Origen · Annotations on Genesis §19.25

The Fall of Sodom and Lot's Wife Becoming a Pillar of Salt

Passage 2 of 6 · Greek

Summary

The author explains the destruction of the provisions of the ungodly in the overthrow of Sodom, the symbolic meaning of Lot's wife becoming a pillar of salt, and how Lot did not immediately go to the mountain but first fled to Zoar.

§19.25Σπίχκε΄.

Verse 25.

Καὶ κατέστρεφεν τὰς πόλεις ταύτας, καὶ πασαν τὴν περίχωρον, καὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι. Στίχ. κς΄.

"And he overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding country, and all the inhabitants of the cities." Verse 26.

Καὶ ἀπέλεψεν ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ ἐγένετο στήλη ἁλός. Ὁ Κύριος οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἀπόλλυσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τροφὰς αὐτῶν οὔσας Σοδομιτικὰς καὶ ἐπιβλαβεῖς· ἐν αἷς ἐστι καὶ ἄμπελος, περὶ ἧς γέγραπται· Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ κλημαεὶς αὐτῶν ἐκ Γομόῤῤας. (5) Ἅμα τε εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπεσώθη, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἐπεφέρετο ταῖς πόλεσι, σημεῖον τῆς μελλούσης συντελείας.

"And his wife looked back, and became a pillar of salt." The Lord destroys not only the ungodly, but also their provisions, since they are Sodomitic and harmful; among which is also the vine, about which it is written: "For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and their shoot is from Gomorrah." (5) And as soon as he was safely brought into the city, the fire was brought upon the cities, as a sign of the future consummation.

Στήλη οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα στήλη ἁλὸς, διὰ τό· Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἄλας τῆς γῆς. Ἐφαρμόσῃ δὲ τῇ στήλῃ τοῦ ἁλὸς τό· Ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἅλας μωρανθῇ;

She became not simply a pillar, but especially a pillar of salt, because of: "You are the salt of the earth." And would the saying, "But if the salt should lose its taste," apply to the pillar of salt?

Οὐκ ἀθρόως ἀναβαίνει εἰς τὸ ὄρος κατὰ τὰ εἰρημένα αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον εἰς Σηγὼρ γίνεται, καίτοιγε μὴ θαῤῥήσας ἑαυτῷ περὶ τοῦ ἀναβῆναι εἰς τὸ ὄρος.

He did not immediately go up to the mountain according to what was said to him, but first arrived at Zoar, although not having confidence in himself concerning going up to the mountain.

Notes

19.25ἅμα τε ... καὶ ... — The correlation of ἅμα and καὶ forms a construction meaning 'as soon as... then...' or 'at the same time as...'. Here it indicates that Lot's safe arrival in the city and the falling of fire upon the cities occurred simultaneously.
19.25Ἐφαρμόσῃ — The third-person singular aorist active subjunctive of ἐφαρμόζω (to fit, apply), functioning as a deliberative subjunctive with the following quoted phrase (introduced by τό) as its subject. With the dative τῇ στήλῃ, it means 'would [the saying] apply to the pillar?'
19.25μὴ θαῤῥήσας ἑαυτῷ — A participial clause accompanied by the conjunction καίτοιγε (although). The verb θαῤῥέω takes the dative to mean 'trust in, have confidence in', and with the reflexive pronoun ἑαυτῷ, it expresses concession or cause: 'although not having confidence in himself'.

Cite this passage

Origen, Annotations on Genesis §19.25. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg2042.tlg066.humanitext-grc1:19.25

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