What does the Bible say about Zoar?

Zoar was a small city located near the southern end of the Dead Sea. It is most well-known for its connection to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the escape of Lot.

Originally, Zoar was one of the five cities of the plain, along with Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim. When God prepared to destroy these cities because of their extreme wickedness, Lot pleaded for Zoar to be spared as a place of refuge. Genesis 19:20–22 records his appeal:

“‘See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one… Is it not a little one? And my soul shall live.’ And he said to him, ‘See, I have favored you concerning this thing also… I will not overthrow this city.’”

Zoar was thus spared, not because of its righteousness, but because of Lot’s request. It served as a temporary place of safety for Lot and his daughters after they fled Sodom.

However, even after entering Zoar, Lot feared to stay there. Genesis 19:30 says:

“Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar…”

What followed was the shameful account of Lot’s daughters making him drunk and bearing children by him, Moab and Ben-Ammi, the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites.

In later prophetic references, Zoar is mentioned as part of the broader region under judgment (Isaiah 15:5; Jeremiah 48:34), particularly in prophecies concerning Moab.

Zoar stands as a symbol of God’s mercy in the midst of judgment, but also as a reminder that compromise and fear often follow when people flee without fully trusting God.

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