The Meaning of Genesis 19:11 Explained

Genesis 19:11

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.

YLT: and the men who are at the opening of the house they have smitten with blindness, from small even unto great, and they weary themselves to find the opening.

Darby: And they smote the men that were at the entrance of the house with blindness, from the smallest to the greatest; and they wearied themselves to find the entrance.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Genesis 19:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 19:1-11 - Angels With Lot In Sodom
This chapter withdraws the veil from the ministry of angels. The Lord of Angels stayed with Abraham on the heights. He also, in future ages, was to descend into human Sodoms to seek and save the lost, but at present He delegated this work to angels until the fullness of the time was come. The visit of the angels was due to Abraham's prayer. How often do angels speed to our dear ones for whom we have prayed! To that ship laboring in the storm, to that deep, dark forest, to that new settlement, into the slums of that wicked city! Two references in the Gospels to this scene show how carefully it was being watched by the pure and holy eyes of the Son of man. In Matthew 11:23-24, it seems as though He knew well those streets, and would gladly have passed through them, healing and saving. In Luke 17:28 He adds some further particulars of the careless unconcern of those who would not heed the warnings implied in the story of Genesis 14:1-24. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 19

1  Lot entertains two angels
4  The vicious Sodomites are smitten with blindness
12  Lot is warned, and in vain warns his sons-in-law
15  He is directed to flee to the mountains, but obtains leave to go into Zoar
24  Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed
26  Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt
29  Lot dwells in a cave
31  The incestuous origin of Moab and Ammon

What do the individual words in Genesis 19:11 mean?

And the men who [were] at the doorway of the house they struck with blindness from small and to great so that they wearied to find the door
וְֽאֶת־ הָאֲנָשִׁ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־ פֶּ֣תַח הַבַּ֗יִת הִכּוּ֙ בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֔ים מִקָּטֹ֖ן וְעַד־ גָּד֑וֹל וַיִּלְא֖וּ לִמְצֹ֥א הַפָּֽתַח

הָאֲנָשִׁ֞ים  the  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אֲשֶׁר־  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
פֶּ֣תַח  at  the  doorway 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּתַח  
Sense: opening, doorway, entrance.
הַבַּ֗יִת  of  the  house 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הִכּוּ֙  they  struck 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֔ים  with  blindness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סַנְוֵרִים  
Sense: sudden blindness.
מִקָּטֹ֖ן  from  small 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: קָטָן 
Sense: young, small, insignificant, unimportant.
וְעַד־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
גָּד֑וֹל  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וַיִּלְא֖וּ  so  that  they  wearied 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: לָאָה  
Sense: to be weary, be impatient, be grieved, be offended.
לִמְצֹ֥א  to  find 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
הַפָּֽתַח  the  door 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּתַח  
Sense: opening, doorway, entrance.