Children of Abraham: A Story of God’s People (Abridged Version)

By Seung Geel Hong

A book that links together the histories of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It begins with the creation of Adam-and-Eve, and it ends with the current struggle between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387637355

Book preview

Children of Abraham: A Story of God’s People

(Abridged Version)

First Edition

By Hong, Seung Geel (홍승길)

© 2022 by Hong, Seung Geel (홍승길)

All rights reserved

ISBN:  978-1-387-63735-5

This book was previously published under the pen names of Lilly Sherman and Hong, Soong-gee-dee

Acknowledgment

I would like to thank all those who donated books, pamphlets, and other printed materials that greatly speeded up my research.

The personnel at the Macomb County Library, the St. Clair County Library System, and other libraries in Michigan were extremely helpful.  I thank them for their generous and friendly service.

I would also like to thank Eric and Heather Wiseman for providing much-needed Biblical information via e-mail and telephone.  They supplied information that were difficult to find.

There were many other individuals who contributed to the writing of this book, but they were too modest to have their names exposed.  I thank them all for their assistance, patience, and generosity.

Lastly, I would like to give special thanks to all my friends and relatives who gave unfailing moral support during the 10 years that it took to write this book.

Hong, Seung Geel (홍승길)

Note to the Readers

Unfortunately, too many Jews, Christians, and Muslims are either unaware of their kinship to one another or they disown one another out of prejudice.  The fact is that they are theologically related, because they all had the same patriarch Abraham.

Many reject the idea of common heritage for various reasons: lack of knowledge, fear of the unknown, or fear of change.  Such individuals may have difficulty in discussing ideas that are unfamiliar, and they often try to maintain their secure feeling of familiarity by harboring ideas that seem

logical.  For example, an uninformed person may remark:

"Oh, the Muslims don’t believe in God; they believe in Allah."

On the other hand, someone who is familiar with the situation would know that the Arabic word Allah and the English word God are synonymous, and therefore the speaker would not make such a misstatement.

If more people were aware of the common heritage of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, there would be more inter-religious co-operation; and thus, there would be much less religious violence throughout the world.

The following book is a brief summary of the origins of the world’s three most-popular monotheistic religions.  Although there is much history in this book, it is not the intention of the author to provide a history-lesson to the reading-audience.  In fact, at times, religious-books and history-books disagree on certain details.  The purpose of this book is to show the biological and theological lineage of Abraham.

Since the Jews, Christians, and Muslims use different holy books, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to write a book about them in a completely impartial manner.  Therefore, to be as fair as possible, sources for this book were selected and used according to seniority.  For example, because Judaism and Christianity are the older religions, the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible (along with secular sources) were used for the first part of the book.  Then, secular sources (with the Qur’an as reference) were used for the latter part of the book.  Regrettably, the contents of the Qur’an are not catalogued in chronological order, and therefore it would nearly be impossible to use the Qur’an as the primary source.

Moreover, because of the fact that almost anything done by humans contains flaws, the reading-audience will undoubtedly find some errors in this book.  For example, because various peoples have used different calendars throughout the ages, many historical dates are not precise.  For another example, since the author did not have the opportunity to personally walk from one given site to another, most of the distances were determined according to the maps that were available.  In other words, most of the distances were measured as the crow flies, which result in distances that are often shorter than what a traveler would actually cover.  Thus, the reader is encouraged to view all information in this book with the idea of updating them whenever new or better sources become available.

It is the hope of the author that, after reading this book, the reader will look upon all Jews, Christians, and Muslims as members of one family (i.e., members of the family of Abraham).

In the Beginning . . .

God planted various types of trees when He (or She) made the

Garden of Eden for Adam in Mesopotamia, which is the area between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers of present-day Iraq.  Among the many trees were two special trees that were planted side-by-side in the very center of the garden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Conscience.  Eating the fruit from the Tree of Life would enable the eater to live forever; and eating the fruit from the Tree of Conscience would give the eater the ability to distinguish the difference between good and bad.

