בראשית, פרק י״ט, פסוק ב׳

A nighttime encounter in a deeply corrupt city presents a lonely man with a complex dilemma. On one hand, anyone who dares to host strangers faces life-threatening danger; on the other, the deep-seated tradition of hospitality absorbed from his uncle's home still beats within him. Addressing the visitors respectfully as ordinary, distinguished travelers [רד״ק, מנחת שי, נתינה לגר], Lot pleads with them to accept his shelter. He suggests that since their paths have crossed at this very moment, he is at their service [רש״י, גור אריה, שפתי חכמים]. He also urgently hints that now is the time to be vigilant against the city's wicked inhabitants [מזרחי]. Knowing that visitors in Sodom are routinely left to sleep in the streets, Lot surprises them with a dangerous offer of refuge [רש״ר הירש, העמק דבר].

This invitation, however, is not a standard welcome but a tactical maneuver. The primary approach among commentators is that Lot instructs his guests to deviate from the main roads and take winding side paths, ensuring they are not seen entering his home by the townspeople [רש״י, מזרחי, מלבי״ם, בכור שור, ביאור יש״ר]. His hospitality is notably more cautious and modest than his uncle's, offering only shelter and a place to freshen up without explicitly promising a meal [ביאור שטיינזלץ, רד״ק].

A key element of Lot's survival strategy is his insistence that the guests lodge first and wash their feet later. Most commentators explain that he wanted the dust of the road to remain visible on their feet. If the locals broke in, Lot could point to the dust as proof that the men had just arrived, protecting himself from accusations of secretly harboring them for days [רש״י, חזקוני, צאינה וראינה, מלבי״ם]. A more favorable view suggests Lot knew they came from Abraham's home and assumed they were already spiritually cleansed of the dust of idolatry, making immediate washing unnecessary [חתם סופר]. To further ensure their safety, Lot urges the men to depart at the break of dawn, before the townspeople can gather to harm them [רמב״ן, שד״ל, חזקוני, טור הארוך], though he may have also simply assumed they were hurried travelers and offered them an early start without forcing them to stay [רד״ק, העמק דבר].

The visitors respond to this cautious offer with a firm, almost angry rejection [העמק דבר]. While one does not refuse a great man like Abraham, Lot is considered a simpler person, allowing the visitors the liberty to decline his hospitality initially [רש״י, רד״ק, צאינה וראינה, משכיל לדוד]. They declare their intention to sleep outside in the open [רשב״ם, רש״י]. This refusal stems from several possible motives: a desire to test if anyone else in the city would offer shelter [ביאור יש״ר], a hope that their public vulnerability might inspire the locals to repent [חזקוני, צאינה וראינה], a reluctance to violate the city's strict laws against hospitality [מלבי״ם], or a fearless demonstration of their role as God's messengers, ready to confront whatever the locals might attempt [בכור שור]. An alternative perspective suggests their mention of the open street is actually a subtle hint that they would rather return to Abraham's home, which is famously open to all like a public thoroughfare [פענח רזא].