Genesis 13:10 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Genesis 13:10
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
to lift · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
eyes
עֵינָ֗יו'ei.Nav
H5869
an eye (literally or figuratively) · noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
beheld
וַיַּרְא֙vai.yaR'
H7200
to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
plain
כִּכַּ֣רki.Kar
H3603
a circle · noun, common feminine singular construct
Jordan
הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ןhai.yar.Den
H3383
Jarden · definite article + proper noun, a place name
watered
מַשְׁקֶ֑הmash.Keh
H4945
properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
before
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD
יְהוָ֗הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
destroyed
שַׁחֵ֣תsha.Chet
H7843
to decay · verb, piel infinitive construct
Sodom
סְדֹם֙se.Dom
H5467
Sedom · proper noun, a place name
Gomorrah
עֲמֹרָ֔ה'a.mo.Rah
H6017
Amorah · proper noun, a place name
garden
כְּגַןke.gan-
H1588
a garden (as fenced) · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
LORD
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
land
כְּאֶ֣רֶץke.'E.retz
H776
the earth (at large · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
Egypt
מִצְרַ֔יִםmitz.Ra.yim
H4714
Mitsrajim · proper noun, a place name
comest
בֹּאֲכָ֖הbo.'a.Khah
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
Zoar
צֹֽעַרTzo.'ar
H6820
Tsoar · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Deuteronomy 34:3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
Isaiah 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the ga…
Genesis 2:8-10 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Genesis 14:8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the sa…
Genesis 14:2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the k…
Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, a…
Joel 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wil…
Numbers 32:1-42 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land o…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Genesis 13:10-13
We have here the choice that Lot made when he parted from Abram. Upon this occasion, one would have expected, 1. That he should have expressed an unwillingness to part from Abram, and that, at least, he should have done it with reluctancy. 2. That he should have been so civil as to have remitted the choice back again to Abram. But we find not any instance of deference or respect to his uncle in the whole management. Abram having offered him the choice, without compliment he accepted it, and made his election. Passion and selfishness make men rude. Now, in the choice which Lot made, we may observe,
I. How much he had an eye to the goodness of the land. He beheld all the plan of Jordan, the fl…
Lot lifted up his eyes--Travellers say that from the top of this hill, a little "to the east of Beth-el" [Gen 12:8], they can see the Jordan, the broad meadows on either bank, and the waving line of verdure which marks the course of the stream.
Adam Clarke on Genesis 13:10
Like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar - There is an obscurity in this verse which Houbigant has removed by the following translation: Ea autem, priusquam Sodomam Gornorrhamque Do minus delerit, erat, qua itur Segor, tota irrigua, quasi hortus Domini, et quasi terra Aegypti. "But before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was, as thou goest to Zoar, well watered, like the garden of the Lord, and like the land of Egypt." As paradise was watered by the four neighboring streams, and as Egypt was watered by the annual overflowing of the Nile; so were the plains of the Jordan, and all the land on the way to Zoar, well watered and fertilized by the overflowing of the Jordan.
John Gill on Genesis 13:10
And Lot lifted up his eyes,.... He immediately fell in with Abram's proposal, but had not the ingenuity to return back the choice to Abram which he gave him, but took the advantage of it; nor did he show any uneasiness or unwillingness to part from Abram, though so near a relation, and so wise and good a man, and by whose means greatly he had obtained his riches; but without giving himself any concern about this, he at once cast about in his mind where to make his choice; he considered within himself which was the best part of the country, and most convenient for his flocks and herds, and where he was most likely to increase his substance; for this phrase chiefly has respect to the eyes of t…
The Church Fathers
Haughtiness is the companion of those who deviate from the truth. In fact, as Abraham was quite humble in that he offered the choice, so Lot was rather insolent in presuming to choose. Virtue humbles itself, whereas wickedness becomes arrogant. Lot should rather have relied on one more wise than he, to be on the safe side. Indeed, he did not have the knowledge to make a choice.
