Genesis 19:3

3 And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him and entered into his house; and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Genesis 19:3 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 19:3

And he pressed them greatly
He prayed, he entreated, he persuaded, he made use of a multitude of words, and of all the arguments he could think of, to prevail upon them; and might not only press them with words, but make use of gestures, as taking them by the hand, or by their clothes, and as it were forcing them into his house, whereby it plainly appeared he was cordial and hearty in his invitation:

and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house:
went along with him to it, and instead of proceeding forward, or continuing where they were, or steering their course to a street in the city, they turned in to Lot's house:

and he made them a feast;
a large, liberal, and generous entertainment, as Abraham did, consisting of a variety of eatables and drinkables; indeed it has its name only from drinking, wine being a principal part of a banquet:

and did bake unleavened bread;
not because it was the time of the passover, as Jarchi suggests, for as yet that was not instituted; but for quicker dispatch, that his guests might have their supper the sooner, and get to bed the earlier, and rest themselves; bread without leaven in it being sooner baked than that which is made with it:

and they did eat;
the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem are,

``they seemed as if they ate.''

(See Gill on Genesis 18:8);

Genesis 19:3 In-Context

1 And there came two angels to Sodom at evening, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2 and he said, "Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early and go on your ways." And they said, "Nay, but we will remain in the street all night."
3 And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him and entered into his house; and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom -- both young and old, all the people from every quarter --compassed the house around.
5 And they called unto Lot and said unto him, "Where are the men who came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them."
Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.