Verse

Genesis 19:9

ESV But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down.
NIV Get out of our way,' they replied. 'This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them.' They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
NASB But they said, 'Get out of the way!' They also said, 'This one came in as a foreigner, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them!' So they pressed hard against Lot and moved forward to break the door.
CSB "Get out of the way! " they said, adding, "This one came here as an alien, but he's acting like a judge! Now we'll do more harm to you than to them." They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door.
NLT Stand back!' they shouted. 'This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!' And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door.
KJV And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

What does Genesis 19:9 mean?

In every age, those who stand for what is right in the path of those who would do evil, even imperfectly, risk becoming a target of wrath themselves. Lot has done all he can to protect two travelers staying with him from the men of his city who want to attack and rape them. He has even offered his own two virgin daughters in trade. Whether this offer was made in earnest, or simply as a way of exaggerating the evil the men of Sodom planned to commit, it's a disturbing turn in the story.

Now the men of Sodom make it clear they will not be turned away. In fact, they are offended by Lot's moralizing. How dare an immigrant judge their moral choices by telling them what they can and cannot do to strangers! Enraged, the mob moves in on Lot, threatening to do worse than they had planned for the two visitors, which was rape (Genesis 19:5–7). The crowd of men from Sodom attempts to break his door down to get to the two strangers inside Lot's house.

Fortunately for Lot and his family, the men inside his house are not mere men. Their actions demonstrate God's grace, contrasting with Abraham's fears in chapter 18. God will rescue Lot, and his family, despite their foolishness.
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