Genesis – Chapter 19

Old Testament38 Verses

Chapter Summary

Chapter 19 of Genesis begins: "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose up and went to meet…" The chapter centers on Lot and Abraham. Across its 38 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and God's protection and deliverance. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose up and went to meet them: and worshipped prostrate to the ground.

2And said: I beseech you, my lords, turn in to the house of your servant, and lodge there: wash your feet, and in the morning you shall go on your way. And they said: No, but we will abide in the street.

3He pressed them very much to turn in unto him: and when they were come into his house, he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate:

4But before they went to bed, the men of the city beset the house, both young and old, all the people together.

5And they called Lot, and said to him: Where are the men that came in to thee at night? bring them out hither, that we may know them:

6Lot went out to them, and shut the door after him, and said:

7Do not so, I beseech you, my brethren, do not commit this evil.

8I have two daughters who, as yet, have not known man; I will bring them out to you, and abuse you them as it shall please you, so that you do no evil to these men, because they are come in under the shadow of my roof.

9But they said: Get thee back thither. And again: Thou camest in, said they, as a stranger, was it to be a judge? therefore we will afflict thee more than them. And they pressed very violently upon Lot: and they were even at the point of breaking open the doors.

10And behold the men put out their hand, and drew in Lot unto them, and shut the door.

11And them, that were without, they struck with blindness from the least to the greatest, so that they could not find the door.

12And they said to Lot: Hast thou here any of thine? son in law, or sons, or daughters, all that are thine bring them out of this city:

13For we will destroy this place, because their cry is grown loud before the Lord, who hath sent us to destroy them.

14So Lot went out, and spoke to his sons in law that were to have his daughters, and said: Arise: get you out of this place, because the Lord will destroy this city. And he seemed to them to speak as it were in jest.

15And when it was morning, the angels pressed him, saying: Arise, take thy wife, and the two daughters that thou hast: lest thou also perish in the wickedness of the city.

16And as he lingered, they took his hand, and the hand of his wife, and of his two daughters, because the Lord spared him.

17And they brought him forth, and set him without the city: and there they spoke to him, saying: Save thy life: look not back, neither stay thou in all the country about: but save thy self in the mountain, lest thou be also consumed.

18And Lot said to them: I beseech thee, my Lord,

19Because thy servant hath found grace before thee, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewn to me, in saving my life, and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil seize me, and I die.

20There is this city here at hand, to which I may flee, it is a little one, and I shall be saved in it: is it not a little one, and my soul shall live?

21And he said to him: Behold also in this, I have heard thy prayers, not to destroy the city for which thou hast spoken.

22Make haste, and be saved there: because I cannot do any thing till thou go in thither. Therefore the name of that city was called Segor.

23The sun was risen upon the earth, and Lot entered into Segor.

24And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.

25And he destroyed these cities, and all the country about, all the inhabitants of the cities, and all things that spring from the earth.

26And his wife looking behind her, was turned into a statue of salt.

27And Abraham got up early in the morning, and in the place where he had stood before with the Lord:

28He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha, and the whole land of that country: and he saw the ashes rise up from the earth as the smoke of a furnace.

29Now when God destroyed the cities of that country, remembering Abraham, he delivered Lot out of the destruction of the cities wherein he had dwelt.

30And Lot went up out of Segor, and abode in the mountain, and his two daughters with him (for he was afraid to stay in Segor) and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters with him.

31And the elder said to the younger: Our father is old, and there is no man left on the earth, to come in unto us after the manner of the whole earth.

32Come, let us make him drunk with wine, and let us lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

33And they made their father drink wine that night: and the elder went in, and lay with her father: but he perceived not, neither when his daughter lay down, nor when she rose up.

34And the next day the elder said to the younger: Behold I lay last night with my father, let us make him drink wine also to night, and thou shalt lie with him, that we may save seed of our father.

35They made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in, and lay with him: and neither then did he perceive when she lay down, nor when she rose up.

