Genesis 13:10

Genesis 13:10

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest to Zoar.

a. NLT: Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

b. NIV: Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

c. YLT: And Lot lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the whole circuit of the Jordan that it is all a watered country (before Jehovah's destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, as Jehovah's garden, as the land of Egypt,) in thy coming toward Zoar,

d. Amplified Bible: And Lot looked and saw that everywhere the Jordan Valley was well watered. Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [it was all] like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.

e. Septuagint: And Lot having lifted up his eyes, observed all the country round about Jordan, that it was all watered, before God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha, as the garden of the Lord, and as the land of Egypt, until thou come to Zogora.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: So Lot raised his eyes and saw the entire plain of the Jordan that it was well watered everywhere, before HASHEM destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of HASHEM, like the land of Egypt, going toward Zoar.

1. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan…”

a. Lot [3876 * Lowt] [Strong: the same as 3875; Lot, Abraham's nephew:--Lot.]

b. lifted up [5375 * nasa’] [Strong: a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):--accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield.]

c. his eyes [5869 * ‘ayin] [Strong:  a primitive word; an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape):--affliction, outward appearance, + before, + think best, colour, conceit, + be content, countenance, + displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, + favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), X him, + humble, knowledge, look, (+ well), X me, open(-ly), + (not) please, presence, + regard, resemblance, sight, X thee, X them, + think, X us, well, X you(-rselves).]

d. and beheld [7200 * ra’ah] [Strong: a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative):--advise self, appear, approve, behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, X indeed, X joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, X be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), X sight of others, (e-)spy, stare, X surely, X think, view, visions.]

e. all the plain [3603 * kikkar] [Strong: from 3769; a circle, i.e. (by implication) a circumjacent tract or region, expec. the Ghor or valley of the Jordan; also a (round) loaf; also a talent (or large (round) coin):--loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent.]

f. of Jordan [3383 * Yarden] [Strong: from 3381; a descender; Jarden, the principal river of Palestine:--Jordan.]

1). The area in and around the cities of the plain was well watered, which would have contributed to their prosperity. The witness of Scripture is that the area was very prosperous.

a). Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

b). Ezekiel 16:49  Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

2.  “…that it was well watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah…”

a. that it was well watered [4945 * mashqeh] [Strong: from 8248; properly, causing to drink, i.e. a butler; by implication (intransitively), drink (itself); figuratively, a well-watered region:--butler(-ship), cupbearer, drink(-ing), fat pasture, watered.]

b. everywhere [6440 * paniym] [Strong: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh {paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time), against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of), + beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), + honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, + meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on, open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street, X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s) past, (un-)to(-ward), + upon, upside (+ down), with(- in, + -stand), X ye, X you.]

c. the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

d. destroyed [7843 * shachath] [Strong:  a primitive root; to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively):--batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, X utterly, waste(-r).]

e. Sodom [5467 * Cdom] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to scorch; burnt (i.e. volcanic or bituminous) district; Sedom, a place near the Dead Sea:-- Sodom.]

f. Gomorrah [6017 * Amorah] [Strong: from 6014; a (ruined) heap; Amorah, a place in Palestine:--Gomorrah.]

3. “…even as the garden of the LORD…”

a. even as the garden [1588 * gan] [Strong: from 1598; a garden (as fenced):--garden.]

b. the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

1). Here the Scripture compares the area around the cities of the plain to “the garden of the LORD.” How can this comparison even be given? Well at this time in history it is approximately 430-435 years after the flood. Adding up the ages given in the genealogical lists in Scripture we can see the flood of Noah happened 1650 years after Creation. We can also see that when Adam & Eve were removed from the garden of Eden after their sin, the garden was not destroyed. The LORD placed Cherubims, apparently more than one, to guard against anyone from eating of the Tree of Life.

a). Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man: and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

2). The fact is the garden of Eden continued to be there for 1650 years until the flood and of course destroyed.  So 430-435 years after the flood we have Lot looking over this area and the Scripture compares it to the Garden of Eden. Well 435 years after the flood there was at least one and possibly 5 more persons alive who had escaped the flood, who probably would have seen the garden of Eden at least from a distance. Scripture says that Shem lived 500 years after the flood.

a). Genesis 11:10, 11 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

11:11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

3). Shem at this time lived for 65 more years. We don’t know of course how long Japheth and Ham and their wives lived after the flood, but if they lived to similar lengths of life, a few of them or perhaps all of them could have been alive at this time to make the comparison to the area of Sodom and Gomorrah to the Garden of Eden.

4.  “…like the land of Egypt, as thou comest to Zoar.”

a. like the land [776 * ‘erets] [Strong: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

b. of Egypt [4714 * Mitsrayim] [Strong:  dual of 4693; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt:--Egypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.]

c. as thou comest [935 * bow’] [Strong: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

d. unto Zoar [6820 * Tso’ar] [Strong: from 6819; little; Tsoar, a place East of the Jordan:--Zoar.]