Genesis 19:11
in Genesis 19And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
KJV
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
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This verse in Genesis 19
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great,.... with "blindnesses" (n); with extreme blindness, with blindness both of eye and heart, as Aben Ezra interprets it; and indeed had they not been given up to a judicial blindness and hardness of heart, such a stroke upon them might have convinced them that their ways were evil, and their works not right, and that by them they had incurred the displeasure of God, and would desisted from their enterprise; but, on the contrary, they went on with it, and sought with all diligence and labour as much as possible to effect it.
This site's exposition
This one came here as a foreigner
on Genesis 19:9-11
The mob calls him a foreigner, after years in the city. The men inside reached out, pulled him in, shut the door, and struck the crowd at the entrance with blindness. The rare Hebrew word returns when Elisha prays it down on the Aramean army at 2 Kings 6:18.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And behold, the men reached out their hands and brought Lot to them and closed the door, and they struck with blindness those who were outside, from the least to the greatest, so that they could not find the door.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
This was designed, (1.) To put an end to their attempt, and disable them from pursuing it. Justly were those struck blind who had been deaf to reason.
If their minds had not been blinded as well as their bodies, they would have said, as the magicians, This is the finger of God, and would have submitted. (2.) It was to be an earnest of their utter ruin, the next day. When God, in a way of righteous judgment, blinds men, their condition is already desperate, Rom. xi.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And they smote the men - with blindness - This has been understood two ways: 1. The angels, by the power which God had given them, deprived these wicked men of a proper and regular use of their sight, so as either totally to deprive them of it, or render it so confused that they could no longer distinguish objects; or, 2. They caused such a deep darkness to take place, that they could not find Lot’s door.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Rashi comments: “Whom else of your family have you in the city besides your wife and daughters who are at home with you? If you have additionally a son-in-law, or sons and daughters, take them out from this place.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְֽאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאֲנָשִׁ֞ים | haanashim | the men | H582 → | 566 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| פֶּ֣תַח | petach | [were] [the] entrance of | H6607 → | 164 times |
| הַבַּ֗יִת | habayit | the house | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הִכּוּ֙ | hiku | they struck | H5221 → | 499 times |
| בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֔ים | basanverim | with <the> sudden blindness | H5575 → | |
| מִקָּטֹ֖ן | mikaton | from small | H6996 → | 101 times |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| גָּד֑וֹל | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וַיִּלְא֖וּ | vaiyilu | and they became weary | H3811 → | |
| לִמְצֹ֥א | limtzo' | to find | H4672 → | 455 times |
| הַפָּֽתַח׃ | hapatach | the entrance | H6607 → | 164 times |
וְֽאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הָאֲנָשִׁ֞יםthe men
haanashimH582 →566 times
אֲשֶׁר־who
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
פֶּ֣תַח[were] [the] entrance of
petachH6607 →164 times
הַבַּ֗יִתthe house
habayitH1004 →2046 times
הִכּוּ֙they struck
hikuH5221 →499 times
בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֔יםwith <the> sudden blindness
basanverimH5575 →
מִקָּטֹ֖ןfrom small
mikatonH6996 →101 times
וְעַד־and unto
vead-H5704 →1261 times
גָּד֑וֹלgreat
gadolH1419 →526 times
וַיִּלְא֖וּand they became weary
vaiyiluH3811 →
לִמְצֹ֥אto find
limtzo'H4672 →455 times
הַפָּֽתַח׃the entrance
hapatachH6607 →164 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 6:18As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.
it leads to
- Acts 13:11
Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him,…
- John 12:40
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
- Acts 13:11
Through
Jeremiah 2:36How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 31:22
How long will you wander, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land—a woman will shelter a man.”
- Hosea 5:13
When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
- 2 Chronicles 28:20–21
Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him.
- 2 Chronicles 28:16
At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria.
- Jeremiah 31:22
Through
Acts 13:11Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him,…
it leads to
- Exodus 9:3
then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.
- Psalms 32:4
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah
- Exodus 9:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.