19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 1 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 2 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 3
1 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
2 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
3 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.