17:29a

But on the day Lot left Sodom: This clause refers to the time when the destruction in 17:29b happened. God waited until Lot had left Sodom before he punished the other people in Sodom. This is similar to how he waited until Noah entered the ark before he punished the other people with a flood. Some English versions imply this by emphasizing the word day. For example:

on the very day (Contemporary English Version)

Notice that 17:27c mentions the “day” that Noah entered the ark. Notice also that 17:31a has the word “day” to refer to the time when the Son of Man comes. Consider whether you can use the same word in your translation.

Lot left Sodom: Sodom was the name of the town where Lot and the other people who were mentioned in 17:28 lived. Jesus’ disciples knew the story about Lot, so he did not need to tell them the details. For some languages it may be necessary to make it explicit that Sodom was the town where Lot and these people lived. For example:

Lot left ⌊his/their town of⌋ Sodom

17:29b

fire and sulfur rained down from heaven: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rained down is the verb that describes normal rain. Here it is used as a figure of speech. It is an interesting way to describe how the fire and sulfur came from the sky. Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Use a simile. For example:

fire and sulfur fell like rain from heaven
-or-
the sky rained fire and sulfur
-or-
it rained fire and sulfur out of the sky

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

fire and sulfur fell from heaven
-or-
fire and sulfur poured/dropped from the sky

sulfur: The word sulfur refers to a yellow mineral that burns easily and produces harmful fumes. Some English versions have the word “brimstone,” which came from an old word that meant “burning stone.” If people in your area do not know about sulfur, you can use a descriptive phrase. For example:

flaming stones
-or-
burning rocks

from heaven: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heaven means “sky.” However, the context makes it clear that God caused the fire and burning stones to fall. Another way to translate this is:

⌊God caused⌋ fire and burning stones to rain/come down from the sky

See heaven in the Glossary.

and destroyed them all: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as them all means “all ones” or “all ⌊people⌋.” The Contemporary English Version has another possible translation:

and killed everyone (Contemporary English Version)

However, this word refers to the people who remained behind in the town of Sodom. The fire and sulfur did not kill Lot. So you may need to translate this as:

and destroyed/killed all ⌊the others⌋

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