Abstract

After Abram and Sarai return from Egypt, where they are forced to go during a famine in Canaan, Abram asks Lot to separate from him. This request reflects a Deuteronomic law prohibiting the Israelites from allowing Lot's descendants, the Ammonites and Moabites, to enter the community (Deut 23,4). The narrative is likely to be a hidden polemic against intermarriage with Ammonites and Moabites, reflecting the intolerant attitude of Ezra and Nehemiah towards all of the indigenous population in Judea. The intolerance of Abram towards Lot's descendants parallels his intolerance towards Canaanites in Genesis 24 and contrasts with the tolerant attitude of the author of the book of Ruth. The tolerant attitude of the author of Genesis towards Esau and Ishmael, the son of an Egyptian whose daughter Basemath marries Esau, reflects the Deuteronomist's tolerant attitude towards Egyptians and Edomites.