Genesis 19:14 kjv

And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

Genesis 19:14 nkjv

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

Genesis 19:14 niv

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

Genesis 19:14 esv

So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, "Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city." But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

Genesis 19:14 nlt

So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters' fianc?s, "Quick, get out of the city! The LORD is about to destroy it." But the young men thought he was only joking.

Genesis 19 verses

Genesis 19 14 Meaning

Genesis 19:14 portrays Lot's urgent attempt to rescue his family from the impending destruction of Sodom. Having received a direct divine warning through angels, Lot approaches his prospective sons-in-law, who were betrothed to or had married his daughters. He delivers an unequivocal message of immediate judgment: "Get up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy this city!" However, their response is one of dismissive skepticism; they perceive his dire warning as nothing more than a joke or trivial matter. This verse marks the tragic culmination of human complacency and disbelief in the face of divine revelation and imminent judgment.

Genesis 19 14 Context

Genesis 19:14 is situated at a critical juncture in the narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah's impending destruction. In the preceding chapter, Abraham interceded for Sodom, culminating in God's promise to spare the city if even ten righteous people were found there (Gen 18:32). However, Gen 19 reveals the depth of Sodom's depravity, beginning with the men of the city besieging Lot's house, demanding that he surrender the angelic visitors for sexual abuse (Gen 19:4-9). This act confirms the city's utter wickedness and sealing its fate.

The angels, who had taken refuge in Lot's house, then reveal their true mission to Lot: to destroy Sodom due to its grievous sin (Gen 19:12-13). They instruct Lot to gather any family members he has in the city and lead them out to safety. Lot's response is immediate; he goes out to warn his daughters' prospective husbands. Historically, in the ancient Near East, betrothal was a serious commitment, almost legally binding, where a future husband was often referred to as "son-in-law" even before the final marriage ceremony. This context highlights the close family ties Lot sought to protect, even within a morally corrupt society. The refusal of these "sons-in-law" to believe Lot's warning directly precedes the angelic command to Lot, his wife, and two remaining daughters to flee without delay.

Genesis 19 14 Word analysis

• So Lot went out: Lot's prompt action, despite his prior wavering in the face of the Sodomite mob (Gen 19:6-8), reflects his partial obedience and belief in the angels' urgent message. His effort to save others suggests his ingrained, albeit sometimes flawed, righteousness (2 Pet 2:7).

• and spoke: A direct and verbal warning, indicating a clear attempt to communicate the gravity of the situation. It was not a subtle hint but an explicit declaration.

• to his sons-in-law: Hebrew: חֲתָנָיו (ḥatanāw). This term generally refers to men married to one's daughters or those formally engaged. The fact that they are called "sons-in-law" strongly implies betrothal. Their inclusion indicates Lot's desperate desire to save all who were connected to his immediate family. This also indicates the societal norms of the time where extended family often resided close or were tightly bound.

• who were to marry his daughters: This clarification in some translations emphasizes the strong, almost binding, nature of the betrothal, indicating they were "as good as" married. This deepens the tragedy of their disbelief and reinforces their responsibility in rejecting the warning, as they were intimately linked to Lot's family.

• and said, 'Get up, get out of this place': An urgent, imperative command. "Get up" (קוּמוּ - qûmû) signifies immediate action and a breaking from their current state of repose or indifference. "Get out" (צֵאוּ - tsēʾû) is a command to evacuate, underscoring the necessity of physical removal from the dangerous location. The message conveys extreme urgency and an existential threat.

• 'for the LORD will destroy this city!': The declaration of the divine agent behind the impending catastrophe. Lot explicitly attributes the destruction to "the LORD" (יהוה - Yahweh), indicating he understood the holy, just nature of the judgment, not merely a natural disaster. This is a divine fiat, not a prediction of possible events.

• But he seemed to his sons-in-law as one who jests: Hebrew: מְצַחֵק (məṣaḥeq). This verb implies "to laugh," "to mock," "to joke," or "to trifle with." It carries a sense of scorn and disbelief. The same root (ṣ-ḥ-q) is used for Sarah laughing inwardly at the impossibility of conceiving in Gen 18:12 and also for Isaac’s name (Yitzchak – He will laugh). Here, it highlights a profound spiritual blindness and hardened skepticism. They did not just doubt; they dismissed his solemn warning as a ludicrous fabrication, utterly failing to grasp the reality of divine judgment. This reaction is emblematic of those who, because they do not see immediate evidence, scoff at divine pronouncements, treating the sacred with contempt.

Genesis 19 14 Bonus section

The interpretation of Lot's "sons-in-law" as specifically betrothed, rather than already married and having left Lot's household, is significant. If they were fully married, they would likely be living in their own homes, separate from Lot's. Their presence, implied by Lot going "out" to them within the city, suggests a binding engagement, underscoring the deep family connections Lot sought to save and, by extension, the devastating personal loss he would endure when they rejected the warning. This specific family relationship intensifies the tragedy, showing that even intimate ties are insufficient to save those who remain stubbornly entrenched in unbelief against divine truth. This foreshadows a pattern seen throughout biblical history where close relatives or communities disregard divine warnings to their peril. The scoffers were not strangers, but those bound by affection, yet spiritual reality surpassed natural affection.

Genesis 19 14 Commentary

Genesis 19:14 paints a stark picture of the collision between divine truth and human unbelief. Lot, acting as God's messenger in this dire hour, faithfully delivers the angels' warning, embodying a profound concern for his family's welfare. His urgent plea to "get up, get out" reveals the true character of imminent divine judgment – it is swift, absolute, and demands immediate response. However, the tragic irony is that his "sons-in-law," members of his extended family, utterly dismiss his words. Their scoffing reaction, interpreting Lot's warning as a "jest," reflects a prevalent mindset in a fallen world: a casual disregard for serious spiritual warnings, often born of ingrained worldliness, spiritual complacency, or a disbelief in supernatural intervention. Their refusal was not mere skepticism, but outright ridicule, a willful blindness to divine reality that sealed their doom. This highlights a crucial theological truth: divine grace offers a path to escape, but it is met with profound contempt by those whose minds are hardened by sin and pride. This verse underscores the immense difficulty of convincing the unconvinced and the grave consequences of spiritual apathy and mocking unbelief in the face of revealed divine judgment.