v. 4. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter;
v. 5. and they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us that we may know them. The evening meal having been eaten, the people of Lot's household, together with their guests, were about to retire for the night, when they were rudely disturbed. Emphasis is laid upon the fact that all the people, even down to the last man, took part in this shameless demand, openly stating that they wanted to abuse the guests of Lot in a violation of nature which was one of the greatest curses of heathenism, the sin of pederasty. All the men of Sodom were guilty of this lustful abomination, of this demonic error. Cf Rom_1:27.
v. 6. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
v. 7. and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. This was the consequence of Lot's having settled in the midst of a godless and wicked people. Lot, having gone out and locked the door behind him in order to protect his guests, confronted a mob that had gone crazy with unnatural lust. His plea, in which he addressed them as brethren and begged them not to act in such a wicked manner, fell on deaf ears.
v. 8. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes; only unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. So sacred were the persons and the lives of his guests in the eyes of Lot that he was willing to set aside even his fatherly feeling and duty and to sacrifice his daughters to the lust of the brutes out in the street, if the latter would but be satisfied. As for the guests, he reminds the mob of the duty of hospitality; for it was in order to be sheltered against danger and wickedness that they had entered his house. To try to hinder a sin by committing sin can never be excused, and the fact of Lot's offer may be accounted for only by the fact of his extreme consternation.
v. 9. And they said, Stand back, that is, stand aside, make room for us to enter. 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. Their coarse objection is that this single man, the one that had come and was living as a stranger among them with their permission, now was passing a verdict upon their behavior, as he had undoubtedly done often before, 2Pe_2:7-8. Crazed with lust, they now pressed forward to kill Lot and then to carry out their intention upon his guests. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. It was a moment of the greatest danger.
v. 10. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
v. 11. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door. The angels interfered when the danger was at its height. With a quick movement they drew Lot into the house and locked the door. And the members of the crazed mob were stricken with blindness; they were deprived of their sight and, at the same time, confused in their minds. Although they continued their efforts to find the door which led through the arched entrance into the interior of the house, they were unable to do so, and finally grew tired and desisted. This incident proved to the angels that all the inhabitants of Sodom were steeped in the vices which cried to heaven, for Sodomitic lewdness cries to heaven, as the sinners of our days will also find out to their eternal sorrow. And let us not forget that there is a sin which is even worse than that of the Sodomites, namely, that of rejecting Christ, His Word, and His grace, Mat_11:24.