God assigned Adam as the sole gardener, and God gave Adam permission to eat almost any fruit in the garden, including the fruit from the Tree of Life.  But God warned Adam not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Conscience:  If he did, he would die.

Sometime later, God put Adam into a deep sleep, and God made a woman (named Eve) from one of Adam’s ribs.  God, then, gave Eve to Adam to be his wife.  (Some believe that Adam had a previous wife named Lilith.)

At the time, Adam and Eve were extremely innocent and vulnerable, and they had not yet experienced the emotion of embarrassment.  Therefore they felt no need to wear any clothing.

Anyway, after the trees began to produce fruit, Adam and Eve became victims of the serpent and thereby disobeyed God’s command.  One day, Eve and the serpent became engaged in a conversation that concerned all the fruits that Adam and Eve were permitted to eat.  Eve explained that God had given them permission to eat any fruit in the garden except the fruit from the Tree of Conscience, and the penalty for disobedience would result in death.

On hearing Eve’s explanation, the serpent insisted that Adam and Eve would not die.  Instead, they would become as wise as God Godself, and they would gain the ability to distinguish the difference between good and bad.

Hence, persuaded by the serpent’s lies that seemed so logical, Eve tasted the forbidden fruit; and she, then, offered it to Adam.  And as they consumed the fruit, they became aware of their nakedness for the first time, and they experienced their first sensation of embarrassment.  Hence they covered themselves with fig leaves and went into hiding.

That evening, God realized what had happened and became very worried, because Adam and Eve now had the same knowledge as God Godself concerning the knowledge of good and bad.  And God became frightened at the thought of what could happen if Adam and Eve would now eat the fruit from the Tree of Life:  They would live forever, and who knows what they would do next!  Therefore, to prevent Adam and Eve from approaching the Tree of Life, God banished them from the Garden of Eden and forced them to go out into the harsh outside world.  Then, to prevent their re-entry, God posted mighty angels (with flaming swords) on the eastern perimeter of the garden.

Sometime later, Eve gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel.  Tragically, when the boys grew up, Cain killed his younger brother Abel, whereupon God cursed Cain and banished him from the area.

Cain left his farm and emigrated eastward to the Land of Nod, which supposedly means Land of Nomads.  At his new home, Cain began a new life.  He started a family and later founded the first city in the world. 

Cain named the city after his eldest son Enoch.

Incidentally, it is debatable whether God created other humans besides Adam and Eve.  Some believe that the characters of Adam and Eve only symbolize humankind.  According to this belief, Adam and Eve were not alone; there were other humans in the world.  If that were the case, Cain would have obtained his wife from among the local population.

On the other hand, others believe that God actually created just Adam and Eve.  And if that were the case, the offspring of Adam and Eve would have been forced to marry each other.  In other words, Cain would have married one of his own sisters.

In either case, it is definite that Adam and Eve had many other children besides Cain and Abel.  They may have had as many as 33 sons and 23 daughters, Seth being the third son.

When Seth grew up, he fathered a son named Enosh, and it was during the generation of Enosh when some of the people began to identify themselves as the Lord’s people.

In the meantime, sometime after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, Adam (according to Muslim tradition) traveled to present-day western Saudi Arabia and built the Ka’ba.  The Ka’ba (House of God) is a rectangular-shaped, one-room, stone structure that is located in the present-day city of Makkah (Mecca), and it is the shrine toward which all Muslims turn when they pray.

In any event, during the generations that followed Adam and Eve, the world population increased dramatically.  Unfortunately, most of the people strayed away from God and lived wickedly.  And by the 10th generation of

God’s creation of humankind, only Noah lived according to the ways of God.

Eventually, with so much wickedness in the world, God regretted that He (or She) had ever created humankind, and God decided to destroy all the living creatures from the face of the earth.  However, God would save the one man who had remained faithful:  God would spare Noah, along with Noah’s family.

God decided to destroy all life on earth with water.  And to save

Noah’s family, God gave Noah the dimensions of a three-stories-tall ark.  (In this case, the ark was a ship.)  The ark would be large enough to shelter-and-maintain Noah’s family and one pair of every living creature in the world.  It would also hold seven pairs of certain clean birds and land-animals that would be used for food and sacrifice.  When completed, the ark would be capable of remaining afloat for a long time.

