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The Jordan Garden:

It is remarkable to me that deserts seem to encircle the most ancient of cities. Egypt is surrounded by a climate that would be a rain forest like the Amazon. There are some sings that it was once that way. The middle east is now very much a desert -- Ur, Babylon, and the setting for this story, Jordan. Even Greece, Lebanon, Syria once had a much richer flora then they do now. A hack anthropologist that the BBC seems to like, (and I like him too in a his-idea-is-as-good-as-another's kind of way) took a submarine into the Dead Sea and believes he's found the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah there.

After a dispute, Lot sets in to this area and lives with a good view of the city lights of Sodom. In contrast to seeing the city lights, Abraham looks every other direction and sees a heavenly promise of inheritance. I think there is something to that the author might be trying to point out.

There was much talk in the last discussion about the nature of Abraham. While simply a father, in many ways his role is very similar to Moses. Their greatest contributions to society, civilization, and this world, were not their teachings, miracles, or lifestyles. Their greatest contributions, to me, are the deals they were able to broker with the God of the universe. But these were more than deals, they were covenants, legally binding contracts for both parties. Legally binding contracts that are open for others to take part in. Open for all of us, no? All who look more circumspectly around than Lot did, who had to be rescued later.

And it just seems to me that for Abraham, his sons, and for Moses and his congregation, it wasn't so unusual to understand with direct conversation, the meaning and role of these covenants. One reason I'm not interested in debating, but very interested in discussing these things is because of my understanding of how that interaction works. And I would rather not get in the way of that interaction happening for anyone by creating in my own words some characterization of it from my own understanding.

So on to the questions:

Sodom is known for the request some citizens made of Lot while some messengers were staying with him. It may be all its known for pending its destruction. Its my understanding that Gomorrah might have a meaning, but that it was named after someone. I'm not sure if any significance is left in the word Sodom other than the meaning people have given it according to the citizens request. (That interchange is coming up, you might want to save your discussion on the more colloquial meaning of Sodom or discussion of that interchange for that chapter). But if you have something on the meaning of those names, I'd appreciate it.

Abraham returned to the place between Beth-el and Hai, mentioned in the previous chapter. How many years transpired in Egypt? Was Lot with him? How is Lot's pending sojourn in Sodom like/dislike Abraham's visit to Egypt?