Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clearImportance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)So the two messengers arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the city gate. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and knelt down in front of them with his face to the ground.
Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXἮλθον δε οἱ δύο ἄγγελοι εἰς Σόδομα ἑσπέρας. Λὼτ δὲ ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν πύλην Σοδόμων· ἰδὸν δὲ Λὼτ, ἐξανέστη εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς, καὶ προσεκύνησε τῷ προσώπῳ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. (Aʸlthon de hoi duo angeloi eis Sodoma hesperas. Lōt de ekathaʸto para taʸn pulaʸn Sodomōn; idon de Lōt, exanestaʸ eis sunantaʸsin autois, kai prosekunaʸse tōi prosōpōi epi taʸn gaʸn. )
BrTrAnd the two angels came to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat by the gate of Sodom, and Lot having seen them, rose up to meet them, and he worshipped with his face to the ground, and said,
ULTThen the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. And Lot saw them, and he got up to meet them and bowed down with nose to the ground.
USTThat evening the two angels arrived at the city of Sodom, while Lot was sitting at the gate of the city. When Lot saw them, he stood up and greeted them and then bowed before them with his face to the ground to show respect.
BSB § Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,
OEBTwo messengers came to Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose up to meet them, and he bowed with his face to the earth
WEBBEThe two angels came to Sodom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them. He bowed himself with his face to the earth,
NETThe two angels came to Sodom in the evening while Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
LSVAnd two of the messengers come toward Sodom at evening, and Lot is sitting at the gate of Sodom, and Lot sees, and rises to meet them, and bows himself—face to the earth,
FBVThe two angels[fn] arrived at Sodom in the evening. Lot happened to be sitting at the entrance to Sodom, and when he saw them he stood up to meet them, and bowed low with his face to the ground.
19:1“Angels”: the account alternates between calling the two visitors “angels” and “men.”
T4TThat evening, the two angels arrived in Sodom. Lot was sitting at the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to greet them, and prostrated himself with his face on the ground.
LEBAnd the two angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. Then Lot saw them and stood up to meet them. And he bowed down with his face to the ground.
BBEAnd at nightfall the two angels came to Sodom; and Lot was seated at the way into the town: and when he saw them he got up and came before them, falling down on his face to the earth.
JPSAnd the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth;
ASVAnd the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth;
DRAAnd 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,
YLTAnd two of the messengers come towards Sodom at even, and Lot is sitting at the gate of Sodom, and Lot seeth, and riseth to meet them, and boweth himself — face to the earth,
DrbyAnd the two angels came to Sodom at even. And Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. And Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed down, the face toward the ground,
RVAnd the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth;
WbstrAnd there came two angels to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them, rose to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face towards the ground;
KJB-1769And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
KJB-1611¶ And there came two Angels to Sodome at euen, and Lot sate in the gate of Sodome: and Lot seeing them, rose vp to meet them, and he bowed himselfe with his face toward the ground. (¶ And there came two Angels to Sodom at evening, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodome: and Lot seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.)
BshpsAnd there came two angels to Sodome at euen, and Lot sate at the gate of Sodome: and Lot seing them rose vp to meete them, and he bowed hym selfe with his face towarde the grounde. (And there came two angels to Sodom at evening, and Lot sat at the gate of Sodome: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face towarde the ground.)