The dimensions of the ark were very unusual: 137 meters x 23 meters x 14 meters.  Since the ark had no particular destination, God did not design it to go anywhere; God designed it to merely remain afloat and survive.

In any event, according to God’s instruction, the Noah family built the ark and waited for further orders.  Then, at age 600, Noah received orders from God to get everyone aboard the ark: his wife, his three sons, the three daughters-in-law, the animals, himself.  (According to the Qur’an, Noah had a son who refused to get aboard, but a small number of believers did board the ark.)  Everyone boarded the ark and waited for the rain to fall.

Seven days after Noah had shut the door, the rain began to fall and the underground water gushed through the surface.  As the rain poured down, the water rose higher and higher until it covered the entire world.  And eventually, even the highest mountain peaks were covered by at least 6.7 meters of water.  Altogether, the rain and the underground water continued to flow for 40 days.

Then, after the water stopped flowing, it continued to cover the earth for several months.  The ark drifted in the water for 150 days before it finally came to rest on top of Mount Ararat, which is located in the eastern portion of present-day Turkey.

Noah and his family continued to live aboard the ark for several more months as the water receded.  And by the time the earth had completely dried, the Noah family and the animals had spent 378 - 383 days aboard the ark.  Finally, Noah opened the door, and everyone disembarked and set foot on solid ground.

Noah built an altar and offered burnt sacrifice.  During such sacrifice, the whole animal was consumed in the fire.

Fortunately for all the creatures, God had compassion for them.  Although humankind’s tendency is to do evil, God promised Noah and all the surviving creatures that He (or She) would never again destroy the earth with water.  And as a token of the promise, God would produce a rainbow in future rain clouds.

The Noah family eventually departed from Mount Ararat to repopulate the world.

Sadly, only three or four generations later, humankind again turned away from God and became corrupt.  Soon, the people became arrogant and congregated on the plain of Sumer to work on an immense project.

Incidentally, Sumer, Shinar, and Chaldea were all located in the same general area of present-day southern Iraq.  Their names and boundaries changed according to military conquests.

Anyway, the people at Sumer united as one entity and began to build a great city and an accompanying tall tower, a tower that is now referred to as the Tower of Babel.  The word Babel, which is a variant name for Babylon, originally meant Gate of God.  The ruins of Babylon are located just east of the Euphrates River, about 90 kilometers south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq.

There are at least two possible reasons why the humans began the construction of such a massive tower.  Some believe that it was started as an eternal monument to humankind.  It was intended to symbolize the unity of humankind and to prevent them from scattering all over the world.

Others believe that it was started as a challenge to God.  A group of humans felt that it was unfair for God to live in high Heaven while the humans were forced to live on the ground.

Moreover, if God should attempt to drown the world for the second time, the tower would be tall enough to survive the flood.  And the humans could, then, wage war against God and avenge the deaths of those whom God would have destroyed.

Hence, the generation of secession rebelled against God and attempted to build a tower that would reach into Heaven Itself.  And when the tower would be completed, the rebel humans would face God and defy God’s authority.

In either version, God noticed the great project that was uniting all humankind against Him (or Her), and God became very concerned.  God thought:

... "Look!  If they are able to accomplish all this when they have just begun to exploit their linguistic and political unity, just think of what they will do later!  Nothing will be unattainable for them! ..."

(Genesis 11:6)

Because of such evil capabilities of humans, God devised a way to make them abandon their colossal construction.  Up to this point (according to the Bible), everyone throughout the world spoke the same language.  Therefore, to disperse the human population away from their united project, God caused them to speak different languages, which made it impossible for the workers to continue their work.  And consequently, the people grouped themselves according to the various languages and abandoned the area.  Thus, the different groups eventually scattered in all directions and settled in different parts of the world.

