Why "my" and not "our" father?

[BelovedJohn]

In the verse below does it imply that they have a different father but the same mother?

And on the next day, the first-born said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring through our father.” – Gen 19:34 (RSV-CE)

 

[7_Sorrows]

Good question! Not sure if there is any hidden meaning or not.

 

[JerryZ]

Nope. If you read the previous verse it says:

19:31 And the elder said to the younger: “Our father is old, and no man remains in the land who can enter to us according to the custom of the whole world.
19:32 Come, let us inebriate him with wine, and let us sleep with him, so that we may be able to preserve offspring from our father.”
19:33 And so they gave their father wine to drink that night. And the elder went in, and she slept with her father. But he did not perceive it, neither when his daughter lay down, nor when she rose up.
19:34 Likewise, the next day, the elder said to the younger: “Behold, yesterday I slept with my father, let us give him wine to drink yet again this night, and you will sleep with him, so that we may save offspring from our father.”
19:35 And then they gave their father wine to drink that night also, and the younger daughter went in, and slept with him. And not even then did he perceive when she lay down, or when she rose up.
19:36 Therefore, the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father.

Lot IS the father to both of the girls. Notice also the firstborn is the one that state “my father”. If you infer that the second daughter is from a different father, that would also mean that Lot’s wife commited adultery to conceive her.
Adultery was not tollerated in Lot’s time, he would have to repudiate her. And yet we see that she was with Lot when they fled the city.

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[John_Martin]

Nope. If you read the previous verse it says:

Lot IS the father to both of the girls.

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Isn’t it nice how a little context ends speculations. Just think what knowing the whole context can do.

 

[_thaddeus]

In the verse below does it imply that they have a different father but the same mother?

These are some footnotes from some study bibles that may also help.

JB
19i. An appendix; the author is perhaps making use of a Moabite and Ammonite tradition, cf. Nb 20:23+; these peoples may have prided themselves on having such antecedents, cf. Gen 38. Lot’s daughters are, like Tamar, not here regarded as shameless; their ruling motive is to perpetuate the race. But the Law condemned incest, Lv 18:6-18, and so the story here becomes a gibe at Israel’s foes.

19j. Popular etymologies: Moab is here explained from me-ab ‘from a (my) father’; Ben-ammi, ‘son of my kinsman’, is associated with Bene-ammon ‘the sons of Ammon’.

RSV
30-38: A story which explains the origin of the Moabites and Ammonites, neighbors of Israel.

NJB
j. This appendix reproduces a Moabite and Ammonite tradition; these peoples may have prided themselves on having such antecedents. Like Tamar, Gn 38, Lot’s daughters are not represented as shameless: their ruling motive is to perpetuate the race. v. 31 assumes that Lot and his daughters are the sole survivors of the catastrophe. The story of Sodom, destroyed because of the sins of its inhabitants, may originally have been a Transjordanian parallel to the story of the Flood.

k. Popular etymologies: moab is here explained from me 'ab, ‘from a (my) father’; ben 'ammi, ‘son of my kinsman’, is associated with bene 'ammon, ‘the sons of Ammon’.

NAB
[8] [30-38] This Israelite tale about the origin of Israel’s neighbors east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea was told partly to ridicule these racially related but rival nations and partly to give folk etymologies for their names.

[9] [37] From my father: in Hebrew, meabi, similar in sound to the name “Moab.”

[10] [38] The son of my kin: in Hebrew, ben-ammi, similar in sound to the name “Ammonites.”

NABRE

• [19:30–38] This Israelite tale about the origin of Israel’s neighbors east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea was told partly to ridicule these ethnically related but rival nations and partly to give popular etymologies for their names. The stylized nature of the story is seen in the names of the daughters (“the firstborn” and “the younger”), the ease with which they fool their father, and the identical descriptions of the encounters.
• [19:37] From my father: in Hebrew, me’abi, similar in sound to the name “Moab.”
• [19:38] The son of my kin: in Hebrew, ben-ammi, similar in sound to the name “Ammonites.”

 

[BelovedJohn]

Some questions floating in mind:

1. 
   *]Is there such a law about adultery in the land of Sodom?
   *]Did they rape his wife (or did she had an affair?) and Lot just accepted it just like he is willing to give his 2 daughters?
   *]Why would Lot stay in such a horrible place?
   *]Why did her wife looked back? For their properties? curiosity? or her man?
   
