Wikipedia's first sentence called it “nephew of the patriarch”. Today it says “notable figure mentioned in the biblical book of genesis”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Lot ( לוֹט "Hidden, covered", Standard Hebrew Lot , Tiberian Hebrew Loṭ ; Qur’anic Arabic لوط Lūṭ ) was the nephew of the patriarch, Abraham or Abram.1He was the son of Abraham's brother Haran .2According to Jewish midrash , Abraham took care of Lot after Haran was burned in a gigantic fire in which Nimrod , King of Babylon , tried to kill Abraham. Lot accompanied Abraham in all his journeys and went down to Egypt with Abraham and his family. The midrash gives Lot much credit because, despite his desire for wealth, he did not inform Pharaoh of the secret of Sarah , Abraham's wife. When Abraham journeyed to the Land of Canaan at the command of God , Lot accompanied him. Lot and Abraham were both wealthy shepherds, and there came a time when the land they used could not contain the flocks of both. At this time Abraham and Lot split, Lot going southeast to plains near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah . When God decided to overturn and destroy the five cities of the plain, He sent angels to rescue Lot and his family, on the condition that they not look back. Lot's wife disregarded the command. She turned back to see the destruction of the city and was changed into a pillar of salt. Lot and his two daughters escaped to the hills. Lot's daughters incorrectly believed they were the only females to have survived the devastation. Thus, they believed that it was their responsibility to bear children and enable the continuation of the human race. On two subsequent nights, they got their father drunk enough to sleep with them, and they became pregnant. The first son was named Moav (Hebrew, lit., "from the father" [meh-Av]). He was the patriarch of the nation known as Moab . The second son was named Amon (Hebrew, lit., "from our nation"). He became the patriarch of the nation of Amon. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lot .3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16213373.
The opening as it stood in 2010 19 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Lot flees from Sodom According to the Bible , Lot ( Hebrew : לוֹט , Modern : Lot , Tiberian : Lôṭ , "veil"; "hidden, covered" ) was the nephew of the patriarch Abraham , or Abram.He was the son of Abraham's brother Haran (Gen. 11:27).Abraham's brother Nahor became Lot's brother in law by marrying Milcah , Lot's sister.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 368952053.
The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Lot and his daughters flee from Sodom , his wife turned to salt behind them, and the burning cities, Albrecht Dürer Lot ( / l ɒ t / ; Hebrew : לוֹט , Modern : Lot , Tiberian : Lôṭ , "veil" or "covering" ) is a person mentioned in the biblical Book of Genesis chapters 11–14 and 19.Notable episodes in his life include his travels with his uncle Abram ( Abraham ), his flight from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah , during which Lot's wife became a pillar of salt, and the seduction by his daughters so that they could bear children.Christians , Jews and Muslims revere Lot as a righteous man of God .According to the Bible , Jesus is a descendant of Lot through David's great-grandmother Ruth , who is descended from Moab , Lot's son through one of his daughters.Strong's Hebrew Lexicon . studybible.info. 2Peter 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 1:4, 4:13–17, matthew 1:1, luke 1:30–33 Ruth.1:4;4:13–17;Matthew.1:1;Luke.1:30–33 9 with invalid book
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668436690.
The opening as it stood in 2020 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Fictional character Lot ( / l ɒ t / ; – Lōṭ , "veil" or "covering"; – Lṓt ; Arabic : لُوط – Lūṭ ) was a patriarch in the biblical Book of Genesis , chapters 11–14 and 19.Notable events in his life include his journey with his uncle Abram ( Abraham ) and his flight from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah , during which Lot's wife became a pillar of salt, and Lot was made drunk by his daughters so that they could have children with him.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 960628576.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Person mentioned in the Book of Genesis and the Quran Lot ( / l ɒ t / ; Lōṭ , lit."veil" or "covering"; Lṓt ; Lūṭ ; Syriac : ܠܘܛ Lōṭ ) was a man in the biblical Book of Genesis , chapters 11–14 and 19.Notable events in his life include his journey with his uncle Abram ( Abraham ); his flight from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah , during which Lot's wife became a pillar of salt; and him being intoxicated by his daughters so they could have incestuous intercourse with him to continue their family line.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1175119431.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Person mentioned in the Book of Genesis and the Quran Lot ( / l ɒ t / ; Hebrew : לוֹט Lōṭ , lit."veil" or "covering"; Greek : Λώτ Lṓt ; Arabic : لُوط Lūṭ ; Syriac : ܠܘܛ Lōṭ ) was a man mentioned in the biblical Book of Genesis , chapters 11–14 and 19.Notable events in his life recorded in Genesis include his journey with his uncle Abraham ; his flight from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah , during which his wife became a pillar of salt.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1298309820. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “nephew of the patriarch”. Today it says “notable figure mentioned in the biblical book of genesis”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
nephew of the patriarch
Now
notable figure mentioned in the biblical book of genesis
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
