ויבאו שני המלאכים סדומה בערב, even though they arrived at that city without “time” having elapsed since they departed from Avraham, (compare Berachot 4 the angel Gavriel needing two steps, and the angel Michael only one step) they remained outside the city gates, invisible, not entering and appearing to Lot until evening. The same is true of 18,22 וילכו סדומה. Avraham had concluded his dialogue with G’d already some time previously.

ויקם לקראתם, in order to prevent them from spending the night in the street. This was customary also in cities other than Sodom when no one had offered shelter to unexpected strangers. In such instances there was always the danger that the strangers would be harmed by some of the residents of the city.

וישתחו אפים ארצה, they clearly looked sufficiently imposing to warrant being treated deferentially.

A feast. Literally, “a drinking feast.” Lot offered them wine because he was fond of it himself.

אוציאה נא אתהן אליכן, he hoped that the fiancés of his daughters would come to their aid. (compare Hoseah 10,14 for the meaning of the author’s expression קאם שאון).

גש הלאה, “away from the door so that we can break it down;”

האחד בא לגור, “is there even a single man who can be audacious enough to get away with this?”

They wearied themselves. They continued searching for the door even after they were stricken with blindness.

וילאו למצוא הפתח, even though they had already been smitten with blindness they did not therefore desist from their wicked intention. This is in line with the psychological insight of our sages in Eyruvin 19 that the wicked will not become penitents even when they stand at the gates of hell. [the Nazis persisting in the “final solution,” even while already defeated by the Russsians are the best example of this insight we know of. Ed.]

ויצא לוט, after they had given up and they had dispersed.

ויאיצו, in order that their destruction should take place at the very moment the sun, their great god, would come forth. (compare Berachot 7)

For Ad-noy had pity. Even though Lot was originally spared in Avraham’s merit, he would have been killed for tarrying if Hashem had not had pity on him.

אל תביט אחריך, the evil would catch up with you as soon as you interrupt your march away from it. This is precisely what happened to his wife when she ignored the instructions and looked behind. (verse 26)

מאת ה' מן השמים, this was not a natural event such as a volcanic eruption, the ash, brimstone and lava afterwards descending on the surrounding earth. The source of this destruction did not originate in the bowels of the earth.

ויהפוך, the earth as well as its inhabitants underwent a total chemical transformation being turned into brimstone and fire, similar to what David means in Psalms 105,29 “He turned their waters into blood.” The dew that rose from the earth prior to sunrise turned into salt. Compare Deut. 29,22 גפרית ומלח שרפה כל ארצה, meaning that the moisture descended back onto earth but this time mixed with solid burned particles.

אל המקום אשר עמד שם את פני ה, to the place to which he had accompanied the angels. This is where the punishing hand of G’d had first appeared to him. Since he had not been able to save the inhabitants of Sodom legally, he prepared to intercede for them by asking G’d s mercy for them.

וישקף, a hostile kind of looking, motivated by their excess wickedness.

קיטור הארץ, when he saw the smoke he realised that it was too late to pray on behalf of these people.

מתוך ההפכה בהפוך את הערים, seeing that he had escaped by the merit of Avraham from the destruction of these cites, a process which had begun even before Lot had been outside the outer perimeters of the valley due to his laziness. (compare verse 16) As a result, he was afraid to settle in Tzoar thinking that its destruction had been delayed only on account of his having taken refuge there.

וישב בהר, because he thought that the entire valley would be destroyed, excluding the surrounding mountains.

ותקרא שמו מואב...ותקרא שמו בן עמי. They called the names of their children thus to show the world that the father was not someone who was an unworthy, sinful person. [from the point of view of Jewish law as it pertains to gentiles, a father may sleep with his daughter. Ed.]

הוא אבי מואב...הוא אבי בני עמון, the ones who would in a short while inherit large parts of what would eventually be part of the land of Israel on the east bank of the Jordan river. Seeing that the intentions of both daughters in sleeping with their father had been honourable, they were rewarded with founding two nations, both from the same father. (Nazir 23) In a certain sense they had become heirs of Avraham to whom all the Canaanite lands had been promised. This reflects the statement in Proverbs 3,6 בכל דרכיך דעהו, “know (try to emulate) G’d in all your undertakings;” (even when involving an apparent sin. [based on Berachot 63. Ed.]