Genesis 19:36-38
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The verse highlights a crucial, often overlooked aspect of this tragic event: the daughters conceived. This isn't just about the act itself but its immediate, devastating consequence. Their desperate attempt to preserve their father's lineage, born of extreme circumstances and poor choices, resulted in perpetuating the very lineage and perhaps the trauma they sought to escape, but through a deeply disordered means.
Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After fleeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters took refuge in a cave on a mountain. Believing themselves to be the only survivors on Earth, the daughters devised a plan to preserve their family line, leading them to take advantage of Lot's intoxication on consecutive nights. This resulted in both daughters conceiving sons, who would become the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites.
Lot's daughters were facing a terrifying future, and their solution was shocking. What drives people to such extremes?
When Lot and his daughters fled Sodom, they believed they were the last humans on earth. Their father was elderly, and they saw no other way to preserve their family line.
Lot was known as a righteous man, yet this terrible act occurred. How can even good people fall so far?
This story serves as a stark warning about how prolonged exposure to a corrupt environment can erode even the strongest moral compass.
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Understand the original words
haroth · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
In a biblical context, this refers to the act of conceiving a child, often used to signify the beginning of lineage or the fulfillment of the divine command to be fruitful, though here it occurs under illicit circumstances. It underscores the physical reality of the ancestral origin of these nations.
bekirah · Hebrew Adjective
A title indicating the eldest daughter in a family. In biblical culture, the firstborn held a position of priority, privilege, and responsibility, making the actions described here particularly significant within the family structure.
Moab · Hebrew Proper Noun
Meaning 'from (my) father,' this name serves as an etiological marker identifying the origin of the Moabite people. In Scripture, names often convey the essence or the history of an individual or people group.
Moabi · Hebrew Proper Noun/Adjective
An ethnic group descended from Moab; throughout the Old Testament, they are often characterized by their complex, frequently adversarial relationship with the nation of Israel, representing a people born out of a history of brokenness and exclusion from the covenant line.
Ben-ammi · Hebrew Proper Noun
A phrase meaning 'son of my people' or 'son of my kin.' It signifies a connection to one's own house or clan, marking the child as belonging to the lineage of the father in this specific genealogical account.
Ammoni · Hebrew Proper Noun
An ethnic group descended from Ben-ammi. Like the Moabites, the Ammonites are frequently mentioned in the historical narrative of the Bible as a nation neighboring Israel, often sharing a strained history with the descendants of Abraham.
This account highlights the profound moral and spiritual descent that can occur even after experiencing divine judgment and deliverance, showing how desperation and flawed reasoning can lead to shocking sin.
c. 2000 BC
Abraham settles in Canaan
Abraham and his family, including his nephew Lot, settle in the land of Canaan, establishing a significant presence in the region.
c. 1900 BC
Lot dwells in Sodom
Lot chooses to live in the city of Sodom, known for its wickedness and sinful inhabitants, separating himself from Abraham's spiritual influence.
c. 1900 BC— this verse
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Angelic messengers, after a night of attempted assault by the men of Sodom, bring about the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saving Lot and his immediate family.
c. 1900 BC
Lot's daughters conceive
Following the destruction of Sodom, Lot and his two daughters take refuge in a cave. In a desperate act to preserve their family line, the daughters impregnate themselves by their father.
c. 1900 BC
Birth of Moab and Ben-Ammi
Lot's daughters give birth to sons, Moab and Ben-Ammi, who become the ancestors of the Moabite and Ammonite peoples.
This passage describes a similar downward spiral into sexual immorality and unnatural desires, offering a theological perspective on how societies and individuals can fall into such depravity when they turn away from God. It highlights the consequences of abandoning natural order, much like the daughters' actions, though from a different societal context.
Deuteronomy 27:20This verse in the Law explicitly curses anyone who lies with their father or mother, directly addressing the abhorrent nature of the act described in Genesis 19. It underscores the gravity of this sin from a divine and legal standpoint within the Old Testament.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20Paul's instruction to flee sexual immorality emphasizes that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. This passage offers a counterpoint to the actions of Lot's daughters, calling believers to honor God with their bodies, a stark contrast to the desecration seen in Genesis 19.
Ezekiel 16:49-50This passage from Ezekiel describes the sins of Sodom, mentioning arrogance, gluttony, and indifference to the poor and needy, but importantly, it also alludes to 'detestable things' and 'uncleanness.' While not explicitly naming incest, it paints a picture of the moral corruption that permeated Sodom, providing broader context for the depravity in which Lot's family was immersed.
gillGenesis 19:36: "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father."
Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. We learn from hence what the best of men are when left to themselves; a good man, a righteous Lot, is guilty of crimes the most shocking; he exposed the chastity of his daughters to the men of Sodom, and now his daughters attacked him, and succeeded, being both with child by him; and this brought about by excessive drinking, a sin which often leads on…
pooleGenesis 19:36: "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father."
Which they might possibly imagine to be an evidence of Divine approbation of their fact; whereas, indeed, it was a design of God to make a lasting monument of their sin and shame.
The verse highlights a crucial, often overlooked aspect of this tragic event: the daughters conceived. This isn't just about the act itself but its immediate, devastating consequence. Their desperate attempt to preserve their father's lineage, born of extreme circumstances and poor choices, resulted in perpetuating the very lineage and perhaps the trauma they sought to escape, but through a deeply disordered means.
After fleeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters took refuge in a cave on a mountain. Believing themselves to be the only survivors on Earth, the daughters devised a plan to preserve their family line, leading them to take advantage of Lot's intoxication on consecutive nights. This resulted in both daughters conceiving sons, who would become the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites.
After fleeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters took refuge in a cave on a mountain. Believing themselves to be the only survivors on Earth, the daughters devised a plan to preserve their family line, leading them to take advantage of Lot's intoxication on consecutive nights. This resulted in both daughters conceiving sons, who would become the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites.
"Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of…" — The verse highlights a crucial, often overlooked aspect of this tragic event: the daughters conceived. This isn't just about the act itself but its immediate, devastating consequence. Their despera…
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Last reviewed October 2026
