The city of Ẓō'ar (G (
Greek characters)) was well known, not only in OT times
(1310 142. 8, Dt. 343, Is. 155, Jer. 4834), but also in the time of the
Crusades, and to the Ar. geographers, who call the Dead Sea the Sea
of Zuġar. That this mediæval Zoar was at the S end of the lake is
undisputed; and there is no good reason to question its identity with
the biblical city (see Jos. BJ, iv. 482; OS1, 26137). Since Wetzstein, it
is usually located at Ghōr eṣ-Ṣāfiyeh, about 5 m. SE from the present
shore of the Sea (cf. Di. 273; Buhl, GP, 271; Smith, HG, 505 ff.; and
esp. Dri. DB, iv. 985b ff.). The situation of the city naturally gave
birth to the secondary legend that it had been saved from the fate of
the adjacent cities on account of the intercession of Lot; while the
name in Heb. readily suggested the etymology of 22b.
23-28. The catastrophe.—Brevity in the description
of physical phenomena is in accord with the spirit of the
Hebrew legend, whose main interest is the dramatic presentation
of human character and action.—23, 24. The
clause when Lot entered Zoar, presupposes 17-22, and, if
the latter be from a separate source, must be deleted as
an interpolation (Gu.). The connexion is improved by the
excision: just as the sun rose the catastrophe took place
(G-K. § 164 b).—sulphur and fire (Ezk. 3822, Ps. 116)] a
feature suggested by permanent physical phenomena of
the region (see below).—Yahwe rained . . . from Yahwe]
A distinction between Yahwe as present in the angels and
Yahwe as seated in heaven (Di.) is improbable. We must
either suppose that the original subject was 'the men'
(so Gu.: cf. v.13), or that (Hebrew characters) is a doublet to
(Hebrew characters): the latter phrase, however, is generally considered
to be a gloss (Ols. KS. Ho. Gu. Kit.).—25. (Hebrew characters)] see on
29.—26. Lot's wife transgresses the prohibition of 17, and
is turned into a pillar of salt.
The literal interpretation of this notice, though still maintained by
Strack, is clearly inadmissible. The pillar is mentioned as still existing
in WS 107, Jos. Ant. i. 203; the reference obviously being to some
curious resemblance to a female figure, round which the popular
21. (Hebrew characters)] 'have accepted thee' (lit. 'lifted up thy face': opp.
(Hebrew characters))—here in a good sense (as 3221, 2 Ki. 314, Mal. 18f.), more frequent
in the bad sense of partiality in judgement (Lv. 1915, Dt. 1017,
Mal. 29, Jb. 1310 etc.).
23. (Hebrew characters)] [E] (Hebrew characters); cf. 1517.—25. (Hebrew characters) (v.8)] G + (Hebrew characters), as v.29.—26.
The v. stands out of its proper position (note the [H] consec., and the
suffs.), and belongs to 17-22 rather than to the main narrative (Gu.).—*