GnvaAnd in the euening there came two Angels to Sodom: and Lot sate at the gate of Sodom, and Lot sawe them, and rose vp to meete them, and he bowed himselfe with his face to the ground. (And in the evening there came two Angels to Sodom: and Lot sat at the gate of Sodom, and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face to the ground. )
CvdlIn the euenynge came the two angels vnto Sodome. And Lot sat vnder the gate of the cite. And whe he sawe them, he rose vp for to mete them, and bowed him self downe to the grounde vpon his face, (In the eveninge came the two angels unto Sodome. And Lot sat under the gate of the city. And when he saw them, he rose up for to meet them, and bowed him self down to the ground upon his face,)
WyclAnd tweyne aungels camen to Sodom in the euentide, while Loth sat in the yatis of the citee. And whanne he hadde seyn hem, he roos, and yede ayens hem, and worschipide lowe to erthe, (And two angels came to Sodom in the euentide, while Lot sat in the yatis of the city. And when he had seen them, he rose, and went against them, and worshipped lowe to earth,)
LuthDie zween Engel kamen gen Sodom des Abends. Lot aber saß zu Sodom unter dem Tor. Und da er sie sah, stund er auf ihnen entgegen und bückte sich mit seinem Angesicht auf die Erde (The zween angel came to/toward Sodom the Abends. Lot but sat to Sodom under to_him goal/doorway. And there he they/she/them saw, stood he on to_them entgegen and bückte itself/yourself/themselves with his face on the earth)
ClVgVeneruntque duo angeli Sodomam vespere, et sedente Lot in foribus civitatis. Qui cum vidisset eos, surrexit, et ivit obviam eis: adoravitque pronus in terram,[fn] (And_they_came two angeli Sodomam vespere, and sedente Lot in foribus of_the_city. Who when/with had_seen them, surrexit, and ivit obviam eis: adoravitque pronus in the_earth/land, )
19.1Veneruntque duo angeli, etc. Notandum quod tres angeli numero impari Abrahæ apparent, quia numero impari Deus gaudet. Sodomam venerunt pari numero, id est duo, qui numerus primus ab unitate recedit, et princeps est alteritatis, quasi femineam figurans mollitiem. Venerunt in vespere, quia jam Sodomitis occubuerat sol justitiæ. Qui cum vidisset, etc. Dum occurrit Lot et adorat, angelos videtur intelligere; dum ad refectionem corporis invitat, homines videtur putare. Sic de his et de illis qui Abrahæ apparuerunt idem intelligendum est. Ex hoc autem loco Scripturæ et multis aliis commendatur virtus hospitalitatis. Unde Paulus Heb. 13: Hospitalitatem nolite oblivisci: per hanc enim placuerunt quidam Deo, angelis hospitio receptis. Glossa Græca. Notandum ubi beneficia Dei explicantur, Deum adesse; ubi vero supplicia exercentur, angelos mitti; ut sciamus Deo benefacere, jucundum et placitum Deo proprie esse ulcisci vero Deo ingratum esse.
19.1And_they_came two angeli, etc. Notandum that tres angeli number impari Abrahæ apparent, because number impari God gaudet. Sodomam venerunt pari numero, id it_is duo, who numerus primus away unitate recedit, and prince it_is alteritatis, as_if femineam figurans mollitiem. Venerunt in vespere, because yam Sodomitis occubuerat sol justitiæ. Who when/with vidisset, etc. Dum occurrit Lot and adorat, angelos videtur intelligere; dum to refectionem corporis invitat, homines videtur putare. So about his and about illis who Abrahæ apparuerunt idem intelligendum it_is. From this however instead Scripturæ and multis aliis commendatur virtus hospitalitatis. Unde Paulus Heb. 13: Hospitalitatem nolite oblivisci: through hanc because placuerunt quidam Deo, angelis hospitio receptis. Glossa Græca. Notandum where beneficia of_God explicantur, God adesse; where vero supplicia exercentur, angelos mitti; as sciamus Deo benefacere, yucundum and placitum Deo properly esse ulcisci vero Deo ingratum esse.
19:1 The two angels also first appeared to Abraham as men (18:2). • Lot was no longer living in tents next to Sodom (13:12)—he had become a citizen and leader in Sodom, sitting there at the entrance of the city. Community leaders (elders) usually congregated in the gates, where legal and business transactions were publicly finalized (cp. 23:18; Job 29:7, 12-17). As a righteous man (2 Pet 2:7-8), Lot tried to modify the townspeople’s wickedness by giving advice on good living (cp. Gen 19:9). Although he denounced gross evil, Lot preferred Sodom’s sumptuous lifestyle to life in the hills (cp. 13:10-11), where there was clean living but no “good life.” As long as the Lord left Lot and his family alone in Sodom, he lived comfortably there and kept his personal belief in God; but finally, he could not hold to both. Sodom would have destroyed Lot if the Lord had not destroyed Sodom. • This account showed Israel that God is the righteous judge of the whole earth (18:25) who will judge evildoers with justice and equity. In wicked societies, moral and ethical failures lead to social injustice.
