Lot

Biblical Account

Lot is a figure in Genesis. He was the son of Haran, who was the son of Terah, and the nephew of Abraham (Genesis 11:27). After his father's early death, he left Ur of the Chaldees with his grandfather Terah. From Haran he then went to Canaan with Abram (Abraham's original name) (Genesis 12:4-5).

• Dividing the land: When their livestock multiplied and their herdsmen quarreled, Abram let Lot choose land first. Lot chose the well-watered plain of the Jordan and moved his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13).
• Capture and rescue: During a war waged by several kings, he was taken captive from Sodom, but Abram recovered him (Genesis 14).
• The destruction of Sodom: Lot received two angels as guests. When the men of Sodom gathered at his house, he offered them his two daughters in place of his guests. Urged on by the angels, he fled with his family to Zoar, but his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:1-26).
• His daughters and descendants: In a cave, his two daughters made their father drunk with wine and bore sons by him. These sons became the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites (Genesis 19:30-38).

Significance Within Scripture

Genesis explains Lot's rescue by stating that "God remembered Abraham" (Genesis 19:29), thereby linking Lot's deliverance to Abraham's intercession for Sodom (Genesis 18). Deuteronomy 2:9, 19 records that the lands of Moab and Ammon were given to "the children of Lot." The Moabite woman Ruth became an ancestor of David (Ruth 4:17).

In the New Testament, Jesus compared the day when the Son of man is revealed to "the days of Lot" and said, "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:28-32). 2 Peter 2:7 calls him "just Lot," who was vexed while living among the wicked.

Interpretation and Debates

• "Just Lot": In Genesis, Lot often appears hesitant and willing to compromise. Some therefore read this description as referring to a weak man whom God nonetheless counted righteous, while others read it as an assessment of Lot's inner distress over sin.
• Offering his daughters: Some interpreters explain the act in light of the ancient custom of hospitality, which obligated a host to protect his guests. Many others, however, regard it as a clear wrong on Lot's part. The text itself does not directly evaluate the act.
• The sin of Sodom: Traditionally, the sin of Sodom has been understood as sexual sin, particularly homosexual acts, with Jude 1:7 cited in support. Other interpretations emphasize the violence directed at the guests, as well as the pride and neglect of the poor described in Ezekiel 16:49. This discussion is connected to the question of homosexuality and the church.
• Extrabiblical stories: The Bible gives neither the name of Lot's wife nor the reason she looked back. The explanation that she "still longed for her possessions and for Sodom" is an interpretation. Later Jewish tradition supplies a name for her, and stories also identify a salt formation near the Dead Sea as Lot's wife. Neither is part of the biblical record.

In the Korean Church

In Sunday school, Lot is frequently taught through the accounts of Abraham and Lot dividing the land and of the destruction of Sodom. Sermons often contrast Lot, who "lifted up his eyes" and chose the attractive land (Genesis 13:10), with Abraham, who followed God's promise. The words "Remember Lot's wife" are commonly quoted in sermons warning against lingering attachment to the world.