🔼The name Lot: Summary
- Meaning
- Covering
- Etymology
- From the verb לוט (lut), to wrap closely, to envelop.
🔼The name Lot in the Bible
Lot is the son of Haran, the brother of Abraham and Nahor (Genesis 11:27). Lot's abduction by the forces of king Amraphel of Shinar and valiant retrieval by Abraham and his men led to the introduction of the hallowed Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18) but Lot's life spiraled into ruin. He moved to Sodom where he received two guests. The townsfolk decided to abuse these guests of Lot and Lot proposed that they would have a go at his daughters. Fortunately for the daughters and their fiancées, one of whom was right there, the guests were angels. Unfortunately for the townsfolk of Sodom, the angels destroyed the city (Genesis 19).
The boyfriends decided not to go with Lot or his daughters, and subsequently perished. Lot, his wife and his two daughters escaped the destruction of Sodom, although Lot's wife famously turned into a pillar of salt (yet see for a discussion on this our article on the word noun מלח, melah, meaning salt). The three survivors initially settled in a town called Zoar, but moved on to live in the mountains. There the daughters realized that their chances to ever have offspring were slim. They subsequently fed Lot wine and when he keeled over, they raped him and conceived. Thus were born Moab, the father of the Moabites, and Ben-ammi, the father of the Ammonites (Genesis 19:37-38).
Even after all this, Lot apparently became known as a proverbially righteous man who therefore escaped the destruction of Sodom. In that light, Peter refers to him in 2 Peter 2:7 (spelled Λωτ). And Jesus explained that his Second Coming will happen to modern man the way the destruction of Sodom happened to the people "in the days of Lot" (Luke 17:28-32).
Lot is mentioned by name 4 times in the New Testament; see full concordance.
🔼Etymology of the name Lot
The name Lot comes from the verb לוט (lut) meaning to wrap closely, envelop:
לוט
The verb לוט (lut) means to wrap closely or to envelop. Noun לט (lat) or לאט (la't) means secrecy. Noun לוט (lot) means covering.
מלט
The verb מלט (malat) means to deliver from confinement or dangerous predicament.
🔼Lot meaning
For a meaning of the name Lot, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Covering. Jones adds Veil.