Комментарий к Берешит 19:16

ויתמהמה BUT HE LINGERED in order to save his property.

AND THE MEN LAID HOLD UPON HIS HAND. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the word vayachziku (and they laid hold upon) clearly shows that Lot was afraid and had no strength to flee. The correct interpretation of the word is that it is like the verse, ‘Vatechezak’ (And) the Egyptians (were urgent) upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste.²³⁷Exodus 12:33. Here likewise they were pulling them with strength to send them out in haste.

For Ad-noy had pity. Even though Lot was originally spared in Avraham’s merit, he would have been killed for tarrying if Hashem had not had pity on him.

ויחזיקו האנשים בידו. The men took hold of his hand. Although only one of them was charged with saving Lot, the other one could not proceed with his task pending Lot's rescue. Perhaps we should see in Raphael the principal agent of Lot's rescue; in that case the fact that Gabriel assisted (by taking Lot by his hand) is not viewed as his performing an additional task. This is especially so because Gabriel helped Lot only in order to be able to carry out his assignment of destroying the city (seeing he did not have permission to do so while Lot was within its borders).

ויתמהמה, Lot was still hesitant, apparently being loath to leave his wealth behind in the city. The angels therefore delayed until dawn, at which time they did not allow him time to save anything but his very life and the clothes he was wearing, even though, initially, they had asked him what else he owned in the city, implying that this too would be saved. (compare verse 12)

ויחזיקו האנשים בידו, “the men took hold of his hand, etc.” The plural mode of ויחזיקו is puzzling, seeing that only one of the angels had been charged with saving Lot, the other having been assigned the duty to bring about the destruction. Perhaps the involvement of the second angel in saving Lot was inevitable seeing that he was unable to commence with his task until Lot was clear of the city. In other words, saving Lot was part of the process of the destruction of Sodom. Interestingly, the Torah reverts to the use of the singular mode for the angel’s activities as soon as Lot was clear of the city. Compare verse 17 כהוציאם, ”when he had taken them out.” Seeing that Lot himself was not so clear about which angel had which function to perform, [they had said: “we are about to destroy,’ Ed.] he addressed the two angels in the plural mode when asking not to be made to climb the mountain to get himself into safety. Compare אליהם in verse 18, and “adonay” instead of “adoni.” On the other hand, seeing that one angel had proven to be the one who had saved him, he reverted to use of the singular mode when saying ותגדל חסדך, “your (sing.) kindness has been great.” (verse 19). Seeing that originally the angels had used the plural mode about their task, i.e. הנני משחיתים, the angel whose task it was to carry out the destruction, now responds to Lot saying that he could not begin his real task until Lot had reached safety.

And he tarried It is written in the Sefer Mikhlol, at the end of the section on verb grammar, that the latter mem has a qamaṣ on account of the shalsheleth cantillation, becuase it follows the rule of pausals. And it is masoretically recorded about this that "there are seven cantillation marks of the Thundering and Pausing" [translator's note: meaning, the cantillation mark shalsheleth appears seven times in the Tanakh, namely here, Genesis 24:12, Genesis 39:8, Leviticus 8:23, Isaiah 13:8, Amos 1:2, and Ezra 5:15] . And thus I saw handwritten in some books. But "If he tarries, wait for him" (Habakkuk 2:3) has a pathaḥ on the second mem.

To salvage his possessions. This is as Rashi explains on the next verse, regarding “Escape for your life.”

(16-17) ויתמהמה, von מהה, der Wurzel von מַה, was, das Unentschiedene, Unbestimmte. התמהמה eigentlich: in Unentschiedenheit zögern. Es ist nichts Geringes, Kinder und Enkel so dem Verderben zu überlassen. —

ויוציאה, “they took him outside;” there is a letter ו missing before letter ה, to hint that only one angel, i.e. ויוציא, singular, the angel Gavriel, had been charged with the task of saving Lot.

Lot could see that the angels didn't want to do anything until he left the city.  He thought that since the decree of destruction did not fall upon him, he would be able to withhold the destruction from entering the city (of Sodom) by not leaving it. 

ויחזיקו AND THE MEN LAID HOLD [UPON HIS HAND]— One of these was commissioned to rescue him whilst his fellow was to overthrow Sodom; that is why it is stated (v. 17) “And he said, escape”, and it is not stated “And they said” (Genesis Rabbah 50:11).

ויחזיקו האנשים בידו וביד אשתו וביד שתי בנותיו, in order to ensure that they could escape with their lives. Here the angels are referred to as “the men,” seeing that they acted like ordinary men, taking Lot and family by their hands, as if they themselves were physical beings.

ויחזיקו האנשים, according to Ibn Ezra these words prove that Lot had become immobilized from fright and that the angels had to help him to get moving. Nachmanides explains the verse as similar to Exodus 12,33 when the Egyptians urging the Israelites to get out of Egypt without delay, are described by the words ותחזק מצרים על העם למהר לשלחם. No doubt, the Egyptians did not literally take the Israelites by their hands and escorted them to the border.

In the mercy of The beth is plosive.

THE ETERNAL HAVING PITY UPON HIM. Not for Lot’s merit but only because of G-d’s pity and His abundant mercies. It may be that the verse is saying that they seized him to take them out while G-d’s pity was still upon him, lest the wrath go forth from G-d²³⁸See Numbers 17:11. and he perish.

חמל ,בחמלת ד׳, verwandt mit אמל ,עמל, also: eine schmerzliche innere Regung, bezeichnet in der Regel ein, meist unverdientes, oder doch jedenfalls ein solches Erbarmen, das nur aus Mitleid entsteht. Auch Lot verdiente kaum die Rettung. Wäre er selbst in Sodom geboren gewesen, er hätte es längst verlassen müssen; so aber hatte er, von materieller Rücksicht verlockt, sich mutwillig ins Verderben gejagt. Er wird auch gestraft. Alles, was er mitgebracht, und was ihn dorthin verlockt, muß er zurücklassen. Nicht gehen, flüchten muss er aus dem Weichbild der Stadt, das Verderben eilt hinter ihm her. Nicht umsehen darf er sich: was er zurücklässt, hätte er nie besitzen sollen, und seine Kinder verliert er nicht erst jetzt, die hat er in dem Augenblick bereits dem Verderben geopfert, als er —"um sie ihr Glück machen zu lassen" — seine Töchter an Männer von Sodom berheiratet und seine Söhne zu Bürgern von Sodom heranwachsen ließ, als er zu seinen Kindern sich also gestellt, dass er in der Stunde der Gefahr es nicht einmal wagen darf mit ihnen zu reden, ohne ausgelacht zu werden. — —

He, therefore, delayed a bit because he thought that the people of Sodom would repent and not be destroyed.

בחמלת ה' עליו, they hastened to take Lot out of the city for the sake of Avraham even though the time had arrived when the destruction was to take place.

בחמלת ה' עליו, “out of G’d’s pity on him.” Not because he had merits that would have entitled him to be saved. Alternately, the use of the word חמלה, “pity,” is to justify the angels grabbing him by the hand before G’d’s pity had expired and he would become a victim together with his townspeople.

ויצאהו וינחהו, Lot, his wife, and his daughters.