Genesis 19:7 — Word Study
WLCוַיֹּאמַ֑ר אַל־ נָ֥א אַחַ֖י תָּרֵֽעוּ׃
BSAPleasenâʼ [I pray you, my friends] my brothersʼâch [close relatives, friends] he pleadedʼâmar▸ [said, spoke] don’tʼal [do not, I beseech you] do such a wicked thingrâʻaʻ▸ [evil, bad, act, deed]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמַ֑ר | and he said | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| אַל־ | may not | Particle |
| נָ֥א | please | Particle |
| אַחַ֖י | O brothers my | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| תָּרֵֽעוּ׃ | you do evil | Verb, Hiphil, imperfect second person masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing! |
| KJV | And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. |
| ASV | And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. |
| YLT | and saith, 'Do not, I pray you, my brethren, do evil; |
| WEB | He said, “Please, my brothers, don’t act so wickedly. |
| BBE | And he said, My brothers, do not this evil. |
Where they part company is תָּרֵֽעוּ — see How Translations Differ.
The structure features one main clause with several subordinate phrases that articulate Lot's urgent plea.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbאָמַר
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Genesis 19:7
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Lot's Plea in Sodomgenerated
Genesis 19:7 occurs during a critical moment when Lot confronts the men of Sodom, who are intent on committing acts of wickedness against his guests. Lot's desperate appeal reveals the moral decay of Sodom and his protective instincts for those under his roof. This passage is part of a larger narrative that illustrates the impending judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah due to their grievous sins, as seen in Genesis 19:4.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 19:4 | Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. |
| 2 | Leviticus 18:22 | You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination. |
| 3 | Leviticus 20:13 | If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. |
| 4 | Deuteronomy 23:17 | No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute. |
| 5 | Judges 19:23 | The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תָּרֵֽעוּ, ta.Re.'ugenerated
The verb תָּרֵֽעוּ (ta.Re.'u) is in the Hiphil form, indicating a causative action, meaning 'you do evil' or 'you cause harm.' It reflects a moral wrongdoing that can be both physical and ethical in nature.
This verb is rooted in the idea of breaking or shattering, suggesting actions that lead to destruction or moral failure. The parsing as imperfect second person masculine plural indicates that Lot is addressing a group, imploring them not to engage in harmful behavior.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb is וַיֹּאמַ֑ר (vai.yo.Mar), and he said, which governs the entire plea. The structure is straightforward, with Lot's speech comprising several phrases that express his urgent request.
The word order places emphasis on Lot's plea, as he first addresses his brothers before imploring them not to commit an evil act.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וַיֹּאמַ֑ר as εἶπεν (eipen), meaning 'he said.' This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the directness of Lot's speech.
The Greek word for תָּרֵֽעוּ is not directly provided, indicating a potential interpretative shift in the translation process, focusing on the broader moral implications rather than the specific action.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 19:7 shows Lot pleading with the men of Sodom not to commit a wicked act. He addresses them as brothers, asking them to refrain from wrongdoing, highlighting the moral crisis in Sodom.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Lot is imploring the men of Sodom not to commit acts of violence or immorality against his guests.
Lot uses 'my brothers' to appeal to their kinship and shared community, hoping to persuade them to act with decency.
Lot's plea illustrates the moral decay of Sodom and his desperate attempt to protect his guests from harm.
This verse is part of the account leading to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, showcasing the extreme wickedness that prompted divine intervention.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What are some ways we can stand up against wrongdoing in our communities, as Lot did?
- How can we better understand the moral implications of our actions and words?
- In what situations might we find ourselves needing to plead for righteousness?
- What does this passage teach us about the importance of community and kinship in moral decisions?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 19:7 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd said, I pray you, brethren,.... Not by family or nation, for the Sodomites were of the race of Ham, in the line of Canaan, and Lot was a descendant of Shem, in the line of Arphaxad; nor by
Read John Gill on Genesis 19 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, Lot went out at the door unto them.
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 19 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThey were brethren by community of nature and habitation; see 29:4 ; and so he calls them, if possibly he might sweeten and restrain them.
Read Matthew Poole on Genesis 19 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 19:7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.Ver. 7. Do not so wickedly.] They were the first that fell into this foul sin, and were therefore worthily hanged up in gibbets by God for a terror to others; and besides, they "suffer the vengeance of eternal fire". The Pope pretends to be Christ’ s vicar, and presumes to assume the title of Holiness. But how far he is from expressing God to the world appears by his, if not committing, yet conniving at, this detestable sin of sodomy … God hath delivered up these Papagans (as he did those Pagans, Romans 1:24) to reprobate sense, to vile affections, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves, for that they have worshipped…
Read John Trapp on Genesis 19 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
“Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!
He said, “Please, my brothers, don’t act so wickedly.
“Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!
He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly!
Tyndale line
And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
And said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
Strictly literal
and said, I pray you, my brethren, do not wickedly!
and saith, 'Do not, I pray you, my brethren, do evil;
and says, “Please, my brothers, do not do evil;
And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not act wickedly.
He said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
From the Latin
Do not so, I beseech you, my brethren, do not commit this evil.
Simplified
“My friends, please don't do such an evil thing!
And he said, My brothers, do not this evil.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אַל־ נָ֥א אַחַ֖י תָּרֵֽעוּ׃, which is largely consistent with the Samaritan Pentateuch, differing only in the form of תָּרֵֽעוּ as תריעו. The Septuagint matches three of the five words from the Masoretic Text, but its overall structure diverges.
וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אַל־ נָ֥א אַחַ֖י תָּרֵֽעוּ׃
3 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויאמר אל נא אחי תריעו
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: תריעו (be evil)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Genesis 19:7
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
Say
Say in the heart (= think)
Promise
Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
base
H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say
. Say in the heart (= think)
. Promise
. Command (esp. late)
. be said, told
. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
. act proudly, boast
559 'amar aw-mar'
a primitive root; to say (used with great
latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,
certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),
commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,
publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),
utter, X verily, X yet.
אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.
1) to say, speak, utter
1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch
Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.
אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
base
H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
408 'al al
a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified
negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,
nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing
(worth), rather than.
see HEBREW for 03808
אַל (al) — not.
1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)
1a) do not, let not (with a verb)
1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)
1c) not, no (with substantive)
1d) nothing (as substantive)
Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)
Part — ParticleHTn
נָא (na') is a Hebrew particle used primarily for entreaty or exhortation, meaning 'I pray,' 'now,' or 'please.' It often appears attached to verbs in the imperative or future forms, and can also modify interjections, adverbs, or conjunctions. The entries consistently emphasize its role in expressing a plea or request.
נָא part. of entreaty or exhortation, I (we) pray, now (enclitic)
base
H4994 נָא I (we) pray, now (enclitic)
4994 na' naw
a primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may
usually be rendered: "I pray," "now," or "then"; added mostly
to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections,
occasionally to an adverb or conjunction:--I beseech (pray)
thee (you), go to, now, oh.
נָא (na) — please.
1) I (we) pray, now, please
1a) used in entreaty or exhortation
Part — ParticleHTj
אָח (ach) means 'brother' and encompasses a broad range of relationships, including literal siblings, half-brothers, and metaphorical kinship. It can refer to any male relative or compatriot, and it may also imply resemblance or reciprocal relationships. The term is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, highlighting both familial and figurative connections.
אָח 630 n.m. brother
brother, born of same mother (& father)
indef. = relative
fig. of resemblance
in phr. one … another
base
H251 אָח brother
251 'ach awkh
a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of
literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance
(like 1)):--another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other.
Compare also the proper names beginning with "Ah-" or "Ahi-".
see HEBREW for 01
אָח (ach) — brother: male-sibling.
: male-sibling
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
אָח (ach) — brother: male-relative.
: male-relative
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
אָח (ach) — brother: compatriot.
: compatriot
1) brother
1a) brother of same parents
1b) half-brother (same father)
1c) relative, kinship, same tribe
1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship)
1e) (fig.) of resemblance
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bs
רָעַע (ra`a`) is a Hebrew verb with meanings related to being evil or breaking. It encompasses a range of concepts from moral wickedness to physical shattering. The entries indicate that it can refer to causing harm or injury, as well as being displeasing or sad. There is a notable distinction in the lexicons regarding its use in ethical contexts versus physical breaking.
[רָעַע] 98 vb. denom. be evil, bad
Qal
be displeasing
be sad
be injurious, evil
be evil, wicked, ethically
Niph. suffer hurt
Hiph. 70
do an injury, hurt
do evil, wickedly
base
[רָעַע] vb. break
Qal
trans. can one break iron, iron out of the north ?
intrans. break = be broken
Hithpō‛. the earth is broken asunder
base
H7489a רָעַע vb. denom. be evil, bad H7489b רָעַע break
7489 ra`a` raw-ah'
a primitive root; properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking
to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing,
i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally):--afflict,
associate selves (by mistake for 7462), break (down, in
pieces), + displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat,
man), show self friendly (by mistake for 7462), do harm, (do)
hurt, (behave self, deal) ill, X indeed, do mischief, punish,
still, vex, (do) wicked (doer, -ly), be (deal, do) worse.
see HEBREW for 07462
see HEBREW for 07462
רָעַע (ra.a) — be evil.
1) to be bad, be evil
1a)(Qal)
1a1) to be displeasing
1a2) to be sad
1a3) to be injurious, be evil
1a4) to be wicked, be evil (ethically)
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to do an injury or hurt
1b2) to do evil or wickedly
1b3) mischief (participle)
רָעַע (ra.a) — to shatter.
1) to break, shatter
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to break
1a2) broken (participle)
1a3) to be broken
1b) (Hithpolel) to be broken, be broken in pieces, be broken asunder
V-Hiphil-Imperf-2mp — Verb · Hiphil · imperfect second person masculine pluralHVhi2mp
ev'-'-l, e'-vil ra`; poneros, @kakos, @kakon:
In the Bible it is represented as moral and physical. We choose to discuss the subject under these heads. Many of the evils that come upon men have not been intended by those who suffer for them. Disease, individual and national calamity, drought, scarcity of food, may not always be charged to the account of intentional wrong. Many times the innocent suffer with, and even for, the guilty. In such cases, only physical evil is apparent. Even when the suffering has been occasioned by sin or dereliction of duty, whether the wrong is active or passive, many, perhaps the majority of those who are injured, are not accountable in any way for the ills which come upon them. Neither is God the author of moral evil. "God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man" (Jas 1:13).
→ APPEARANCE OF, TO BE AVOIDED Ro 14:1-23; 1Co 8:7-13; 10:28-33; 1Th 4:11,12; 5:22
→ INSTANCES OF
Paul, in refusing to eat what had been offered to idols 1Co 8:13
In supporting himself 1Co 9:7-23