Genesis 19:13

Genesis 19:13

For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

a. NLT: For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the LORD, and he has sent us to destroy it.”

b. NIV: because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORDagainst its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

c. YLT: for we are destroying this place, for their cry hath been great beforethe face of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth send us to destroy it.'

d. Amplified Bible: For we will spoil and destroy [Sodom]; for the outcry and shriek against its people has grown great before the Lord, and He has sent us to destroy it.

e. Septuagint: For we are going to destroy this place; for their cry has been raised up before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: for we are about to destroy this place; for their outcry has become great before HASHEM, so HASHEM has sent us to destroy it.”

1. “For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD…”

a. For we [587 * ‘anachnuw] [Strong: apparently from 595; we:--ourselves, us, we.]

b. destroy [Compound Hebrew word made up of two Hebrew words][7843 * shachath] [Strong: a primitive root; to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively):--batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, X utterly, waste(-r).] [853 * ‘eth] [Strong: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).]

c. this place [4725 * maqowm] [Strong: from 6965; properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind):--country, X home, X open, place, room, space, X whither(-soever).]

d. the cry of them [6818 * tsa’aqah] [Strong: from 6817; a shriek:--cry(-ing).] [Gesenius: cry, outcry, outcry (against)]

1). When the LORD sent these angels on their fact finding mission it was to determine if the they were worthy of destruction.

a). Genesis 18:20, 21 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

b). It is obvious the homosexual behavior of the city that the angels witnessed confirmed “the cry”. Granted, homosexuality was not the only sin that Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain were guilty of, but there is enough Scripture in the Bible to come to the doctrinally sound conclusion that the homosexual behavior of these cities was the main reason God decided to destroy them.

2). According to Blue Letter Bible this Hebrew word is used 21 times in the Old Testament. In most of those instances it is used as “a cry” or “an outcry”. There is also an example of crying out against something and that is found in Nehemiah.

a). Nehemiah 5:1 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

3). This has to be the meaning of the word here. The cry of Sodom was an outcry of rebellion against the Lord. In the book of Isaiah we get a closer look at the cry.

a). Isaiah 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

b).  The Hebrew word translated “declare” is “nagad”, the Strong’s number is 5046 and it means,  to front, i.e. stand boldly out opposite; by implication (causatively), to manifest; figuratively, to announce (always by word of mouth to one present); specifically, to expose, predict, explain, praise:--bewray, X certainly, certify, declare(-ing), denounce, expound, X fully, messenger, plainly, profess, rehearse, report, shew (forth), speak, X surely, tell, utter.

Remember that the context is sin so the various definitions fit right in with the NIV use of the word “parade”. To boldly stand out (in their sin) of homosexuality, to announce (their sin) of homosexuality by word of mouth, to proclaim (their sin) of homosexuality, to celebrate (their sin) of homosexuality with praise”, are all very revealing. This was the outcry of Sodom against God.

e. waxen great [1431 * gadal] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to twist (Compare 1434), i.e. to be (causatively make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor, also in pride):--advance, boast, bring up, exceed, excellent, be(-come, do, give, make, wax), great(-er, come to...estate, + things), grow(up),increase, lift up, magnify(-ifical), be much set by, nourish (up), pass, promote, proudly (spoken), tower.] Gesenius: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things, to grow up, to become great, to be magnified, to cause to grow, to make great, powerful, to magnify, to be brought up, to make great, to magnify, to do great things, to magnify oneself.]

1). Looking at the many applications of this word it always means to get bigger, more powerful, richer, grow up physically and in the sense of its use in this verse, to grow more wicked in their cry of rebellion. Sodom continued to get worse and worse, this is what this word means. Cultures do not become wicked overnight, it takes time to degenerate, to go from one level of corruption to another. From the time of the cutting of the Covenant in Genesis 15 till Israel entered the land of Canaan was 430 years. When the Lord told Abraham about Israel entering Cannan he said in Genesis 15:16 that “in the fourth generation they would come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” In other words the culture of Canaan would become more and more corrupt and of course it did and Israel conqured them. In our own culture as the knowledge of God is being force out of our governmental and educational and other institutions we are becoming more corrupt.  In regards to homosexuality, in a little more than 4 decades we have gone from homosexual conduct being constitutionally illegal in all 50 states to being a constitutionally legal conduct in all 50 states. Which in one sense is an example of America’s outcry against God waxing great.

f. before [854 * ‘eth] [Strong:  probably from 579; properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.:--against, among, before, by, for, from, in(-to), (out) of, with. Often with another prepositional prefix.]

g. face [6440 * ] [Strong:  plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh {paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time), against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of), + beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), + honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, + meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on, open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street, X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s) past, (un-)to(-ward), + upon, upside (+ down), with(- in, + -stand), X ye, X you.]

h. of the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong:  from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

2. “…and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.”

a. the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong:  from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

b. hath sent [7971 * shalach] [Strong: a primitive root; to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications):--X any wise, appoint, bring (on the way), cast (away, out), conduct, X earnestly, forsake, give (up), grow long, lay, leave, let depart (down, go, loose), push away, put (away, forth, in, out), reach forth, send (away, forth, out), set, shoot (forth, out), sow, spread, stretch forth (out).]

c. to destroy [7843 * ] [Strong: a primitive root; to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively):--batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, X utterly, waste(-r).]