Genesis 19:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

NIV: That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

NASB: So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and slept with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or got up.

CSB: So they got their father to drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

NLT: So that night they got him drunk with wine, and the older daughter went in and had intercourse with her father. He was unaware of her lying down or getting up again.

KJV: And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

NKJV: So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

Lot's two grown virgin daughters have experienced intense loss. They have witnessed the annihilation of their culture in Sodom, the loss of their prospective husbands, the destruction of their family's wealth and power, and the death of their mother. Their despair was stated in prior verses: they were convinced no men would ever marry them. They would never have children. All they had was gone. They were living in the hills in a cave with no prospects for any kind of better life.

This lack of trust in God reflects poorly on Lot's spiritual leadership. Then again, Lot chose to not only raise his children in a city as corrupt as Sodom, he arranged for his daughters to marry men of that city. That these women would turn to despair in a crisis is not surprising. Unfortunately, this upbringing also seems to factor into their attempt at resolving their situation. In Sodom, the men of the city demanded Lot turn over his guests so they could be raped (Genesis 19:5). Lot's daughters enact a plan, here, which also revolves around sexual abuse.

Lot's daughters concoct a plot to inebriate their father so they can sexually use him, in order to conceive children. Here, Lot's firstborn daughter successfully executes the plan. They see to it that Lot is so blindingly drunk that he has no idea what is happening. His oldest daughter then takes advantage of her father, sexually, in order to conceive a child.

Genesis 19:30–38 describes the humiliating, horrific fate of Lot and his daughters. Having lost everything and living in a cave in the hills with their aging father, the two daughters assume no man will ever marry them or give them children. Their plan to remedy the situation is shocking, but not impossible for children raised in a culture like that of Sodom. Lot's daughters get their father drunk on two consecutive nights, each having sex with him and becoming pregnant.

Two angels, disguised as men, visit Abraham's nephew, Lot, in the city of Sodom. After the men of Sodom attempt to rape the angels in Lot's home, the angels rescue Lot and his family, forcibly removing them from the city. Then God sends fire and sulfur from heaven. This destroys all of the land and people in and around the cities. As stated in earlier verses, this is the result of their great and ongoing wickedness. Lot's wife is turned to a pillar of salt when she disobeys the angels by looking back on the destruction. Lot and his daughters flee first to Zoar, then to a cave in the hills. There, Lot's confused and frightened daughters get him drunk, have sex with him, and each become pregnant.

In the previous chapter, Abraham had bargained with God on behalf of his nephew Lot and the people of Sodom. The Lord assured Abraham He would not destroy the cities if He found ten righteous people there. Chapter 19 immediately demonstrates no righteous people are to be found. Every man of Sodom attempts to attack two visitors, who are God's angels in human form. As the angels rescue Lot, God's judgment falls, utterly destroying everything in the area around Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his daughters end up in a cave in the hills, where the daughters scheme to conceive children by making their father drunk. This ends Lot's role in the story of Genesis, with future chapters focusing exclusively on the life and descendants of Abraham.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.