Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Peter 2:7

"and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked" — 2 Peter 2:7 (ASV)

In the midst of God’s judgment of the cities of the plain, he delivered Lot, whom Peter calls “righteous.” This is puzzling because in Genesis Lot is hardly notable for his righteousness. He seems worldly and weak and had to be dragged out of Sodom (Genesis 19:16). Yet Abraham’s intercession in Ge 18:16–33 may imply that Lot was righteous. Furthermore, Peter may have inferred Lot’s righteousness from his deliverance from the destruction of Sodom and from his being “tormented” and “distressed by the filthy lives” of his fellow citizens. The contemporary application is plain. To what extent are Christians who are living today in a godless society “tormented” by what they see?