36So the two daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

37And the elder bore a son, and she called his name Moab: he is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

38The younger also bore a son, and she called his name Ammon; that is, the son of my people: he is the father of the Ammonites unto this day.

Important Verses in Genesis 19

And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose up and went to meet them: and worshipped prostrate to the ground.

Genesis 19:1

For we will destroy this place, because their cry is grown loud before the Lord, who hath sent us to destroy them.

Genesis 19:13

Because thy servant hath found grace before thee, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewn to me, in saving my life, and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil seize me, and I die.

Genesis 19:19

And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.

Genesis 19:24

Historical Context

Genesis belongs to the Old Testament and was composed for the people of Israel, to root their identity in God's creation and the covenant with the patriarchs. Chapter 19 of 50 stands in the central portion of the book, where decisive events or teachings take shape. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 38 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The chapter focuses on Lot and Abraham, whose actions and words drive the passage forward. It opens with the line: "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose…" The final verse reads: "The younger also bore a son, and she called his name Ammon; that is, the son of my people: he is the father of the…" The wider setting of Genesis is this: Genesis was composed to give Israel its foundational identity: one God created all things good, sin entered through human choice, and God responded with a plan of salvation beginning with Abraham. Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Genesis around Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC.

Who Wrote It

Traditionally attributed to Moses; Catholic scholarship recognizes the work of inspired editors drawing on ancient oral and written traditions

When It Was Written

Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC

Catholic Commentary

Read at the narrative level, this chapter describes real persons, decisions, and consequences within creation, covenant, and the patriarchs. A pivotal line is verse 1: "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose up and went to meet them: and worshipped…" The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

Catholic exegesis reads Genesis 19 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. the Catechism teaches that Genesis reveals God's plan of salvation from the beginning (CIC 54-64). St. Jerome and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 1095).

Applied to the life of faith, the passage supports the Church's conviction that God's faithful covenant love. Whether read privately or heard in the liturgy, Genesis 19 calls for a response of faith, repentance, and charity.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • The Lord is a refuge and deliverer for all who call upon Him in trouble.
  • From the manna to the Last Supper, God feeds His people — fully in the Eucharist.

People in This Chapter

Lot12 mentionsAbraham2 mentions

Reflection for Today

Genesis Chapter 19 recounts the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which Catholic moral theology understands as divine judgment on grave sin. The Catechism references this narrative in its teaching on the gravity of sins against chastity and hospitality (CIC 2357). The Church Fathers emphasized that Sodom's sins included not only sexual immorality but also pride, excess of food, and neglect of the poor (Ezekiel 16:49).

Lot's deliverance through the angels' intervention demonstrates God's mercy toward the righteous even amid judgment. His wife's transformation into a pillar of salt when she looked back serves as a warning against attachment to a sinful past. Jesus Himself references this event: "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32). Catholic spiritual tradition sees in this a call to wholehearted conversion, not looking back with longing to what we have left behind.

The troubling conclusion of the chapter, with Lot's daughters, shows the moral degradation that results from proximity to evil. Even the righteous Lot has been affected by his years in Sodom. This chapter reminds us of the seriousness of sin and its consequences, while also revealing God's patient mercy in rescuing those who call upon Him. The Church calls us to be "in the world but not of it," maintaining our moral integrity even in corrupt surroundings.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Genesis Chapter 19 about?

Genesis 19 contains 38 verses. It opens with "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose…" and closes with "The younger also bore a son, and she called his name Ammon; that is, the son of my people: he is the father of the…". The book as a whole is narrative with genealogies and covenant accounts.

What is a key verse in Genesis 19?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose up and went to meet them: and worshipped prostrate to the…" It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Genesis Chapter 19?

This chapter mentions Lot, Abraham.

Who wrote Genesis and when?

Traditionally attributed to Moses; Catholic scholarship recognizes the work of inspired editors drawing on ancient oral and written traditions. Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC.

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