Genesis 19:4-8

"But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters that 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, forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof."

"All ... from every quarter ..." The wickedness of Sodom was the contamination, not merely of a few, but of the total population.

"Bring them out unto us ..." Why had the presence of these two strangers issued in such a general and widespread demand? The tradition mentioned by Josephus is probably correct: "The Sodomites saw the young men to be of beautiful countenances, and that to a remarkable degree."[8]

"That we may know them ..." This is a euphemism for homosexual intercourse. "This is the carnal sin of pederasty, a crime very prevalent among the Canaanites,"[9] and also the unfailing characteristic of paganism.

"I pray you, my brethren ..." Not only did Lot sit in the gate of Sodom, indicating his participation in the affairs of the city, and entitling him to recognition as one of the city fathers, but here he refers to these lust-blinded sinners as "my brethren!" His uncle having recently rescued the whole city from plundering by the eastern invaders, and having restored their king to his throne, Lot was evidently enjoying a certain degree of popularity in Sodom, but oil will not mix with water. The events of the dark night proved that Lot did not belong in Sodom. As is always the case, any respect or popularity that sinful men may give to the followers of the Lord is always tentative and uncertain and sure to disappear on the slightest pretext.

"I have two daughters ..." Lot was most reprehensible in this heartless offer to sacrifice his daughters to the lust of such a mob as had gathered at his door. His pleading the obligations of hospitality as an excuse for so doing was stupid, weak, and sinful. What he would have done was to avoid one sin by committing a greater one. Clearly, his "righteousness" must be understood in a relative sense only.