Discovery BoxGenesis 19:20-21 
Context19:20 Look, this town 1 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 2 Let me go there. 3 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 4 Then I’ll survive.” 5
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 6 “I will grant this request too 7 and will not overthrow 8 the town you mentioned.
1 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
2 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
3 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
4 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
5 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
6 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the
7 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
8 tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).
