Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 19:32/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ט:ל״ב
אוְטַעַם וּנְחַיֶּה מֵאָבִינוּ זֶרַע בְּאוּלַי כִּי אָמְרוּ נַעֲשֶׂה אֲנַחְנוּ הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הָרָאוּי לָנוּ, כִּי יְרַחֵם הָאֱלֹהִים וְנוֹלִיד זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה וְיִתְקַיֵּם הָעוֹלָם מֵהֶם כִּי "עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה" (תהלים פט ג), וְלֹא לְחִנָּם הִצִּילָנוּ ה'. וְהִנֵּה הָיוּ צְנוּעוֹת וְלֹא רָצוּ לֵאמֹר לַאֲבִיהֶם שֶׁיִּשָּׂא אוֹתָן, כִּי בֶּן נֹחַ מֻתָּר בְּבִתּוֹ (סנהדרין נח), אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה הַדָּבָר מְכֹעָר מְאֹד בְּעֵינֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת הָהֵם וְלֹא נַעֲשָׂה כֵן מֵעוֹלָם. וְכֵן רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בַּהַגָּדוֹת מְגַנִּים אֶת לוֹט מְאֹד (נזיר כג):
1THAT WE MAY KEEP ALIVE SEED FROM OUR FATHER. The intent is perhaps that they said: “Let us do what we can, so that G-d should have mercy, and we shall give birth to a boy and a girl from whom the world shall be sustained, for the world will be built with kindness,271 and it is not in vain that G-d has saved us.” Now they were modest and did not want to tell their father to marry them, as a Noachide272, Note 288. is permitted to take his daughter.273 It may be that the matter was extremely repulsive in the eyes of the people of those generations and was never done. Our Rabbis,274 in Agadic expositions, likewise discredit Lot very much.