Genesis 19:36 kjv

Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

Genesis 19:36 nkjv

Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

Genesis 19:36 niv

So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.

Genesis 19:36 esv

Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.

Genesis 19:36 nlt

As a result, both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their own father.

Genesis 19 verses

Genesis 19 36 Meaning

Genesis 19:36 explicitly states that both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. This verse serves as a direct, factual declaration of the culmination of their plan, which involved intoxicating Lot and engaging in incestuous relations. It highlights the desperation of the daughters to preserve their family line after the destruction of Sodom and the apparent end of any possibility for conventional marriage.

Genesis 19 36 Context

Genesis 19:36 occurs directly after the catastrophic destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his two daughters are the sole survivors of his household, having fled to a cave in the mountains, fearful of staying in the small town of Zoar. This immediate post-destruction environment, coupled with their isolation, extreme fear, and perceived inability to find husbands to continue their family line, sets the stage for the daughters' actions. Their motivation, described in preceding verses (19:31-35), was to ensure that "seed" or descendants would be born to their father, thereby preserving the family name and legacy, a critically important cultural imperative in that ancient context. The verse is a straightforward record of the immediate consequence of their calculated actions to fulfill this desperate perceived need.

Genesis 19 36 Word analysis

• וַתַּהֲרֶ֣יןָ (va·ta·ha·rei·nah): This verb is from the Hebrew root הָרָה (harah), meaning "to conceive" or "to become pregnant." The form used is a Piel imperfect (or waw-consecutive imperfect), feminine plural, indicating that "they (feminine plural) became pregnant."

  • Significance: This verb directly conveys the fulfillment of the daughters' explicit intent. It is a precise and unambiguous declaration of their physical condition, central to the narrative's progression towards the birth of the founders of Moab and Ammon.

• שְׁתֵּ֣י בְנוֹת־לוֹט (she·tei ve·not-Lot): This phrase translates to "the two daughters of Lot." שְׁתֵּי (she·tei) is "two," בְּנוֹת (be·not) is the construct plural form of "daughters," and לֹוט (Lot) specifies whose daughters.

  • Significance: The specificity of "the two daughters of Lot" attributes the act and its outcome to the exact individuals involved in the preceding scheme. It highlights the familial connection, making the incest all the more stark and tragic. The phrase ensures there is no ambiguity regarding the perpetrators of the act or their lineage.

• מֵאֲבִיהֶֽן (mei·a·vi·hen): This means "by their father" or "from their father." It combines the preposition מִן (min), meaning "from" or "by," with אָב (av), meaning "father," and the feminine plural possessive suffix הֶן (hen), meaning "their."

  • Significance: This phrase is crucial as it unequivocally names Lot as the source of the impregnation, solidifying the incestuous nature of the conception. It leaves no room for doubt about the abhorrent character of the act. The narrative deliberately uses clear language to report this deeply transgressive event.

• Words-group Analysis: "both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father"

  • This complete statement emphasizes the totality and completion of the incestuous plan. It directly links the daughters' actions to their father and the subsequent conception. It starkly presents a grave moral failing, born out of desperate circumstances and a misapplication of cultural imperatives (preserving lineage) by forbidden means. The language is unvarnished, demonstrating the biblical narrative's commitment to reporting facts, even unsavory ones, as they relate to God's dealings with humanity and the unfolding of redemptive history.

Genesis 19 36 Bonus section

The story of Lot and his daughters serves as a profound contrast to Abraham's trust in God's provision for a heir. While Abraham eventually received Isaac through divine intervention and patience, Lot's daughters resorted to extreme and sinful measures, rooted in a lack of faith in how God might preserve their lineage. This highlights a critical theological difference: seeking God's will and timing versus human-devised, sinful shortcuts. Although their intent was to preserve a family line, their method directly defied the Creator's design for familial and sexual purity, even if the detailed Mosaic Law prohibiting such acts was yet to be fully revealed. The narrative implies a self-inflicted curse through their actions, as the descendant nations, Moab and Ammon, would largely live in conflict with God's chosen people, Israel, thereby illustrating the far-reaching and often negative consequences of sin.

Genesis 19 36 Commentary

Genesis 19:36 is a stark and somber verse, marking the immediate tragic consequence of the daughters' desperate plan to ensure family continuity. It is not an endorsement of their actions but a factual report of an act profoundly condemned by later biblical law (e.g., Leviticus 18). The verse lays the foundation for the lineage of Moab and Ammon, two nations that would later become persistent adversaries of Israel. This narrative episode underscores human depravity even among those who survive divine judgment, demonstrating the pervasiveness of sin beyond a specific geographic area or people group. It reminds us that desperate circumstances can lead to profoundly sinful choices, yet God’s larger plan and sovereignty ultimately weave even through the fabric of such morally corrupt origins. The story also implies a condemnation of such acts, particularly from the Israelite perspective that would view the nations born of this union as "illegitimate" in origin, reflecting an ethical boundary already inherent even if not fully codified.