What is the meaning of Genesis 19:13?

because we are about to destroy this place

• The two angels reveal the urgency of God’s judgment; no more delay (Genesis 19:17, 24–25).

• Destruction is not arbitrary—it is the righteous response to persistent wickedness (2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7).

• This warning shows God’s mercy: Lot and his family still have time to flee (compare Exodus 12:12–13, where judgment passes over the obedient).

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for the outcry to the LORD

• Scripture often pictures sin’s victims “crying out” for justice—God hears (Genesis 4:10; Genesis 18:20–21).

• The “outcry” underscores God’s attentiveness to suffering; He is never indifferent (Exodus 3:7; Psalm 34:15–17).

• Evil may be widespread, but the Lord listens to each cry and responds in perfect timing (Revelation 6:10).

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against its people is so great

• Sodom’s sin was corporate and deeply entrenched (Ezekiel 16:49–50; Isaiah 3:9).

• “So great” highlights fullness—no room left for repentance, unlike Nineveh in Jonah 3.

• God’s patience has limits; when wickedness matures, judgment follows (Romans 1:26–28; James 5:4).

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that He has sent us to destroy it

• Angels are God’s commissioned messengers and agents (Psalm 103:20; Hebrews 1:14).

• Divine judgment is deliberate: “He has sent us” shows authority behind the act (Daniel 4:17).

• This historical event foreshadows future, final judgment on unrepentant societies (Luke 17:28–29; 2 Peter 3:7–10).

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summary

Genesis 19:13 reveals a moment when God’s patience has expired. The angels announce imminent destruction because Sodom’s wickedness has produced a deafening cry for justice. The verse affirms: God hears, measures evil accurately, sends His messengers, and acts decisively. Those who heed His warning, like Lot, find deliverance; those who ignore it, like Sodom, face certain judgment.