Sarbecovirus molecular-clock rates translate a ~3.8% whole-genome divergence into on the order of several decades of separation between RaTG13 and SARS-CoV-2. That interval is far too long for RaTG13 to be the immediate ancestor, whether the proximate origin was natural spillover or a lab-held strain. Consequently the observation constrains both hypotheses symmetrically: each must posit an unsampled, much closer relative (in nature, or in a collection) bridging the gap. Treating RaTG13’s mere existence as support for either side is invalid; its evidential weight is only in setting how large the unexplained gap is.