Chapter 1:  Abram’s Family

1a. Abram’s Background

In the 10th generation after Noah and the Great Flood (according to one version), a man named Terah left the mountains of Padan-aram and migrated southeastward to the plains of Sumer.  He settled in the city of Ur, on the banks of the Euphrates River.  (Padan-aram was the northwestern part of Mesopotamia; Ur was located about 301 kilometers southeast of present-day Baghdad, Iraq.)

Meanwhile, by the time Terah was 70 years old, he (through two wives) had fathered three sons and a daughter: Abram, Nahor, Haran, Sarai.

Incidentally, since Abram is the first on the list above, it suggests that he was the eldest son.  But some believe that Haran was the eldest son, and Abram was the youngest.  According to this belief, Abram is listed first because he is the more important character in the Bible.

In any case, Haran died at a young age after he had fathered a son and two daughters: Lot, Milcah, Iscah.

Nahor and Abram married members within the family.  Nahor married Haran’s daughter Milcah, and Abram married his own half-sister Sarai.

Around 1900 BC, Terah again decided to relocate.  This time, he wanted to settle along the southeastern coastal region of the Mediterranean Sea, in a region called Canaan.  Terah was accompanied by Abram, Sarai, Lot, and possibly Nahor’s family (explained below).

At the beginning of Terah’s journey, his original destination was Canaan, but he never reached it.  Instead, he stopped and settled in Haran, Padan-aram (located in present-day southeast Turkey).

Scholars disagree as to whether Nahor’s family relocated at this particular time.  Some believe that, previously, as Terah was migrating toward Sumer, Nahor settled along the way in Haran.  If that were the case, Nahor would not have lived in Ur at all.  In any event, although it is uncertain whether Nahor’s family relocated at this particular time, it is definite that all the family-members did somehow end up in Haran.

In either case, history suggests that Terah may have had an excellent reason for settling in Haran.  It just so happened that Ur and Haran were sister cities that worshipped the Sumerian moon-god Nanna, which was the Babylonian equivalent of Sin.  The two cities were about 966 kilometers apart, and there is the possibility that a king of Ur may have contributed to the founding of Haran.  Thus, it is presumed that many citizens of Ur and Haran would have migrated from one city to the other, as Terah did.

Some believe that Terah’s family reached Haran by following the course of the Euphrates River, slowly traveling northwestward.  Then, rather than continuing his journey to Canaan, Terah settled in Haran, where he died at age 205.  (According to another version, Terah died at age 145.)

1b. Abram Migrates to Canaan

When Abram was 75 years old, God told him to leave his clan and move to Canaan.  God promised to provide a good future for him if he would obey.

Abram and his household, accompanied by Lot, departed from Haran and migrated about 644 kilometers southwestward to Canaan.  Abram and Lot brought all the wealth that they had accumulated in Haran, which included many slaves and much livestock.

After arriving in Canaan, Abram’s group set up camp near Shechem, about 48 kilometers north of present-day Jerusalem.  God appeared and promised to give the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants.  And after receiving God’s promise, Abram built his first altar in Canaan to commemorate God’s visit.

Abram and his group, then, journeyed farther south toward the hilly country that lay east of Luz, about 19 kilometers north of present-day Jerusalem.  Abram, again, set up camp and built an altar.

Eventually, Abram’s group, once more, broke camp and slowly wandered farther south into the Negev region, the semi-desert region of present-day southern Israel.  At the time, much of Canaan was in the grip of a severe famine, and Abram’s group was forced to migrate into Egypt.

Meanwhile, as Abram led his group closer to Egypt, he became more and more concerned for his own life.  He feared that someone might kill him in order to take his beautiful wife Sarai, and he therefore asked her to pretend that she was his sister instead of his wife.

Then, when Abram’s group entered Egypt, the Egyptians did notice Sarai’s beauty, and the palace aides described her beauty to the Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh, unaware of the deception, commanded Sarai to be taken to his harem so that she could become his wife.  And in exchange for Sarai, the Pharaoh presented many slaves and much livestock to Abram.  (According to Muslim belief, the Pharaoh also presented Hagar to be

Abram’s wife.)

Unfortunately for the Pharaoh’s household, God struck them with a great plague, at which point the Pharaoh returned Sarai to Abram when he learned of the deception.  The Pharaoh, then, angrily sent Abram and his group out of the country under armed escort, and Abram led his group back to Canaan.

