What is the meaning of Genesis 19:35? So again that night – The wording “again” shows this is the second evening of a deliberate plan (see v. 33). – Lot’s daughters act in a pattern, illustrating persistence in a sinful scheme; contrast this with Joseph’s repeated refusal of Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39:10. – The night setting evokes secrecy, paralleling judges who “loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). they got their father drunk with wine – The daughters repeat the tactic of v. 33, demonstrating how sin often recycles the same lure (Proverbs 23:29-35). – Lot’s intoxication removes his discernment, echoing Noah’s drunken vulnerability in Genesis 9:20-23. – Scripture warns that drunkenness leads to moral blindness (Ephesians 5:18; Habakkuk 2:15). and the younger daughter went in – The younger follows the elder’s lead (v. 34), showing how one sin influences another (1 Corinthians 15:33). – Initiative here is misplaced; godly initiative seeks righteousness (Psalm 34:14). – The “going in” signals premeditation, not passion, mirroring Tamar’s calculated deception in Genesis 38:14-18. and slept with him – The act is incest, expressly condemned later in Leviticus 18:6-7. – Though culture might excuse survival motives, the moral law of God stands timeless (Matthew 5:18). – The resulting pregnancies birth Moab and Ammon (v. 37-38), whose nations become persistent foes of Israel (Numbers 22:3-4; Judges 3:12-14), showing how sin’s consequences outlive the moment. he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up – Lot’s ignorance underscores the depth of his compromised state; compare Samson’s unawareness when the LORD left him (Judges 16:20). – Scripture holds him responsible despite his blackout; accountability before God is not removed by ignorance (Romans 14:12). – The detail highlights that the daughters, not circumstances, orchestrated the sin, reminding believers that temptation originates in human desire (James 1:14-15). summary Genesis 19:35 portrays the second calculated night in which Lot’s daughters exploit their father’s drunkenness to continue their incestuous plan. The verse exposes the destructive cycle of sin: persistent plotting, impaired judgment through intoxication, deliberate action, moral transgression, and ignorance that does not erase responsibility. This snapshot warns believers to flee the deceitfulness of sin, guard against impaired discernment, and trust God’s provision rather than scheming solutions born of fear or desperation. |