Genesis 19:17

Escape for thy life.

These words indicate the imminence and dreadful character of the danger. Utter destruction awaits all in the wicked city. There is no escape but in flight. The storm of destruction would sweep over the whole plain, and there would be no safety anywhere within its borders. All within its borders shall be consumed, and it was needful to flee to the mountain for refuge.

Look not behind thee.

To look behind implies lingering and longing to be back. They were commanded to flee from Sodom as. pest, as. very center of destruction, to flee as we would flee from. powder magazine which the fire was about to explode. Safety was before, in speed, in seeking. refuge, while danger and death were behind, in immediate prospect. There could be no lingering, and yet safety secured.

Escape to the mountain.

The mountains of Moab, east of the plain of the Jordan, wild, rugged, and almost unknown even to this day. The plain was doomed to destruction, and hence Lot was directed to seek. refuge among the mountain peaks. The mountain chain of Moab, east of the Jordan is one of the most striking features of Palestine.