Genesis 19:4
in Genesis 19Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter;
KJV
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:
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This verse in Genesis 19
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
all the men of the city of Sodom
on Genesis 19:4-5
Abraham had stopped asking at ten righteous, and the verse gives the count another way, all the men of the city, both young and old. The demand is what the outcry of chapter 18 was about. The whole city surrounds the one house that had taken a stranger in.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
But before they lay down, the men of the city, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot and said to him: Where are the men who came to you tonight?
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Note, When the disease of sin has become epidemical, it is fatal to any place, Isa. i. That they had arrived at the highest pitch of wickedness; they were sinners before the Lord exceedingly ( ch. xiii. It was the most unnatural and abominable wickedness that they were now set upon, a sin that still bears their name, and is called Sodomy.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
But before they lay down,....
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| טֶרֶם֮ | terem | before | H2962 → | 56 times |
| יִשְׁכָּבוּ֒ | yishkavu | they lay down | H7901 → | 212 times |
| וְאַנְשֵׁ֨י | veanshei | and [the] men of | H582 → | 566 times |
| הָעִ֜יר | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| אַנְשֵׁ֤י | ʾanshei | [the] men of | H582 → | 566 times |
| סְדֹם֙ | sedom | Sodom | H5467 → | 39 times |
| נָסַ֣בּוּ | nasabu | they surrounded | H5437 → | 161 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | <on> | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַבַּ֔יִת | habayit | the house | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| מִנַּ֖עַר | minaar | from young man | H5288 → | 239 times |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| זָקֵ֑ן | zaken | old [man] | H2205 → | 178 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| מִקָּצֶֽה׃ | mikatzeh | from [the] end | H7097 → | 97 times |
טֶרֶם֮before
teremH2962 →56 times
יִשְׁכָּבוּ֒they lay down
yishkavuH7901 →212 times
וְאַנְשֵׁ֨יand [the] men of
veansheiH582 →566 times
הָעִ֜ירthe city
hairH5892 →1090 times
אַנְשֵׁ֤י[the] men of
ʾansheiH582 →566 times
סְדֹם֙Sodom
sedomH5467 →39 times
נָסַ֣בּוּthey surrounded
nasabuH5437 →161 times
עַל־<on>
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַבַּ֔יִתthe house
habayitH1004 →2046 times
מִנַּ֖עַרfrom young man
minaarH5288 →239 times
וְעַד־and unto
vead-H5704 →1261 times
זָקֵ֑ןold [man]
zakenH2205 →178 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
מִקָּצֶֽה׃from [the] end
mikatzehH7097 →97 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
Proverbs 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.
it leads to
- Psalms 36:4
Even on his bed he plots wickedness; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject evil.
- Micah 2:1
Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.
- Isaiah 57:20
But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck.
- 2 Peter 2:14
Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
- Psalms 36:4
Through
Exodus 23:2You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
it leads to
- Proverbs 1:10–11
My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.
- Proverbs 1:15
my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path.
- Luke 23:23–24
But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified. And their clamor prevailed.
- Proverbs 1:10–11
Through
Micah 7:3Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.
it leads to
- Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster…
- Micah 3:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.