Genesis 19:13
because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."
Who are doing the outcry? They are the righteous ones, correct?
Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this communityGenesis 19:13
because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."
Who are doing the outcry? They are the righteous ones, correct?
The idea of the outcry of/against Sodom and Gomorrah occurs in two places with different verbs:
The meaning of צַעֲקָה and זַעַק are very similar and mean an outcry signifying a shriek of distress and cry for help, or cry of shock abhorrence. Keep in mind the kind of despicable place these were as evidenced by the unabashed evil of the rapist mob who wanted to molest the Lot's two visitors (Gen 19:4, 5).
The source of such an outcry could be any of the following:
Since we are not told, my suggestion is a combination of all the above except the third. The Cambridge commentary has a helpful suggestion in it remarks on Gen 18:20:
the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah] See Genesis 19:13. (1) Either, this is the complaint concerning Sodom and Gomorrah going up to Heaven. The genitive “of” is then objective, like “the report of Tyre” (Isaiah 23:5), “the spoil of thine enemies” (Deuteronomy 20:14). (2) Or, it is the cry by the cities, which are personified, and which make their loud complaint against the inhabitants. The genitive then is subjective. See Genesis 4:10.