WHAT PARADISE WAS. — The fact that the land of Sodom and Gomorrah before being destroyed is compared to the paradise of God, because it was watered, and to the land of Egypt, which bathes in the Nile, sufficiently demonstrates, I think, how it is to be understood; it was, that paradise that God planted, which he put Adam (Cf. Gen 2:8). I do not see in fact that God's paradise was something else. And certainly, if the fruit trees of paradise were to be, according to the opinion of some, considered as virtues of the soul, it would not be said of this land that it was "like the Paradise of God", since there would not have been in reality of earthly paradise, planted with real trees. [
Therefore, Lot, having lifted up his eyes, saw all the region around Jordan, which was all watered before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the paradise of the Lord and like Egypt as you go towards Zoar. And Lot chose for himself the region around Jordan and moved eastward; and the rest up to the point where it says: but the men of Sodom were wicked and great sinners before the Lord. He praises the fertility of the land and at the same time notes the impiety of the inhabitants, so that they may be understood to be deserving of greater damnation, for they turned the greatest gifts of God not to the fruit of piety but to the increase of luxury: where also it is silently added to the praises of blessed Lot, because in that land, living among those natives, neither the wealth of the rich soil nor the example of the inhabitants could in any way corrupt the integrity of his purity. However, concerning which sins the Sodomites were subject to, except for that abominable one which Scripture mentions later, the prophet Ezekiel sufficiently explains, speaking to Jerusalem: Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and abundance, and idleness were in her and in her daughters; and they did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, and they were haughty and committed abomination before me (Ezekiel 16:49). From all these, blessed Lot was free, as testified by the sacred history, which declares that he received the angels as guests and that through them he was rescued from the perishing impious ones; and the judgment of blessed Peter the apostle proves, where it is said: And righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked, was delivered (2 Peter 2:7). For he was righteous by sight and hearing, dwelling among them who day by day tortured his righteous soul with their lawless deeds. For what good merit could be lacking in him, whom the apostolic voice declares righteous? In him, those present could hear nothing but the fame of righteousness, for the deeds and sight of the wicked known to his pure eyes and ears were nothing but torture and affliction. That which is said about him moving from the east to Haran also signifies Mesopotamia, from where he had already long ago physically departed, led by Abraham; but because a reader might doubt whether his mind was still held by love for his kindred and…
Dictionary and topics
Gomorrah — Submersion, one of the five cities of the plain of Siddim (q.v.) which were destroyed by fire (Gen. 10:19; 13:10; 19:24, 28). These cities probably stood close together, and were near the northern…
Jordan — Heb. Yarden, “the descender;” Arab. Nahr-esh-Sheriah, “the watering-place” the chief river of Palestine. It flows from north to south down a deep valley in the centre of the country. The name…
Lot — (Heb. goral, a “pebble”), a small stone used in casting lots (Num. 33:54; Jonah 1:7). The lot was always resorted to by the Hebrews with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a…
Meekness — A calm temper of mind, not easily provoked (James 3:13). Peculiar promises are made to the meek (Matt. 5:5; Isa. 66:2). The cultivation of this spirit is enjoined (Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 6:11; Zeph. 2:3),…
Plain — (1.) Heb. ‘abel (Judg. 11:33), a “grassy plain” or “meadow.” Instead of “plains of the vineyards,” as in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version has “Abel-cheramim” (q.v.), comp. Judg. 11:22; 2…
Sodom — Burning; the walled, a city in the vale of Siddim (Gen. 13:10; 14:1-16). The wickedness of its inhabitants brought down upon it fire from heaven, by which it was destroyed (18:16-33; 19:1-29; Deut.…
Zoar — Small, a town on the east or south-east of the Dead Sea, to which Lot and his daughters fled from Sodom (Gen. 19:22, 23). It was originally called Bela (14:2, 8). It is referred to by the prophets…
Agriculture Or Husbandry · Soil of Canaan suited to — Soil of Canaan suited to
Covetousness · .Lot, in choosing the plain of the Jordan — .Lot, in choosing the plain of the Jordan
And Lot lifted up his eyes. As the equity of Abram was worthy of no little praise; so the inconsideration of Lot, which Moses here describes, is deserving of censure. He ought rather to have contended with his uncle for the palm of modesty; and this the very order of nature suggested; but just as if he had been, in every respect, the superior, he usurps for himself the better portion; and makes choice of that region which seemed the more fertile and agreeable. And indeed it necessarily follows, that whosoever is too eagerly intent upon his own advantage, is wanting in humanity towards others. There can be no doubt that this injustice would pierce the mind of Abram; but he silently bore it, l…
Lot chose what was apparently the best portion of the land, the whole district of the Jordan, or the valley on both sides of the Jordan from the Lake of Gennesareth to what was then the vale of Siddim. For previous to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, this whole country was well watered, "as the garden of Jehovah," the garden planted by Jehovah in paradise, and "as Egypt," the land rendered so fertile by the overflowing of the Nile, "in the direction of Zoar." Abram therefore remained in the land of Canaan, whilst Lot settled in the cities of the plain of the Jordan, and tented (pitched his tents) as far as Sodom. In anticipation of the succeeding history (Gen 19), it is mentioned here…
What appealed to Lot would be short-lived. In the garden of the Lord, Adam and Eve succumbed to their craving for what they saw; Israel was later enslaved in Egypt. Sodom and Gomorrah are reminders of putting intense desires ahead of obedience to God (3:5-6; see 1 Jn 2:16). • Zoar was a small town in the plain to which Lot and his daughters later fled (19:18-22); it was previously called Bela (14:2).
Rashi on Genesis 13:10
כי כלה משקה THAT IT WAS WELL WATERED — a land of water-streams.
לפני שחת ה' את סדום ואת עמורה BEFORE THE LORD DESTROYED SODOM AND GOMORRAHH that land was
'כגן ה LIKE THE GARDEN OF GOD in respect of trees,
כארץ מצרים LIKE THE LAND OF EGYPT in respect of seed (vegetables) (Genesis Rabbah 41:7).
באכה צער means AS THOU GOEST עד צוער to Zoar. The Midrashic explanation (Horayot 10b; Genesis Rabbah 41:7) explains it to Lot’s discredit — just because they (the people of Sodom and Gomorrah) were addicted to lewdness did Lot choose their locality.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
— Of eden: Called the garden of the Lord
Gomorrah · One of the “cities of the plain,” — One of the “cities of the plain,”
Jordan · PLAIN OF — PLAIN OF
Jordan, The River · The plains of: Exceeding fertile — The plains of: Exceeding fertile
Lot · .Separates from Abraham, and lo — .Separates from Abraham, and lo
Sodom · Situated on the plain of the Jordan River — Situated on the plain of the Jordan River
Tents · Were pitched: In the neighbourhood of wells, &c — Were pitched: In the neighbourhood of wells, &c
Zoar · A city of the Moabites, near the Jordan River — A city of the Moabites, near the Jordan River
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
