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Lot and his daughters' forbidden night: what's the secret behind the Bible's most terrifying story?
In Genesis 19, the story of Lot's two daughters reveals a thrilling and complex human nature. In this story, Lot took shelter with two angels in the city, but was besieged by a group of people in the city of Sodom, who demanded that Lot hand over the angels. Faced with this evil request, Lot actually proposed to use his own daughter as a substitute, which shocked the readers.
The scene where Lot "offered his two virgin daughters to them, but was rejected" undoubtedly pushed the moral bottom line to the brink of disaster.
The story then takes a turn for the more bizarre. After the destruction of Sodom, Lot and his daughters fled to the mountains. They lived in seclusion in a cave. The two daughters believed that the world had been destroyed and were anxious about continuing their father's family bloodline, so they chose to commit the taboo act of incest with Lot.
The behavior of these two daughters is considered by some scholars to be based on "the instinct of human continuation." They believe that there are no other survivors in the world and that this is the only way to continue life.
The eldest daughter first made Lot drunk and then had sex with him. Then, my sister repeated the behavior. The end of this story not only resulted in their pregnancy, but also brought about the birth of the nations of Moab and Ammon.
It is worth noting that there is some controversy surrounding this story in Genesis, particularly regarding the interpretation of Lot's actions and the motivations and roles of his daughters. Many scholars believe that this situation may be a profound reflection on the social background at that time.
Lot's daughter's statement that "there is no man on earth" is considered by some interpreters to be a helpless interpretation of her situation, and it also triggers deep thinking about the alienation between knowledge and culture.
In Islamic tradition, the story of Lot in the Quran is more simplified and does not mention incest. Unlike the Christian texts, the Islamic interpretation focuses on Lot's dilemma in finding a legal marriage for his daughters. This reflects how culture and religion shape these stories.
This incident has also attracted a lot of attention in art history, especially in 16th century Europe, where painters began to focus on depicting the complex relationship between Lot and his daughters. This subject is full of sexual innuendos, with daughters often depicted naked in paintings, and Lot’s position becoming ambivalent, as he could be both a victim and an initiator.
This change in artistic expression demonstrates humanity’s exploration of taboos and morality, and visually depicts the difficulty and challenge of Lot’s story.
The story of Taboo Night illustrates the contradictions of human society. At the same time, it also makes us think about how the behaviors and cultural backgrounds in these ancient texts influence today's moral values and interpersonal relationships?
