Sodom Destroyed
The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today. Genesis 19:37 · Berean Standard Bible
The older daughter gives birth to a son she names Moab, who becomes the ancestor of the Moabite nation.
Moab's name likely means 'from father'—acknowledging the incestuous origin without hiding it. The Moabites will be a neighboring people to Israel, sometimes hostile, sometimes allied, but always marked by this origin story.
The narrator
This is how Scripture often works—it traces the consequences of human choices forward through history. Lot's sin doesn't just affect him; it creates a people group that will interact with God's people for centuries. It's a reminder that our choices echo through time.
The older daughter gives birth to a son, whom she names Moab, who becomes the progenitor of the Moabite nation.
The name *Mō'āb* carries etymological ambiguity deliberately: it could derive from *mē-'āb* ('from father'), which would constitute a frank acknowledgment of incestuous origin. Alternatively, it might connect to *Moab* as a place name without etymological connection to the transgression itself. The narrative's naming pattern elsewhere often carries moral or theological freight—Jacob's name represents his character, for example—yet here the naming remains ambiguous. The genealogical conclusion—'He is the father of the Moabites of today'—establishes etiological connection: this explains Moab's origins to an Israelite audience.
Lot's older daughter, naming her son
Moab's conception through transgression prefigures a complex relationship: Moabites will be Israel's near neighbors, sometimes allies (Ruth narrative) and sometimes enemies (Balaam account). The nation's transgressive origins establish a theological paradox—legitimate nations arising from illegitimate means—that complicates simple moral schemas.
35So again that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
36Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
37The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today.
38The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
Read all of Genesis 19 — Fire falls from the sky. A city is erased. And Lot's wife looks back — a small act of longing with permanent consequences.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad