Do remember that the story of sodom and gomorrah, when the sodomites said, "Before they could lie down, the men of the city, surrounded the house. They kept calling out to Lot and saying to him: 'Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intercourse with them."
I don't know that this is a proper or correct translation.... they wanted them to come out so that they could 'know' (yâda‛) them:
H3045
ידע
yâda‛
yaw-dah'
A primitive root; to know (properly to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively instruction, designation, punishment, etc.): - acknowledge, acquaintance (-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware,
[un-] awares, can [-not], certainly, for a certainty, comprehend, consider, X could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel, can have, be [ig-] norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause to, let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have [knowledge], (be, make, make to be, make self) known, + be learned, + lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, X prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell, understand, have [understanding], X will be, wist, wit, wot.[/list:u]
They did not know who these men were. It does not say that they wanted to have "intercourse" with them; this seems to have been inferred by readers/translators, due to what the sins of Sodom are percieved to have been (and the fact that Lot offered his daughters to the men instead).
Blessings,
Chrissie