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:
The house. On removing to the plain, Lot intended at first to live in his tent, apart from the people. But he was gradually drawn in to dwell in the city, because he and his family were connected with the citizens by marriage ties.
Men of Sodom, compassed the house - appalling proofs are here given of their abominable wickedness, which has been previously alluded to (cf. Genesis 13:13; Genesis 18:20). It has been objected, that an exaggerated account is here given of the depravity of the Sodomites, while no similar outrage is described as having been made by the inhabitants of the other cities. But it is well answered by Havernick, that 'we have here pars pro toto: Sodom, as the chief of those cities, embraces them also. Further, that their criminal conduct is by no means a fiction is shown by the history in Judges 19:1-30, where we meet with the same thing in the case of the Benjamities, who had adopted those enormities of lewdness from the Canaanites (cf. Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:23); and from the historical knowledge we otherwise possess of the Canaanites, we have abundant confirmation of the crime being naturalized among them, so that it need not surprise us to see it make its appearance here.' The extraordinary fertility of the plain, which supplied the people with overflowing abundance, led to idleness and luxury, and these, together with the tropical heat of the climate, superinduced habits of voluptuousness, extending to indulgence in the grossest vices (Ezekiel 16:49-50).