Question:
“And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth” (Genesis 19:31 KJV)
What does “after the manner of all the earth” mean?
Answer:
After the destruction of Sodom, Lot leaves Zoar, the town where he fled, and moves into the mountains. There, he leads a reclusive life. His daughters, used to city life, are afraid they will never meet men and have children. Living in the wilderness as a hermit doesn’t do much for a girl’s social life.
They were not concerned with finding someone to marry; they were concerned that they would not have an opportunity to have sex and bear children. “There is not a man in the earth to come in unto us” is to be understood literally. Living a reclusive life in the mountains, they despaired of having a man put his penis into them to have sex with them. “After the manner of all the earth” means “like everyone else.” Remember, these girls were raised in Sodom. Sexual sin was rampant. From their viewpoint, everyone else gets to enjoy sex, so they decide they should experience it as well.
They got their father Lot drunk and had sex with him. They justified it as a way to preserve the family’s heritage. Though God destroyed cities because of sexual sins, it seems that these women did not learn that God hates sin. They planned their sin and carried it out on two different nights.