Now Lot went up out of Zoar: Now is used by Revised Standard Version as a transition to a new development and is not a time word. We can also show this as a transition from the earlier story; for example, “After these things happened” or “Later.” Went up is directional and pictures Lot moving from the low-lying Zoar to the higher elevation in the hill country.

Dwelt in the hills with his two daughters: dwelt translates a verb that means to “stay” or “live” for a period of time. There is no indication that Lot is a herdsman on the move. In verse 18 it was to these hills that Lot said he could not go. In later times these hills east of the Jordan were occupied by the Moabites and Ammonites, a fact that throws light on this story.

Translators may find it clearer to begin this verse with the reason clause for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. In that case we may begin verse 30 as Good News Translation does: “Because Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, ….” In some languages an adjustment may also be needed to make it clear that it was not only Lot who traveled from Zoar to the hill country, as the singular subject and verb in Hebrew may suggest; Good News Translation says “he and his two daughters moved,” and some other translations have “… so he took his two daughters, and they went and stayed….”

So he dwelt in a cave with his two daughters: dwelt is the same verb as used in the previous sentence. The vowel points in Hebrew make the cave a definite one, which may mean that this cave was a well-known place when the text was finally written. However, in the context as we have it, it is necessary to refer to an indefinite “cave” in languages that make this kind of distinction.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .