Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 19:30/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ט:ל׳

אכִּי יָרֵא לָשֶׁבֶת בְּצוֹעַר כָּתַב רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית י"ט:ל') לְפִי שֶׁהִיא קְרוֹבָה לִסְדוֹם. וְאֵינוֹ כֵן, אֲבָל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא מִן הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁנִּגְזְרָה עֲלֵיהֶם הַהַשְׁחָתָה, וּבִתְחִנָּתוֹ שֶׁל לוֹט הִנִּיחָהּ הַמַּלְאָךְ בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לְהִמָּלֵט הָהָרָה בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם, חָשַׁב בְּלִבּוֹ כִּי לֹא יַאֲרִיךְ לוֹ עוֹד אַחֲרֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ זְמַן רַב לְהִמָּלֵט הָהָרָה. וּלְכָךְ אָמְרָה בִּתּוֹ "וְאִישׁ אֵין בָּאָרֶץ", שֶׁחָשְׁבָה כִּי בְּצֵאת אָבִיהָ מִשָּׁם נִשְׁחֲתָה צוֹעַר:

1FOR HE FEARED TO DWELL IN ZOAR. Rashi wrote, “Because it was near to Sodom.”This is not so.²⁶² [Zoar], (Verse 21), Zoar would no longer be in danger of destruction even though it was near Sodom. (Mizrachi.) Rather, since it was one of the places upon which destruction had originally been decreed and it was only by Lot’s supplication that the angel exempted it because Lot could not make his escape to the mountain on that day,²⁶³ Lot now thought that the angel would no longer extend his request, for he now had sufficient time to make the escape to the mountain.²⁶⁴. This was why his daughter said, And there is not a man in the earth,²⁶⁵ for she thought that with her father’s departure from Zoar the city was destroyed.