5:13 – until 1Pe 4:18 – the sinner 2Pe 2:7 – vexed Rev 11:8 – Sodom
Gen 13:13. Sinners before the Lord exceedingly That is, impudent and daring sinners, who despised and openly defied God. Alas for Lot! He has got into bad company, and will find the beauty and fertility of the country but a poor recompense for the daily grief their wickedness and reproaches will cause him!
Gen 13:14-15. The Lord said unto Abram To comfort him after Lot was separated from him, and he was left alone, and in a less pleasant and fruitful soil than that which Lot had chosen; Lift up thine eyes, all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it. But, how was this land given to Abram, when it is expressly said by Stephen, Act 7:5, He (God) gave him no inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on! The answer is, God gave him the right to it, though not the actual possession, until the time appointed, when the inhabitants of the land should prove themselves to be irreclaimable, and fully ripe for destruction. God explains it, To thee and thy seed, that is, to thee in thy seed. But how could it be said to be given them for ever, when, after a few hundreds of years they were turned out of it? To this it must be replied, that the promise was made to them, and intended to be fulfilled, upon condition of their obedience, as is often expressed in other places. And the expression , here rendered for ever, often signifies only long continuance, as is evident from many passages of Scripture, in which the subjects to which it is applied do not, in their nature, admit of an eternal duration. Indeed, when the word is applied to the Jewish rites and ceremonies, as it often is, it signifies no more than during the standing of that dispensation, or till the coming of the Messiah. And thus it may be here understood.
13:13 But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and {i} sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
(i) Lot thinking to get paradise, found hell.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes