And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.
Parallel translations
- WEB They struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
- KJV 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.
- BSB And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
- NKJV And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
- NASB Then they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, from the small to the great, so that they became weary of trying to find the doorway.
- NLT Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The angels strike the mob with blindness so they cannot find the door.
Overview
This supernatural judgment halts the assault and exposes the men's relentless wickedness, as they grope on rather than repent. Their persistence even when struck blind reveals incorrigible hearts. The act previews the comprehensive judgment soon to fall on Sodom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Kgs 6:18When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” He struck them with blindness according to Elishah’s word.
- Acts 13:11Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a season!” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him. He went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
- Deut 28:28–29Yahweh will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with astonishment of heart.
- Jer 2:36Why do you go about so much to change your ways? You will be ashamed of Egypt also, as you were ashamed of Assyria.
- Isa 57:10You were wearied with the length of your ways; yet you didn’t say, ‘It is in vain.’ You found a reviving of your strength; therefore you weren’t faint.
- Eccl 10:15The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 19:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.