Genesis 12:8

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel ¹  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. ² 

Genesis 19:17

19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ³  said, “Run ⁴  for your lives! Don’t look ⁵  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ⁶  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

Genesis 19:19

19:19 Your ⁷  servant has found favor with you, ⁸  and you have shown me great ⁹  kindness ¹⁰  by sparing ¹¹  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ¹²  this disaster will overtake ¹³  me and I’ll die. ¹⁴ 

¹ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

² tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

³ tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.

⁴ tn Heb “escape.”

⁵ tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.

⁶ tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

⁵ tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.

⁶ tn Heb “in your eyes.”

⁷ tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”

⁸ sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.

⁹ tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.

¹⁰ tn Heb “lest.”

¹¹ tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.

¹² tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.