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The Abraham Saga– Part Nine

3 weeks ago 20

Without question Gen. 19 is one of the most debated and controversial chapters in the OT as a whole, never mind just in Genesis.   For one thing, the chapter clearly includes the notion of rape, not only the possible rape of angelic messengers, which many would characterize as homosexual rape, but also the scandalous suggestion of Lot that instead the men of Sodom should be satisfied with raping Lot’s two virgin daughters, who apparently are the younger offspring besides Lot’s married daughters.  Throughout this tale, Lot comes across as a very unsavory character, mainly only concerned with saving his own neck, and already showing really bad judgment by choosing to live in a house in the midst of a grossly immoral people.  As Weinfield suggests there is a deliberate parallelism and contrast set up between Abraham meeting the divine visitors outside his tent and treating them to a feast, and Lot’s meeting the two angels in the city gate and offering them nothing but some flatbread!   And instead of a divine blessing given to Lot about his descendants, we have only the divine rescue of Lot and some of his kin, after the rapists who are banging on his door have been blinded by the angels prior to the escape to Zoar.  It may be helpful that the name Sodom seems to derive from Siddim, which refers to a valley where there is a salt lake.

If we ask where did this take place, most scholars accept that this transpired in the region of the Jordan plain that leads down to the Dead Sea, and there have even been some rock formations studied as possible sites where Sodom formerly was, before fire and brimstone fell on it, possibly from a meteor.   Zoar is said to have existed at the southeastern end of the Dead Sea, on the Jordan side of that body of water.   Here is a video that explores the general region, and the traditional spot where Lot is said to have stayed after fleeing from Sodom, and there is a rock formation which is said to be Lot’s wife.  I’m very dubious about these sorts of claims.   But have a look at this video—

More comments on Gen. 19 in the next post.

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