42 | Genesis 19:30
out of the ca tas tro phe that over threw the cit ies where Lot had lived.
Lot and His Daughters
30
Lot and his two daugh ters left Zoar and set tled in the moun tains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daugh ters lived in a cave. 31 One day the old er daugh ter said to the youn ger,“ Our fa ther is old, and there is no man around here to give us chil dren— as is the cus tom all over the earth. 32 Let’ s get our fa ther to drink wine and then sleep with him and pre serve our fam i ly line through our fa ther.”
33
That night they got their fa ther to drink wine, and the old er daugh ter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
34
The next day the old er daugh ter said to the youn ger,“ Last night I slept with my fa ther. Let’ s get him to drink wine again to night, and you go in and sleep with him so we can pre serve our fam i ly line through our fa ther.” 35 So they got their fa ther to drink wine that night also, and the youn ger daugh ter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
36
So both of Lot’ s daugh ters be came preg nant by their fa ther. 37 The old er daugh ter had a son,
19:30 – 38 Lot’ s daughters, worried about their ability to find men to give them offspring, get their father drunk and have sexual relations with him( vv. 32 – 35). Both women get pregnant and have sons. Their sons produce the Moabites and Ammonites( vv. 37 – 38); both of these groups are given special protection after the Israelites leave Egypt( Dt 2:9,19). This episode of incest concludes the story of Lot. See the people diagram“ Lot’ s Family Tree” below.
19:32 preserve our family line through our father While it is possible( Ge 19:31) that the women believed there were no more men left in their region after the cataclysm, the emphasis on Lot’ s lineage suggests that they believed there were no more relatives left to continue the family line. The absence of a blood heir was akin to being erased from history in an ancient Near Eastern culture. While this does not in any way excuse the incestuous behavior, it helps explain their desperation.
Lot ' s Family Tree
Nahor
Terah
Abraham Sarah Nahor Haran
Wife Lot Daughter Daughter Milkah Iskah
Moab Ben-Ammi
Moabites Ammonites