The Meaning of Genesis 19:8 Explained

Genesis 19:8

KJV: Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

YLT: lo, I pray you, I have two daughters, who have not known any one; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do to them as is good in your eyes; only to these men do not anything, for therefore have they come in within the shadow of my roof.'

Darby: Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man: let me now bring them out to you; and do to them as is good in your sight: only, to these men do nothing; for therefore have they come under the shadow of my roof.

ASV: Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing, forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold now, I have two  daughters  which have not known  man;  let me, I pray you, bring them out  unto you, and do  ye to them as [is] good  in your eyes:  only unto these  men  do  nothing;  for therefore came  they under the shadow  of my roof. 

What does Genesis 19:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 19:1-11 - Angels With Lot In Sodom
This chapter withdraws the veil from the ministry of angels. The Lord of Angels stayed with Abraham on the heights. He also, in future ages, was to descend into human Sodoms to seek and save the lost, but at present He delegated this work to angels until the fullness of the time was come. The visit of the angels was due to Abraham's prayer. How often do angels speed to our dear ones for whom we have prayed! To that ship laboring in the storm, to that deep, dark forest, to that new settlement, into the slums of that wicked city! Two references in the Gospels to this scene show how carefully it was being watched by the pure and holy eyes of the Son of man. In Matthew 11:23-24, it seems as though He knew well those streets, and would gladly have passed through them, healing and saving. In Luke 17:28 He adds some further particulars of the careless unconcern of those who would not heed the warnings implied in the story of Genesis 14:1-24. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 19

1  Lot entertains two angels
4  The vicious Sodomites are smitten with blindness
12  Lot is warned, and in vain warns his sons-in-law
15  He is directed to flee to the mountains, but obtains leave to go into Zoar
24  Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed
26  Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt
29  Lot dwells in a cave
31  The incestuous origin of Moab and Ammon

What do the individual words in Genesis 19:8 mean?

Behold now I have two daughters who not have known a man let me bring out please them to you and you may do to them according to what [is] good in your eyes only to men these not do anything for upon thus they have come under the shadow of my roof
הִנֵּה־ נָ֨א לִ֜י שְׁתֵּ֣י בָנ֗וֹת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־ יָדְעוּ֙ אִ֔ישׁ אוֹצִֽיאָה־ נָּ֤א אֶתְהֶן֙ אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם וַעֲשׂ֣וּ לָהֶ֔ן כַּטּ֖וֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֑ם רַ֠ק לָֽאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הָאֵל֙ אַל־ תַּעֲשׂ֣וּ דָבָ֔ר כִּֽי־ עַל־ כֵּ֥ן בָּ֖אוּ בְּצֵ֥ל קֹרָתִֽי

הִנֵּה־  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
נָ֨א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
לִ֜י  I  have 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
שְׁתֵּ֣י  two 
Parse: Number, fdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
בָנ֗וֹת  daughters 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
יָדְעוּ֙  have  known 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
אִ֔ישׁ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אוֹצִֽיאָה־  let  me  bring  out 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
נָּ֤א  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וַעֲשׂ֣וּ  and  you  may  do 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָהֶ֔ן  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine plural
כַּטּ֖וֹב  according  to  what  [is]  good 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֑ם  in  your  eyes 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc, second person masculine plural
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
רַ֠ק  only 
Parse: Adverb
Root: רַק  
Sense: only, altogether, surely.
לָֽאֲנָשִׁ֤ים  to  men 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָאֵל֙  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵל  
Sense: these, those.
דָבָ֔ר  anything 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כֵּ֥ן  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
בָּ֖אוּ  they  have  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בְּצֵ֥ל  under  the  shadow 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צֵל  
Sense: shadow, shade.
קֹרָתִֽי  of  my  roof 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: קֹורָה  
Sense: rafter, beam.