It ties to Bronze Age practices where raping men was a way to humiliate them. Probably common practice with defeated captives in war.
The point of both the story in Genesis and Judges here is that you must treat visitors with respect. Absolutely critical message in a pre modern society. That’s why Paris kidnapping Helen was such a big deal - you don’t spit in the eyes of your host like that. Hospitality is critical.
The message of Sodom and Gomorrah is about hospitality.
It’s paralleled by a fucked up story later in Judges, where a man receives a visitor and similar is harangued by a crowd of people wanting to rape them. He instead offers up his concubine, who is raped to death. He mutilates her body and sends it all around Israel to shame them.
It ties to Bronze Age practices where raping men was a way to humiliate them. Probably common practice with defeated captives in war.
The point of both the story in Genesis and Judges here is that you must treat visitors with respect. Absolutely critical message in a pre modern society. That’s why Paris kidnapping Helen was such a big deal - you don’t spit in the eyes of your host like that. Hospitality is critical.