Cities like Sodom had stone walls built around them, with entrance gates (that were closed at night) to protect the people in the city from enemies. Alternate translation: “by the gate of the city.” or “at the city gate”
Some languages have a special dual pronoun that can be used throughout verses 1-19 to refer to the two angels. Do what is best in your language. Alternate translation: “When Lot saw them, he got up”
See how you translated a similar phrase in Gen 18:2. Alternate translation: “and then bowed before them with his forehead to the ground to show respect.” or “and then kneeled in front of them and bowed his forehead to the ground to show them respect.”
Author’s note: This article assumes that Sodom, Gomorrah, and Bela (Zoar) were located at Bab edh-Dhra, Numeira, and Khirbat ash-Sheikh `Isa, respectively. The exact locations of the cities of the plain are widely debated, with the primary dispute centering around whether the cities are to be found in the northern area of the Dead Sea (since Lot headed east from Bethel [Genesis 13]) or the southern area (as the Medeba Map shows). It is beyond the scope of this article to present all the evidence to support a southern location, but many of them are well summarized here: “The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.” In addition, Eusebius in his Onomasticon describes the Dead Sea as lying between Jericho and Zoar. This author has also recently found that Eusebius notes that Nebereim (Nimrim; see Isaiah 15:6 and Jeremiah 48:34) is located at a village called Bennamareim (likely the site of Gomorrah on this map), which he also says is north of Zoar. Thus, if Eusebius is correct, Zoar is clearly located in the southern area of the Dead Sea, which fits very well with the location shown on this map. Also, Lot’s relocation to Sodom after moving east to the plain of the Jordan suggests that Sodom was located on the east side of the Dead Sea.
The famous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are first mentioned in Genesis 10:19 in a description of the territory of the Canaanites. The cities are mentioned again in chapter 13, which notes that while Abraham (then called Abram) was living near Bethel (also called Luz), tension began to grow between Abraham’s herders and the herders working for Abraham’s nephew Lot. To resolve the problem, Abraham suggested that he and Lot permanently part ways, and he offered Lot first choice of where to live. Lot chose to move east to the plain of the Jordan, because the land was well watered, and he eventually settled in the city of Sodom. Genesis 14 then describes how Lot was captured by four Mesopotamian kings as they attacked the cities of the plain, but Abraham rescued Lot. Sometime after this Abraham moved to the oaks of Mamre, near Hebron, and three visitors (one of whom is later called “the Lord,” and the other two “angels”) approached his tent. Abraham invited them to share a meal with him and then later accompanied them for the first part of their journey. Along the way the visitors revealed to Abraham that they were going to Sodom to destroy it for its wickedness. Abraham appealed to the Lord to spare the city if even a few righteous lived there, and the Lord agreed and went his way. The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening (Genesis 19:1), presumably the same day they left, although perhaps they actually took more than one day to travel to Sodom, because the distance from Mamre to Sodom is over 35 miles (56 km), and Scripture does not specifically note that it was the same day. The events that followed that evening are well known, and in the morning the angels compelled Lot and his family to flee the city before it was destroyed. The angels instructed them to flee to the hills, but Lot convinced them to allow him to take refuge in a small village on the plain and not destroy it. Genesis 19:23 seems to suggest that it took Lot’s family a full day and night to reach Zoar, which fits well with the 16 mile (25 km) distance from Sodom to Zoar. As they were reaching Zoar, the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur on Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, completely destroying them. As Lot’s family was still fleeing, Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. That same morning Abraham got up and went to where he had last spoken with the visitors, and when he looked out across the plain he saw columns of smoke rising from the destroyed cities. Later Lot and his daughters moved into the hills and lived in a cave, because they were afraid to remain in Zoar. Fearing they would never marry, Lot’s daughters both got their father drunk and conceived children by him, though he was unaware of it. These children became ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites.
