Another interpretation (of Gen. 19:24): AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE FROM THE LORD OUT OF THE HEAVENS . What is the meaning of FROM THE LORD? It says (in Exod. 16:4): BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN DOWN BREAD FROM THE HEAVENS FOR YOU, while here (in Gen. 19:24) it says: AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE FROM THE LORD . R. Berekhyah said: To what is the matter comparable?⁷⁰. (Buber), Exod. 4:20. To a king who was standing at a baker's oven. When his friend came in to him, he took out a piece of hot bread and gave it to him. When his enemy came in to him, he took up burning coals and gave them to him. So it is with the Holy One. When Israel came unto the desert, he brought down bread from the heavens for them, as stated (in Exod. 16:4): BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN DOWN BREAD FROM THE HEAVENS FOR YOU. But when the Sodomites came to the point of transgressions, he brought down fire from the heavens for them, as stated (in Gen. 19:24): AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE FROM THE LORD OUT OF THE HEAVENS . What is the meaning of AND THE LORD? That he sat over them with the authority of a court⁷¹. of seventy-one,⁷². 1:5. found them guilty, and brought down fire upon them. So they went forth to an execution by burning, as stated (in Gen. 19:24): FIRE FROM THE LORD. In a similar way you say on the matter at hand : AND THE LORD… FROM THE LORD.⁷³ If someone comes to ask you about what is written in this verse: AND THE LORD … FROM THE LORD, say to him: There are similar cases of redundancy in other verses. (I Kings 1:33:) AND {HE} [THE KING] SAID {UNTO HIS SERVANTS} [TO THEM]: TAKE WITH YOU THE SLAVES OF YOUR LORD. It was only necessary to say: "My servants." And where is an example found in the Torah? (In Gen. 4:23:) AND LAMECH SAID TO HIS WIVES: ADAH AND ZILLAH, HEAR MY VOICE; O WIVES OF LAMECH. It was only necessary to say: "My wives." So much for the Torah, but where is an example found in the Writings? Where it is stated (in Esth. 8:8): FOR A WRITING WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE KING'S NAME AND SEALED WITH THE KING'S SEAL. It was only necessary to say: "With my seal." So also here (in Gen. 19:24): AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN … FROM THE LORD.

footnotes: ⁷⁰ Cf. Gen. R. 51:2; Tanh ⁷¹ Gk.: synedrion ⁷² The AND implies that it was THE LORD plus a Great Sanhedrin with seventy-one members, the proper court for trying an apostate town. See Sanh ⁷³ The first LORD has to do with the court trial, and the second concerns the punishment.