   Sorry for those questions. Just checking if the “my” word there is intentional.
   

   Nope. If you read the previous verse it says:
   
   Lot IS the father to both of the girls. Notice also the firstborn is the one that state “my father”. If you infer that the second daughter is from a different father, that would also mean that Lot’s wife commited adultery to conceive her.
   Adultery was not tollerated in Lot’s time, he would have to repudiate her. And yet we see that she was with Lot when they fled the city.
   

   ---

 

[JerryZ]

Some questions floating in mind:

1. 
   *]Is there such a law about adultery in the land of Sodom?
   *]Did they rape his wife (or did she had an affair?) and Lot just accepted it just like he is willing to give his 2 daughters?
   *]Why would Lot stay in such a horrible place?
   *]Why did her wife looked back? For their properties? curiosity? or her man?
   
   Sorry for those questions. Just checking if the “my” word there is intentional.

1. 
   I do not know if you are a single son/daughter in your family, in mine we are 3 siblings and when I speak about my father even with my brothers I don’t say “our” father. It is just the way we speak. The quotes around the text, tells us that these verses refer to actual speach from the 2 sisters. In other words " " mean “This” is what they said or spoke.
   
   If I today refer to father as “my dad” when I speak to my brothers, it is possible that they did too way back then.
   As for Lot’s wife looking back towards the city, I am afraid only GOD knows what went through her mind to do so, disobbeying the command given to them by the Angels.
   
   To speculate does not help us in any way except to teach us that disobbediance to GOD’s commands have consequences.
   

   ---

 

[ProVobis]

These are some footnotes from some study bibles that may also help.

JB
19i. An appendix; the author is perhaps making use of a Moabite and Ammonite tradition, cf. Nb 20:23+; these peoples may have prided themselves on having such antecedents, cf. Gen 38. Lot’s daughters are, like Tamar, not here regarded as shameless; their ruling motive is to perpetuate the race. But the Law condemned incest, Lv 18:6-18, and so the story here becomes a gibe at Israel’s foes.

19j. Popular etymologies: Moab is here explained from me-ab ‘from a (my) father’; Ben-ammi, ‘son of my kinsman’, is associated with Bene-ammon ‘the sons of Ammon’.

RSV
30-38: A story which explains the origin of the Moabites and Ammonites, neighbors of Israel.

NJB
j. This appendix reproduces a Moabite and Ammonite tradition; these peoples may have prided themselves on having such antecedents. Like Tamar, Gn 38, Lot’s daughters are not represented as shameless: their ruling motive is to perpetuate the race. v. 31 assumes that Lot and his daughters are the sole survivors of the catastrophe. The story of Sodom, destroyed because of the sins of its inhabitants, may originally have been a Transjordanian parallel to the story of the Flood.

k. Popular etymologies: moab is here explained from me 'ab, ‘from a (my) father’; ben 'ammi, ‘son of my kinsman’, is associated with bene 'ammon, ‘the sons of Ammon’.

NAB
[8] [30-38] This Israelite tale about the origin of Israel’s neighbors east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea was told partly to ridicule these racially related but rival nations and partly to give folk etymologies for their names.

[9] [37] From my father: in Hebrew, meabi, similar in sound to the name “Moab.”

[10] [38] The son of my kin: in Hebrew, ben-ammi, similar in sound to the name “Ammonites.”

NABRE

• [19:30–38] This Israelite tale about the origin of Israel’s neighbors east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea was told partly to ridicule these ethnically related but rival nations and partly to give popular etymologies for their names. The stylized nature of the story is seen in the names of the daughters (“the firstborn” and “the younger”), the ease with which they fool their father, and the identical descriptions of the encounters.
• [19:37] From my father: in Hebrew, me’abi, similar in sound to the name “Moab.”
• [19:38] The son of my kin: in Hebrew, ben-ammi, similar in sound to the name “Ammonites.”

Impressive analysis.

 

[Dave_Noonan]

In the verse below does it imply that they have a different father but the same mother?

This is a Hebrew pun on the fact that Lot’s daughter had sex with him the night before. The possessive pronoun used in this context implies a sort of embarrassing sexual possession by a woman.