Lot
Lot, Abraham's nephew, chose the fertile Jordan plain and settled near the notoriously wicked city of Sodom after the two men parted ways. When divine judgment fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, angels urged Lot and his family to flee; he escaped with his daughters, though his wife became a pillar of salt after looking back. The narrative in Genesis 19 illustrates both the peril of compromising with evil and God's willingness to spare the righteous amid widespread destruction. Lot's subsequent descendants through his daughters founded the Moabite and Ammonite nations, giving the episode lasting significance in Israel's history and prophetic literature.
Biography
- Father
- Haran
- Spouse
- Unnamed wife
- Children
- Moab, Ben-Ammi
- Era
- Patriarchs
- Nationality
- Hebrew
Family
Did You Know?
Although often remembered for his association with Sodom, Lot was actually taken captive during a regional war involving four kings against five, and was rescued by his uncle Abraham in a nighttime raid.
Upon settling in Sodom, Lot sat at the city gate, a position typically reserved for elders and officials responsible for legal matters and hospitality to strangers.
When the men of Sodom demanded his guests, Lot offered his two virgin daughters instead, illustrating the extreme emphasis on hospitality in ancient Near Eastern culture that superseded even family protection.
Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt not merely for looking back but while fleeing the destruction, and the event is referenced by Jesus as a warning against longing for the past.
After escaping to a cave, Lot's daughters, believing they were the last humans, plied him with wine to conceive children, resulting in the birth of Moab and Ben-Ammi, ancestors of Israel's future rivals the Moabites and Ammonites.
Key Passages
Lot Separates from Abraham
Genesis 13:5-13
This passage shows how our choices, especially separating from godly companions, can draw us toward blessing or toward trouble.
5nd Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
Rescue from Sodom
Genesis 19:1-29
This passage reveals God's mercy in rescuing Lot from judgment, reminding us to heed His warnings and choose righteousness amid surrounding evil.
1nd there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;