Genesis 2:19
Context2:19 The Lord God formed 1 out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would 2 name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Genesis 19:8
Context19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 3 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 4 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 5 of my roof.” 6
1 tn Or “fashioned.” To harmonize the order of events with the chronology of chapter one, some translate the prefixed verb form with vav (ו) consecutive as a past perfect (“had formed,” cf. NIV) here. (In chapter one the creation of the animals preceded the creation of man; here the animals are created after the man.) However, it is unlikely that the Hebrew construction can be translated in this way in the middle of this pericope, for the criteria for unmarked temporal overlay are not present here. See S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 84-88, and especially R. Buth, “Methodological Collision between Source Criticism and Discourse Analysis,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 138-54. For a contrary viewpoint see IBHS 552-53 §33.2.3 and C. J. Collins, “The Wayyiqtol as ‘Pluperfect’: When and Why,” TynBul 46 (1995): 117-40.
2 tn The imperfect verb form is future from the perspective of the past time narrative.
3 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
4 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
5 tn Heb “shadow.”
6 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.