What is the meaning of Genesis 19:31? One day the older daughter said to the younger The scene is set in a cave after the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:30). • The phrase “One day” signals an actual historical moment, not legend or parable. • The older daughter takes the initiative, echoing other firstborn actions in Genesis (e.g., Genesis 27:6-10). • Their conversation is private, underscoring isolation; only God and the reader overhear (Psalm 139:4). Our father is old • Lot’s age and recent loss of his wife (Genesis 19:26) heighten the daughters’ sense of urgency. • Respectful language—“our father”—shows they still honor his role, even as they plan sin (Exodus 20:12). • Scripture often ties old age to the conclusion of one’s productive life (Genesis 25:8), so they assume Lot has no future opportunity to secure husbands for them. There is no man in the land • Living in the mountains, they believe potential husbands died with Sodom, much like Noah’s family after the flood (Genesis 7:23). • Their perception, not God’s promise, drives their reasoning; they never consult the Lord (contrast Joshua 9:14). • Fear of extinction echoes Sarah’s earlier anxiety about heirs (Genesis 16:2) and later Rachel’s cry, “Give me children, or I die!” (Genesis 30:1). To sleep with us • The daughters focus on physical union for procreation, not pleasure or covenant marriage (Genesis 2:24). • Their goal is offspring to preserve Lot’s line, yet the method violates God’s moral law later codified in Leviticus 18:6-8. • Scripture records such failures candidly to expose sin and highlight the need for redemption (Romans 3:23). As is the custom over all the earth • They appeal to the universal expectation of marriage and children (Genesis 1:28; 9:1). • Ironically, they justify sin by invoking a legitimate custom—illustrating how human reasoning can twist good norms (Proverbs 14:12). • God’s true design always includes moral boundaries, even when circumstances seem desperate (1 Corinthians 10:13). summary Genesis 19:31 reveals the daughters’ fearful logic: isolation after Sodom’s judgment, Lot’s advanced age, and the universal drive for heirs. Their plan springs from unbelief rather than faith, leading to incestuous sin that will birth Moab and Ammon (Genesis 19:36-38). The verse warns that when we let urgent fears override trust in God’s provision, we risk justifying actions that contradict His clear commands. |
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