1c. Abram and Lot Separate

Abram led his group back to near Luz, where he had previously built an altar.  By this time, Abram and Lot had become so prosperous that the land around them could not adequately support their combined households.  And to make matters even worse, Abram and Lot had to share the natural resources with the native populations, which included the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

As a result, Abram determined that it was necessary for him and Lot to separate, and he made Lot an offer:  Lot could either remain at his present location or move southeast.  And whichever choice Lot would take, Abram would gladly accept the remaining choice.

Lot chose to relocate:  He and his group moved to the fertile Jordan Valley where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah lay.  (Some believe that these cities may currently lie submerged beneath the southern end of the

Dead Sea.)

Abram remained at his location and continued to live among the Canaanites.  He eventually moved his camp approximately 48 kilometers south to within sight of an oak grove near Mamre.

The area of Mamre was named for one of Abram’s allies.  It is believed to have been located possibly three kilometers either north or west of Kiriath-arba, which is present-day Hebron.  Hebron is about 32 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem.

In any event, sometime during this period, the cities of the plains (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela) were attacked-and-subjugated by a coalition of four foreign kings.  And the five cities lived under foreign rule for 12 years.

Then, in the 13th year, the five cities revolted, and the four foreign kings arrived a year later with a strong army.  And at first, the foreign kings had great success:  They conquered five local tribes and successfully fought off an attack by the combined armies of the five cities.  The foreign kings plundered the cities and took many captives.  But fatefully, Abram’s nephew Lot was among the captives.  And as the foreign armies traveled northward to return home, one of the captives escaped and reported Lot’s circumstance to Abram.

When Abram heard the news, he (along with his allies Aner, Eschol, and Mamre) assembled an army and chased after the foreign armies to the city of Laish.  (Laish, later renamed Dan, was located about 40 kilometers north of the Sea of Galilee.)

At the time of the rescue-mission, Abram had 318 men under his direct command.  And when Abram and his allies arrived at Laish, they divided their forces and attacked the enemy from several directions during the night.  They quickly defeated the enemy forces and pursued them northward past the city of Damascus, which is located about 214 kilometers north of present-day Jerusalem.  Abram freed his nephew Lot and returned home safely.

1d. Birth of Ishmael

About 10 years after Abram and Sarai’s arrival in Canaan, Sarai believed that God had made her permanently barren, and she perceived her condition as a sign for her to take the matter into her own hands.  Hence, she instructed her husband Abram to impregnate Hagar.  Through such arrangement, the future child would legally belong to Sarai.

Unfortunately, soon after Hagar’s conception, trouble arose between her and Sarai.  Some believe that, because of Hagar’s desirable condition, she became arrogant.  Others believe that Sarai became jealous of Hagar.  In either case, when Sarai complained to Abram, he gave her permission to mistreat Hagar.

Consequently, Hagar reached the point where she could no longer withstand Sarai’s mistreatment, and she escaped from camp and fled to Beer-lahai-roi, which was possibly about 97 kilometers southwest of the Dead Sea.  Near a spring, God appeared in the form of an angel and instructed Hagar to return to camp and submit to Sarai’s abusive treatment.  In the same breath, God promised to make Hagar into a great nation.  God, then, instructed Hagar to name her future son Ishmael, which supposedly means God hears.  Hence, Hagar returned to camp to accept her (and her future son’s) destiny.

Later, at age 86, Abram eagerly waited to become the proud father of a long-wished-for son.  And at the birth of his son, Abram carried out God’s instruction:  He named the baby Ishmael.

Incidentally, Abram and Sarai would not have any more children for the next 13 years.  Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that everyone within the camp would have expected Ishmael to inherit Abram’s position and power.  But God had other plans for Ishmael.

1e. The Covenant

When Abram was 99 years old, God appeared and made a covenant with him.  God promised that Abram would become a father to many nations, and He (or She) would give all of Canaan to Abram’s descendants.  In return, Abram and his descendants would be required to worship only God.  And as a token of the agreement, every male-member within Abram’s camp (from this point forward) would be required to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth.

