The men of Sodom attempted to sexually violate the two angels who visited Lot, revealing the depth of their depravity and the violent, immoral culture that had overtaken the city. This act was not merely about lust, but about domination, humiliation, and a complete rejection of God’s design.
“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’”
(Genesis 19:4–5)
The phrase “know them carnally” is a clear reference to sexual intent. The Hebrew word for “know” (yada) can mean simple knowledge, but in this context, it refers to sexual relations. The demand of “all the people from every quarter” shows this was not a small group but a city-wide depravity.
Lot’s response reveals the gravity of the threat:
“Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!”
(Genesis 19:7)
In a desperate and misguided attempt to protect his guests, Lot even offered his own daughters:
“See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
(Genesis 19:8)
This shocking offer underscores how sacred hospitality was in ancient culture, but it also reveals how distorted Lot’s moral compass had become living in Sodom.
The men of Sodom were not merely guilty of sexual immorality: they were violent, arrogant, and inhospitable. Ezekiel confirms this in God’s own indictment:
“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness… and they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.”
(Ezekiel 16:49–50)
The “abomination” refers to the extreme sexual perversion described in Genesis 19. Jude also comments on their sin:
“As Sodom and Gomorrah… having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
(Jude 1:7)
The attempt to assault angels disguised as men was the final proof of Sodom’s corruption. God’s judgment was not hasty or unjust, it was the righteous response to a people wholly given over to wickedness.
