Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 19:15 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 15. 15And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
At dawn the messengers urgently tell Lot to take his wife and the two daughters present with him so they will not be swept away in the city's punishment. The window for departure has become immediate.
Mercy that pulls a delaying household out
This verse is one part of that explanation in Genesis 19:12–23. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Genesis 19:12–23
Read verses 14–17. Relatives have dismissed the warning; dawn brings urgent commands; Lot delays; the messengers then lead the four people outside and tell them to keep moving.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Dawn turns warning into urgent movement and identifies the four people present for immediate escape.
Read Genesis 19:15–17 together
Why these verses belong together: Dawn urgency, Lot's delay, compassionate hand-taking, and the command to continue fleeing form one rescue movement.
Verse 15. 15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
Verse 16. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
Verse 17. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Follow the Context
- The messengers tell Lot to bring his relatives and anyone belonging to him out because the city's outcry is great and the LORD sent them to destroy it (19:12–13).
- Lot warns his sons-in-law, but they regard him as joking or mocking (19:14).
- At dawn the messengers hurry Lot, his wife, and his two present daughters; when he delays, they take all four by the hand because of the LORD's compassion and place them outside the city (19:15–16).
- Outside, Lot is ordered to flee for his life without looking back or stopping in the plain and to escape to the mountain (19:17).
- Lot appeals to the one addressing him, acknowledges favor and covenant kindness, fears the mountain, and asks to flee to a nearby small city (19:18–20).
- The request is accepted: the city will not be overthrown, Lot must hurry because action waits for his arrival, the city is called Zoar, and Lot enters it after sunrise (19:21–23).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“the angels hastened Lot”
In plain language: The messengers pressed Lot to move quickly.
Dawn marks the final opportunity to leave before judgment.
Why it matters: The warning now requires immediate embodied action.
How certain? very strong“lest thou be consumed in the iniquity”
In plain language: Lest you be swept away in the punishment connected with the city.
Remaining in the place exposes the household to the coming overthrow.
Why it matters: The command distinguishes escape from a claim of moral perfection.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
'Daughters which are here' does not prove that Lot had no other children or identify the complete household.
The warning does not say that Lot's wife and daughters shared the mob's precise guilt or were morally perfect.
Emergency urgency does not authorize manufacturing crises to control people.
What Remains True
When a real danger becomes immediate, clear instructions and timely movement matter.
How It Can Shape Life
- In an emergency, identify who is physically present, state the destination, gather essential needs quickly, and follow qualified evacuation or safeguarding instructions.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 19:15's contribution to Genesis 19:12–23. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Genesis 19:12–23 — The Messengers Pull Lot's Household Out to ZoarSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, warning, household, delay, compassion, escape, Zoar request, arrival, and canonical reception.
Exact location: Genesis 19:12–23 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 18:20–33; 19:1–11, 24–29; Luke 17:28–33; 2 Peter 2:6–9
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Household categories, sons-in-law ambiguity, rejected warning, daughters present, swept away, delay, compassion, escape, speaker address, steadfast kindness, disaster, small-city wordplay, and granted request.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 19:12–23; lemmas and syntax for chatan, laqach, tsachaq, matsa, safah, mahah, chemlah, malat, adonai, chesed, ra, mits'ar, nasa panim, and tso'ar
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Family and marriage wording, mocked, iniquity or punishment, compassion, speaker ambiguity, favor, disaster, smallness, accepted face, Zoar, and timing.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 19:12–23 and translator notes attached to the unit
Open NET Genesis 19 ↗