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
19:15 At dawn 4 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 5 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 6
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.
4 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
5 tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.
6 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
7 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
8 tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).