Genesis 19:37-38
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The name "Moab" itself is a wordplay, meaning "from my father," a stark reminder of the unnatural circumstances of his birth that would forever mark his descendants. This verse isn't just stating lineage; it's embedding a profound, uncomfortable truth about origins and their lasting impact.
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)
Following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters fled to a cave. Fearing they would never find husbands and to preserve their family line, the daughters hatched a plan. They got their father drunk on consecutive nights, and each lay with him, resulting in pregnancies.
The names of these new nations, Moab and Ben-Ammi, aren't just labels. They're echoes of a terrible event, a deliberate naming meant to forever mark their origin.
The very names given to the sons of Lot's daughters carry a heavy meaning, directly referencing their incestuous birth.
These sons, born from a desperate and sinful act, would go on to become the fathers of significant nations. How does Scripture grapple with such a morally compromised beginning?
The narrative doesn't shy away from the deeply problematic origins of the Moabites and Ammonites. Yet, it records their existence and lineage as a historical fact.
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Understand the original words
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.
The naming of Moab directly reflects the shocking circumstances of his conception, a linguistic echo of the incestuous act between Lot and his daughter. This event, while deeply shameful, establishes the origins of the Moabite nation, a people who would later play a significant role in Israel's history.
c. 1900 BC
Lot's Family in Sodom
Lot, Abraham's nephew, lives in the city of Sodom, a place known for its wickedness, alongside his wife and two daughters.
c. 1900 BC— this verse
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone due to their great sin. Lot and his two daughters are rescued by angels, but his wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt.
c. 1900 BC
Lot's Daughters' Actions
Fearing they would have no offspring and living in isolation, Lot's two daughters conspire to impregnate their father through incestuous relations. The elder daughter conceives.
c. 1900 BC
Birth of Moab
The elder daughter gives birth to a son and names him Moab, signifying 'from my father,' acknowledging the incestuous origin of his birth. This son is considered the father of the Moabite people.
c. 1900 BC
Birth of Ben-Ammi
The younger daughter also has a son with Lot and names him Ben-Ammi, meaning 'son of my people,' also referencing their incestuous union.
c. 1900 BC - centuries later
Moabites and Ammonites Established
The descendants of Moab and Ben-Ammi establish themselves as distinct peoples, the Moabites and Ammonites, who would become neighbors and sometimes adversaries to the Israelites.
This passage marks Moab as a distinct people, establishing the continuity of the lineage mentioned in Genesis and highlighting their ongoing presence.
Ruth 4:5This verse references the Moabite lineage in the context of the lineage of David, showing how this descendants of Moab became interwoven with Israel's history.
Matthew 1:5This verse directly connects Rahab, a gentile, to Boaz and then to David, demonstrating that even those from 'outside' the covenant, like the Moabites, could be part of God's redemptive plan through inclusion.
Numbers 22:1-6This passage vividly illustrates the animosity and fear the Moabites held towards Israel, showing the problematic relationship that arose from their origin and foreshadowing future conflict.
gillGenesis 19:37: "And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day."
And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab,.... As if it was "Meab", from the father, as Aben Ezra, and so Josephus, that is, which she had by her father; and she was so far from being ashamed that it might be known in time to come, she gave him this name. Hillerus (w) makes it to be a compound of and and to signify "going into", or "lying with a father", w…
pooleGenesis 19:37: "And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day."
1807 Called his name Moab, i.e. of my father, begotten upon me by my father. So she had learned from her neighbours to declare her sin as Sodom, Isaiah 3:9 . The Moabites were a mischievous and infamous people, branded, as their brethren also the Ammonites were, with characters of God’s displeasure.
The name "Moab" itself is a wordplay, meaning "from my father," a stark reminder of the unnatural circumstances of his birth that would forever mark his descendants. This verse isn't just stating lineage; it's embedding a profound, uncomfortable truth about origins and their lasting impact.
Following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters fled to a cave. Fearing they would never find husbands and to preserve their family line, the daughters hatched a plan. They got their father drunk on consecutive nights, and each lay with him, resulting in pregnancies.
Following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters fled to a cave. Fearing they would never find husbands and to preserve their family line, the daughters hatched a plan. They got their father drunk on consecutive nights, and each lay with him, resulting in pregnancies.
"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." — The name "Moab" itself is a wordplay, meaning "from my father," a stark reminder of the unnatural circumstances of his birth that would forever mark his descendants. This verse isn't just stating lin…
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Last reviewed October 2026
