Genesis 19:38 kjv

And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Genesis 19:38 nkjv

And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

Genesis 19:38 niv

The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

Genesis 19:38 esv

The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Genesis 19:38 nlt

When the younger daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Ben-ammi. He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Ammonites.

Genesis 19 verses

Genesis 19 38 Meaning

This verse details the birth of Ben-Ammi, the son of Lot's younger daughter. His name, meaning "son of my people," tragically signifies the incestuous origin of his birth from Lot and his own daughter. He is identified as the progenitor of the Ammonite people, firmly establishing their scandalous lineage from an event that occurred immediately after the judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. This origin story served as a foundation for understanding the Ammonites' identity and their historical relationship with Israel "to this day."

Genesis 19 38 Context

Genesis chapter 19 describes the dramatic destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his two daughters are miraculously rescued by angels just before the cataclysmic judgment. They flee to Zoar but Lot, fearing even that small city, retreats with his daughters to a cave in the mountains. Here, the immediate shock and desolation, coupled with their belief that "there was no man on earth to come in to them after the manner of all the earth" (Gen 19:31) – implying a global catastrophe beyond their knowledge – drive the daughters to take drastic action. Motivated by a cultural imperative to perpetuate the family line and believing their father was their only recourse, they intoxicate Lot and lie with him. This verse specifically records the outcome of the younger daughter's act, establishing the origins of the Ammonite people. The narrative implicitly provides a polemic against the Ammonites, characterizing their origins as sordid and scandalous, thus legitimizing later Israelite disengagement or opposition to them, in contrast to the divine covenants of Abraham's descendants.

Genesis 19 38 Word analysis

• As for the younger (הַקְּטַנָּה֙ - haqqᵉṭannâ): This identifies Lot's second daughter, differentiating her act from her older sister's. It emphasizes the planned nature of their actions, as they discussed and executed their scheme over two successive nights.
• she also bore a son (וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֑ן - wattêleḏ bên): This signifies the immediate outcome and success of their desperate, incestuous act – the continuation of the family line, however illegitimate its conception.
• and called his name Ben-Ammi (וַתִּקְרָ֤א שְׁמוֹ֙ בֶּן־עַמִּ֔י - wattıqraʾ šəmô ben-‘ammî):
  • Ben-Ammi: Literally "Son of my People." This name chosen by the younger daughter reveals her understanding and focus. While superficially innocent, in context, it's deeply ironic and highlights the incestuous union. It suggests a narrow worldview where "my people" might mean only herself and her father as the survivors. This also points to a desire for solidarity and continuation within their perceived isolated remnant.
• he is the father of the Ammonites (ה֖וּא אֲבִ֣י בְנֵי־עַמּ֑וֹן - hūʾ ʾăḇî ḇənê-‘ammôn):
  • Ammonites (עַמּוֹן - ‘ammôn): The direct linguistic connection between "Ben-Ammi" (son of my people) and "Ammon" is established, indicating that the nation's name itself stems from this origin. This is an etiological explanation, detailing how a nation got its name and defining character.
• to this day (עַד־הַיּ֖וֹם - ‘ad-hayyôm): This is a common biblical historiographical formula. It emphasizes that the lineage established here (Ben-Ammi leading to the Ammonites) persisted into the time the narrative was being written and read by its original audience, validating the continued existence and identity of the Ammonites as a people linked to this infamous origin story. It also implies that the implications of this origin (e.g., their animosity towards Israel, their exclusion from the assembly of the Lord) were still relevant.

Words-group analysis:

• "As for the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi": This phrase parallels Gen 19:37 perfectly, reinforcing the identical nature of the daughters' acts and their shared motivations, leading to the birth of two brother nations from the same illicit origin. The repeated structure emphasizes the dual origins.
• "Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day": This establishes a clear etymological and historical link. The name, derived from "my people," becomes the foundation for the tribal identity. "To this day" confirms the enduring consequence of this act and the continued existence of the Ammonite people, carrying the stigma of their founding within their very name. It serves to legitimize later Israelite policy and attitude toward them, stemming from their perceived "corrupt" lineage.

Genesis 19 38 Bonus section

The motivation of Lot's daughters reflects ancient near-eastern patriarchal societies where preserving the family line and land inheritance through male heirs was paramount. If a man had no legitimate heir, the line could die out. The daughters believed the entire world had been destroyed, making their actions, in their distorted perception, a necessity for human survival, particularly for their lineage, however desperate and sinful. This narrative underscores the destructive power of human sin even in the face of divine revelation and miraculous salvation. Despite being rescued from Sodom, Lot and his daughters demonstrate a lingering spiritual blindness and moral decay that had seeped into their being from the surrounding cultures, as highlighted by their inability to trust God for their future after the cataclysm.

Genesis 19 38 Commentary

Genesis 19:38 serves as a pivotal etiological account, explaining the genesis of the Ammonite nation. Far from a mere genealogical record, it embeds a profound polemic. The circumstances of Ben-Ammi’s birth – born of incest between Lot and his younger daughter following divine judgment on Sodom – portray the Ammonites' foundation in a morally reprehensible light. The name "Ben-Ammi" ("Son of my people") carries a double entendre: superficially a declaration of preserving lineage, but contextually, a tragic marker of a family's utter depravity. This account sets the stage for the recurring antagonism between Israel and Ammon throughout the Old Testament, culminating in legislative exclusion from the assembly of the Lord (Deut 23:3). While horrific, the narrative reveals God's permissive will in the face of human sin, yet it underlines that even nations with problematic origins are subject to God's future dealings, whether judgment or a distant hope of future transformation (Zep 2:8-11; Isa 11:14).