God, then, instructed Abram to change both his name and his wife’s name to Abraham and Sarah.  Strangely, the before and after names have identical meanings:  Abram and Abraham both mean The father is exalted; Sarai and Sarah both mean princess.

Some believe that Sarai should be interpreted as "my princess.  If that is the case, it is understandable why God wanted Sarai’s name to be changed: Sarai" (my princess) indicates a relationship to only one person, whereas Sarah (princess) suggests a relationship to a group, to a community, or to a country.

Unfortunately, it is less clear as to why God wanted Abram to change his name to Abraham.  Evidently, certain facts may have been omitted or altered from the original source.  Some suggest that the spelling and the meaning of Abraham were somehow influenced by the Hebrew phrase

Ab-hamon goyim, which supposedly means Father of many nations.

In any case, God told Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son in about a year.  God assured Abraham that he (Abraham) would become the ancestor to millions of descendants, and the descendants would develop into many nations.

When Abraham heard God’s prophecy, he prostrated himself and laughed inwardly as he thought:

... Me, be a father? ... Me -- 100 years old?  And Sarah, to have a baby at 90?  (Genesis 17:17)

Evidently, Abraham either misunderstood God’s intention or he was deeply concerned for Ishmael’s future, because he said:

... Yes, do bless Ishmael!  (Genesis 17:18)

In response, God corrected Abraham and stressed that Sarah would produce a son, and the son would be the chosen one with whom God would keep the covenant.  God, then, instructed Abraham to name his future son

Isaac, which supposedly means one laughs.

Incidentally, although God had chosen to continue the covenant with

Abraham’s future son Isaac, God did not forget Abraham’s firstborn Ishmael.  On the contrary, God assured Abraham that Ishmael likewise would have a good future:  God promised to bless Ishmael and cause his descendants to multiply and become a great nation.  (According to Muslim belief, Ishmael’s descendants would become the Arab nations.)

In any event, after his visit with God, Abraham implemented his part of the covenant by ordering every male-member within his camp to be circumcised on that very day.  Abraham was 99 years old and Ishmael was 13 years old when they were both circumcised.

Shortly after the visit, while Abraham was still encamped near Mamre, God came for another visit.  This time, God and two angels (all three in human form) approached Abraham’s camp during the hottest part of the afternoon.

Abraham looked up from the tent-entrance and noticed the three visitors approaching.  He quickly rose to his feet and greeted them, and he asked them to stay and visit.

Abraham instructed Sarah to use her best flour and prepare some rolls for the visitors.  He, then, picked out a fat calf from his herd and ordered a servant to butcher it.

Later, Abraham personally served his guests a meal of roast veal, soft cheese, and milk.  He, then, stood nearby as the guests ate.

After the meal, the leader of the group (God) reminded Abraham that He (or She) would give Abraham and Sarah a second son during the following year, and Sarah would be the biological mother.

Meanwhile, Sarah (listening at the tent-entrance) clearly overheard the conversation, and she laughed and scoffed to herself:

... A woman my age have a baby? ... And with a husband as old as mine?  (Genesis 18:12)

Then, knowing Sarah’s thoughts, God asked Abraham why his wife had laughed, whereupon Abraham became speechless and began to search for words.  But before Abraham could even speak, God assured him that he (Abraham) and Sarah would definitely have a son during the following year.

Moments later, when Sarah exited the tent, she became too frightened to admit the truth, and she denied that she had laughed at God’s prophecy.

Of course, God knew better, and God insisted that Sarah did laugh.

1f. Sodom and Gomorrah

After the visit, Abraham walked with his visitors for a while as they went on their way.  As they walked, God explained that they were traveling to Sodom and Gomorrah to investigate the wickedness of the inhabitants. 

As God’s companions walked on ahead, God continued to speak with Abraham.

By this time, Abraham realized that God might destroy the city where

Lot was living, and therefore Abraham interceded for the inhabitants of Sodom.  Abraham asked if God would destroy even all the good people along with the wicked ones, and God decided to spare the whole city if it contained at least 50 good people.

