# Lot (biblical person)

Lots Flight, by Albrecht Dürer
**Lot** was a person in the biblical Book of Genesis chapters 11–14 and 19. He moves to Sodom and Gomorrah. He leaves quickly when angels warn him of the coming destruction of the cities, but his wife looks back 'and she became a pillar of salt' (Genesis 19:26) He fathers children with his daughters when they get him drunk. They gave birth to Moab and Ammon.

## Move to Sodom

Lot is the son of Abraham’s brother Haran, son of Terah. After Haran dies, Lot moves with Abraham to Canaan. When Lot’s shepherds argue with Abraham’s shepherds, Lot moves to Sodom because of how rich the place is even though the people are evil. Lot is kidnapped after four kings invade Sodom, so Abraham takes 318 men, goes to war, saves Sodom and rescues Lot.

## The Angels’ visit

When The Almighty tells Abraham he will kill everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah to punish them, Abraham asks The Almighty not to do that since there might be 50 good people there. The Almighty tells him that He wouldn’t kill anyone there if there were 50 good people so Abraham asks if The Almighty would destroy them if there were 45. He says He wouldn’t kill anyone there if there were 45 good people. Then Abraham asks what He would do if there were 40 and The Almighty said He would let everyone there live if there were 40. Then Abraham asks The Almighty about if there were 30 good people and The Almighty says He wouldn’t kill anyone there if there were 30 good people. Then Abraham asks the Almighty what He would do if there were 20 and He says he wouldn’t kill anyone in the city at all. Then Abraham asks if there were 10 and The Almighty says that if there were 10 good people in Sodom and Gomorrah, He wouldn’t destroy the city at all. So the Almighty sent two angels to pretend to be humans and go to Sodom and Gomorrahto look for 10 good people. They meet Lot, who brings them into his house and feeds them matzah. Then the people of Sodom and Gomorrah tell Lot they’ll kill him unless he lets them rape the two men who are with him so Lot tells them to rape his two virgin daughters instead. They break Lot’s door down to kill Lot and his wife and children so the angels make the Sodomites blind and tell Lot that The Almighty is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because there aren’t 10 good people there. They tell Lot to run away with his family and not look back. Most of Lot’s family doesn’t listen so he runs away with his wife and two daughters. The Almighty sends fire and sulphur to Sodom and kills everyone there and Lot’s wife turns around and looks back so The Almighty turns her into salt while Lot goes to a city called Zoar.

## Moab and Ammon

Lot’s daughters thought that the entire world was destroyed so the first of them decided to get Lot so drunk that he wouldn’t recognize her and she could have sex with him and after she did that, her sister did the same thing. The first daughter got pregnant and had a son Moab while the second also had a son, Ben-Ammi. Moab became the ancestor of the Moabites and Ben-Ammi became the ancestor of a nation called the children of Ammon.

## Jewish and Christian Traditions

According to Jewish tradition, Lot was bad but The Almighty saved him because of Abraham but according to Christian tradition, Lot was a good guy.

## Related pages

* Dead Sea