Topical Bible: Women: The Daughters of Lot, in Their Incestuous Lust

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The account of Lot's daughters is a sobering narrative found in the Book of Genesis, specifically in Genesis 19:30-38. This account unfolds after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot and his two daughters find refuge in a cave in the mountains. The daughters, believing they are the last people on earth and that their family line must be preserved, resort to desperate measures.

Context and Background

Lot, the nephew of Abraham, had settled in the city of Sodom, a place notorious for its wickedness. Despite the city's moral depravity, Lot and his family were spared from its destruction due to divine intervention. The angels who visited Lot warned him to flee with his family to avoid the impending judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:12-13). Lot's wife, however, looked back and became a pillar of salt, leaving Lot and his daughters to escape alone (Genesis 19:26).

The Act of Incest

After fleeing to the mountains, Lot and his daughters lived in a cave. The daughters, isolated and without prospects for marriage, feared the extinction of their family line. In their misguided reasoning, they decided to intoxicate their father with wine and lie with him to conceive children. The elder daughter proposed the plan, saying, "Let us get our father drunk with wine, so that we can sleep with him and preserve his line" (Genesis 19:32).

On consecutive nights, each daughter executed the plan, resulting in both becoming pregnant by their father. The elder daughter bore a son named Moab, who became the ancestor of the Moabites, while the younger daughter bore a son named Ben-Ammi, the progenitor of the Ammonites (Genesis 19:37-38).

Moral and Theological Implications

The actions of Lot's daughters are often viewed through the lens of desperation and a lack of faith. Their decision to engage in incestuous relations with their father reflects a failure to trust in God's provision and timing. Instead of seeking divine guidance or waiting for God's intervention, they took matters into their own hands, leading to morally reprehensible actions.

The narrative serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of acting out of fear and faithlessness. It highlights the dangers of allowing cultural and situational pressures to override moral and spiritual convictions. The daughters' actions resulted in the birth of two nations, the Moabites and the Ammonites, who would later become adversaries of Israel, further complicating the historical and spiritual landscape of the region.

Legacy and Lessons

The account of Lot's daughters is a reminder of the complexities of human nature and the far-reaching consequences of sin. It underscores the importance of faith and reliance on God's promises, even in dire circumstances. The narrative also illustrates the pervasive influence of the surrounding culture, as Lot's daughters, having been raised in Sodom, may have been influenced by its moral decay.

In the broader biblical context, the account of Lot's daughters serves as a backdrop to the unfolding account of redemption. Despite the sinful origins of the Moabites and Ammonites, God's grace is evident in the inclusion of Ruth, a Moabite woman, in the lineage of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). This demonstrates that God's redemptive plan can transcend human sinfulness and bring about His purposes in unexpected ways.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 19:31-38
And the firstborn said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth:
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Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... is said in the Song of Songs, "O thou fairest among women," [846] kings ... Knowing that
their father would condemn their design, Lot's daughters thought it ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

Abraham, his Trial in Egypt; his Humility
... Garments, men and women not to dress in each ... Laity, their prayers and assent required
at ordinations, [1004]365 ... of heavenly wisdom, [1025]308; his lot and the ...
/.../abraham his trial in egypt.htm

Beginning at Jerusalem. --Luke xxiv. 47.
... coming in, Behold me, all you that are men and women of a ... Here is Adam, the destroyer
of the world; here is Lot, that lay with both his daughters; here is ...
/.../bunyan/jerusalem sinner saved/beginning at jerusalem luke xxiv 47.htm

The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
... Item, I saved Lot from the guilt and damnation that he had ... Behold me, all you that
are men and women of a ... more than many that have not sinned half their sins. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the jerusalem sinner saved.htm

Against Jovinianus.
... does not extend his indulgence to those women who, although ... a place prepared in heaven
for sons and daughters. Their type is [4322] Ebed-melech the eunuch in ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/against jovinianus.htm