Lot's Daughters

Biblical Account

The two daughters of Lot appear only in Genesis 19. Scripture does not record their names, referring to them only as "the firstborn" and "the younger."

• In Sodom: When the men of Sodom demand that Lot hand over the guests staying in his house, Lot offers them instead his "two daughters which have not known man" (Genesis 19:8). When Lot warns them that the city will be destroyed, the sons-in-law who were to marry his daughters take his words as a joke: "he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law" (Genesis 19:14).
• The escape: When Lot lingers, the angels take Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and bring them outside the city (Genesis 19:15-16). In this way the two daughters survive the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their mother looks back and becomes a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).
• In the cave: Afraid to remain in Zoar, Lot lives with his two daughters in a cave in the mountains. The firstborn says that their father is old and that there is no man in the land to marry them. On two successive nights the daughters make their father drink wine and lie with him. The text records that Lot "perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose" (Genesis 19:30-36).
• Descendants: The firstborn bears a son and calls his name Moab; he becomes the father of the Moabites. The younger bears Ben-ammi, who becomes the father of the Ammonites (Genesis 19:37-38).

Significance Within the Bible

The narrative explains the origins of Moab and Ammon, Israel's neighboring peoples. Deuteronomy 2:9, 19 states that God gave the lands of these two peoples "unto the children of Lot" and therefore forbids Israel to take their land. Deuteronomy 23:3 stipulates that "an Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD."

The Moabite woman Ruth became the great-grandmother of David, and her name appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5. Naamah, the mother of Rehoboam, was an Ammonitess (1 Kings 14:21). The New Testament does not mention Lot's daughters directly. Luke 17:28-32 speaks of "the days of Lot" and of Lot's wife, and 2 Peter 2:7-8 calls him "just Lot."

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The text's evaluation: The text neither explicitly commends nor condemns the daughters' actions. Many Protestant commentaries and sermons read the scene as showing the influence that Sodom's corrupt environment had on the family, or as a consequence of drunkenness.
• The daughters' motives: Some Jewish interpreters, including Josephus, are reported to have explained that the daughters believed all humanity had perished and sought to preserve the human line. Other interpreters, however, hold that the elder daughter's words mean only that there was no suitable husband in "this land."
• Reading as an ethnic origin story: Some scholars read the passage as a story reflecting an Israelite perspective that disparaged the origins of Moab and Ammon. They also cite wordplay in the names as support for this reading: "Moab" sounds like "from father," and "Ben-ammi" like "son of my people."
• Lot's responsibility: Opinions are divided over Lot's offer of his daughters in Genesis 19:8. Some explain it in light of the ancient custom that placed great weight on hospitality toward guests, while others regard it as a moral failure on the father's part.
• Material not found in the text: Later literature preserves traditions that assign names to the daughters, but those names do not appear in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, Lot's daughters are mentioned chiefly in connection with the destruction of Sodom and the tragedy of Lot's household. They are often used as a cautionary example of the consequences of a faith tainted by worldly culture. The genealogy leading to Ruth and David is also cited to illustrate the grace of God, who works even through shameful origins. In Sunday school, teaching centers on the escape from Sodom, and the cave scene is generally not treated in detail.