Lot (Bible)

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Lot flees from Sodom

According to the Bible, Lot (Hebrew: לוֹט, Modern Lot Tiberian Lôṭ ; "veil"; "hidden, covered"^[1]) was the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, or Abram. He was the son of Abraham's brother Haran (Gen. 11:27). Abraham's brother Nahor became Lot's brother in law by marrying Milcah, Lot's sister.

[edit] Religious literature

[edit] The Bible

[edit] Genesis

The story of Lot is told in the Book of Genesis. Lot is mentioned in chapters 11-14 and 19.

Lot was the son of Abraham's brother Haran.^[2] Lot and his family went with Abraham and his family from Ur of the Chaldees to Egypt. When Abraham traveled to the Land of Canaan at the command of God, Lot accompanied him. (Genesis 12:1-5). Abraham always had a great affection for Lot. When they could not continue longer together in Canaan because they both had large flocks and their shepherds sometimes quarrelled ^[3] he gave Lot the choice of his abode. Lot went southeast to plains near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, since the land there was well watered.^[4]

About eight years after this separation, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked the kings of Sodom and the neighbouring cities, pillaged Sodom, and took many captives, including Lot. Abraham armed his servants, pursued the confederate kings, and overtook them near the springs of Jordan. He recovered the spoils they had taken and brought back Lot with the other captives. Abraham was offered a reward by the King of Sodom, but refused even a shoelace.

In Genesis 19, when God plans to overturn and destroy the five cities of the plain, he sends angels to the city of Sodom where they meet Lot at the city gates. Lot seems greatly concerned that the angels should spend the night in his house but the angels insist they wish to spend the night in the city street. Lot puts a great deal of pressure on them and eventually convinces them. However all the men of Sodom surround Lot's house with intent to "know" (traditionally interpreted as carnal knowledge) the angels.^[5] Lot offers the men his daughters instead, whom he says are virgins,^[6] but the men were not interested.

The angels decide to forewarn Lot of the dreadful catastrophe about to happen. Lot, his wife, sons-in-law, and daughters are warned to leave. The sons-in-law do not take the warning seriously; also, Lot lingers. The angels take Lot, his wife, and his daughters by hand and draw them forcibly out of their house, saying, "Save yourselves with all haste. Look not behind you. Get as fast as you are able to the mountain, unless you be involved in the calamity of the city." Lot entreats the angels, who consent that he might retire to Zoar, which was one of the five doomed cities but was spared because Lot asked the angels to allow him to seek refuge there. His wife, looking back on Sodom, is turned into a pillar of salt.

Hendrik Goltzius' 1616 painting Lot and his daughters shows Lot being seduced by his two daughters.^[7]The fox behind the tree symbolizes female cunning. In the background in front of the burning city is the pilar of salt, Lots wife.

Lot left Zoar and retired with his two daughters to a cave in an adjacent mountain. In Genesis 19:30-38, Lot's daughters who in their mind were taking responsibility to bear children to preserve Lot's family line, got their father drunk enough to have sexual intercourse with them on two consecutive nights, with each becoming pregnant. The first son was named Moab (Hebrew, lit., "from the father" [meh-Av]). He was the patriarch of the nation known as Moab. The second son was named Ammon or Ben-Ammi (Hebrew, lit., "Son of my people"). He became the patriarch of the nation of Ammon.

[edit] New Testament

In Luke 17:32 Jesus simply says "Remember Lot's Wife" using her as a warning to professing Christians to not turn back to their sin after leaving it. J.C. Ryle devotes a chapter in his work, Holiness^[8], to remembering Lot's wife. In 2 Peter 2:7-8 Lot is described as a righteous man surrounded by wickedness.

... [God] rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless men, (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard )

[edit] Quran

Main article: Islamic view of Lot

Muslims consider Lot a prophet. The Qur'an says that the people of Lot insisted on their wickedness of homosexuality, murder and robbery while also refusing to stay lawful to their wives. The Biblical stories of Lot are not entirely accepted within Islam.^[9]

[edit] Midrash

Jewish midrash records a number of additional stories about Lot, not present in the Tanakh. These include:

Abraham took care of Lot after Haran was burned in a gigantic fire in which Nimrod, King of Babylon, tried to kill Abraham.
While in Egypt, the midrash gives Lot much credit because, despite his desire for wealth, he did not inform Pharaoh of the secret of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

[edit] In geography

Main article: Mount Sodom

Mount Sodom, Israel, showing the so-called "Lot's Wife" pillar composed, like the rest of the mountain, of halite.

A geological formation overlooking the Dead Sea is called 'Lot's Wife', because of the shape and location of the feature.

A fourth chalk prominence that once stood off the western coast of the Isle of Wight, from which The Needles take their name, was also called 'Lot's Wife'.

[edit] In popular culture

In the science fiction stories "Lot" (1953) and "Lot's Daughter" (1954) by Ward Moore, the Bibilical story of Lot and his daughters' survival from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is reinterpreted as the story of the survival of a modern American family in the aftermath of nuclear war.^[10]
Comic book artist Brad Neely depicts Lot's story in his short titled "Bible History #1".
The band The Thermals used imagery from this story in their 2006 song "A Pillar of Salt".
The novel, Beyond Suspicion written by James Grippando, mentioned Lot's story in chapter 45.
The movie, MaClintock's Peach, released as Nobody Knows Anything has a scene in which Lot (played by Mitch Rouse) watches his wife (played by David Pasquesi ) turn into salt.
The stage musical Caroline, or Change, with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and music by Jeanine Tesori, includes the song "Lot's Wife," in which Caroline asks to be turned into a pillar of salt.
The parable of Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah are evoked in the lyrics of the song "Gomorrah". The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter, primary lyricist for Jerry Garcia. The song was performed often by the Jerry Garcia Band, Jerry Garcia's long-standing solo venture when the Grateful Dead were off the road.
In an episode of 30 Rock, Kenneth uses the example of Lot's daughters getting their father drunk to procreate to save the human race as an example of deception being acceptable when it is for good to convince Liz Lemon to use deceptive means to find the man named "future husband" in her phone.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah was told in a 1962 film starring Stewart Granger as Lot with Anouk Aimee and Pier Angeli and directed by Robert Aldrich.
Lots Wife is remembered in "Natural Is Not In It" a song by British indie band Gang Of Four from the album "Entertainment."

[edit] In Art

The seduction of Lot by his daughters was frequently represented in Renaissance Art:^[11]

Albrecht Altdorfer, 1537

Bonifazio Veronese, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg, early-mid 16th century^[12]

Jan Massys, 1565

Joachim Antonisz Wtewael, circa 1595

The seduction of Lot became a popular topic in Baroque Art:

Jan Harmensz. Muller, Lot and His Daughters, 1600	Orazio Gentileschi, circa 1621	Lot and his daughters by Simon Vouet, 1633.	Artemisia Gentileschi, 1635-1638
Francesco Furini, circa 1640	Domenico Marolì, circa 1612-1676	Christopher Paudiß, 1649	Guercino, 1651
Andrea Vaccaro, 17th century	Adriaen van der Werff, 1711	Marcantonio Franceschini