On hearing God’s answer, Abraham feared that the whole city of Sodom may not contain 50 good people.  Therefore Abraham asked if God would be willing to spare the city if it had only 45 good people, and God agreed to spare the city if it contained only 45 good people.  However, Abraham was still not satisfied with the revised figure, and he continued to negotiate with God for an acceptable figure.  And ultimately, God agreed to spare the city of Sodom even if it had only 10 good people in it.

After the conversation, God traveled on toward Sodom, and Abraham returned to camp.

That evening, the two angels (still in human form) arrived at Sodom as Lot sat near the city gate.  And when Lot saw the two strangers approaching, he stood up and greeted them, and he insisted that they spend the night at his home.

Later, after Lot and his guests had enjoyed a good meal, the townsmen gathered in front of Lot’s house and demanded that Lot surrender the guests to them so that they could sexually molest them.

Of course, Lot refused to comply:  Since Lot had invited the strangers into his home as guests, he was compelled to protect them at any price.  Hence, Lot exited the house (closing the door behind him) and offered his own two virgin daughters to satisfy the crowd’s demand, but the crowd refused the offer.  They wanted the men.  And they threatened Lot for not meeting their demand.  The crowd, then, advanced toward Lot with the intention of breaking down the door.

At that moment, the guests quickly opened the door and pulled Lot inside, bolting the door behind him.  At the same time, the guests temporarily blinded the crowd with a flash of bright light, whereupon the stunned crowd lost interest in their objective and dispersed from the vicinity.

By now, Lot realized that his guests were no ordinary men, and he listened carefully as they informed him that God had sent them to destroy the city.  The visitors told Lot and his family to make preparations to abandon the city.

Lot left the house and warned his daughters’ fiancés, but the fiancés refused to listen:  They thought that Lot had lost his senses.  Hence it became clear that only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters would be leaving the city.

At dawn, the angels instructed Lot’s family to escape to the mountain without looking back, whereupon Lot asked if he could escape to a small nearby village instead of to the mountain.  Evidently, Lot was afraid of either the long journey to the mountain or the mountain itself.  In either case, the angels apparently agreed to Lot’s request.

Later, as Lot and his family neared the village of Zoar, God rained fire upon the cities and the villages of the plain, including Sodom and Gomorrah.  And consequently, for many kilometers around, all forms of life were destroyed: humans, animals, plants.

Meanwhile, Lot’s wife had lagged behind, and she turned around to take one last look at her city, whereupon she turned into a pillar of salt (some say a pillar of "rock").  At that desperate moment, Lot and his daughters had no choice except to leave her behind and continue their escape.

Mysteriously, for whatever reason(s), Lot became afraid to live among the citizens of Zoar.  It is uncertain as to how long Lot stayed in Zoar, but it is definite that he did not stay long.  Lot took his daughters into the mountain and lived in a cave.

1g. Lot’s Daughters

Eventually, Lot’s daughters feared that most of the earth had been destroyed, and they believed that there were no local available men.  Hence, they decided to help re-populate the world and carry on the family name by having sexual relations with their own father.  Accordingly, the daughters schemed to get their father drunk, and they each slept with him and became pregnant (the elder daughter first).

Each daughter gave birth to a son:  The elder daughter gave birth to Moab, and the younger daughter gave birth to Benammi.  Moab would become the ancestor of the Moabites, and Benammi would become the ancestor of the Ammonites.

Sadly, the descendants of Abraham and the descendants of Lot would become enemies.  Nevertheless, a descendant of Abraham would marry a descendant of Lot, and the couple would become the great-grandparents to King David.

1h. Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael

About a year after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Sarah had a son at their new encampment somewhere between Gerar and Beersheba.  Gerar was possibly about 32 kilometers northwest of Beersheba.

Anyway, following God’s previous instructions, Abraham named the baby Isaac, and Isaac was circumcised on the eighth day after birth.

Sometime later, the rivalry between Sarah and Hagar began to increase, and by the time of Isaac’s weaning, the tension between the two women had reached