Lot's wife comes from the account of Lot in Genesis 19:1–29
Lot's wife is a person mentioned in the Book of Genesis who was turned into a pillar of salt for failing to heed the orders of the angels of deliverance from the city of Sodom.
Analysis
Lot's wife is not named anywhere in the Hebrew Bible and remains unknown. The only direct references to her are from the Old Testament in Genesis 19:15,16,26. In the New Testament, she is also directly referred to in Luke 17:32.
Lot's uncle was Abraham, the Patriarch of Israel. By calculating Abraham's age through his life's journey to Canaan, it can be determined that there was about a 24 year time block from the time Lot's family settled in Haran until the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. When Lot's family was living within the walls of Sodom, their two daughters were already grown and engaged to certain men of the city. It is also mentioned that they were virgins. This suggests that they were still yet young women. So it is not unreasonable to conclude that Lot had been married since dwelling at the settlement of Haran.
When the time had come for God to release divine judgment upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, it is interesting to note that Lot expressed some hesitancy about leaving.v.15,16 The family was probably comfortable where they were and very settled, having their own home. Life was much different for them now, than in the early days of leading a nomadic life. There was at least 40 years of traveling and short stays to various places between Chaldea and Canaan that also included a stay in Egypt.
By the mercy of Abraham's Lord, their angels of deliverance did not waste time with them. They grabbed the hands of Lot, his wife and two daughters, getting them out of the city before dawn. Then they gave the orders: "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" - Genesis 19:17
Lot was beside himself with the thought of hiding in the mountains. And it's quite possible that his wife wasn't relishing that thought either. He earnestly requested to take refuge in a small nearby town just beyond Sodom's city limits.v.18–22 When it was granted to them that they could flee there, they left immediately in the middle of the night. The town was known as Zoar,v.22 and while in route, Lot's wife was probably flooded with doubts and about God's plan to destroy her home city. More than just a head glance backward, she most likely stopped right in the middle of her tracks to turn and face the city. She basically did exactly what the angels forewarned NOT to do! It could even be said that her attachments to the city is what cost her life. According to the record, she perished by becoming a pillar of salt for looking back at the city.v.26
Influences
Geography
- Lot's Wife pillar, a halite pillar on Mount Sodom by the Dead Sea in Israel
- Lot's Wife (crag), aka Sofugan, a deserted Japanese island at the southernmost tip of the Izu archipaelago
- Lot's Wife, a rock off the north coast of Gough Island, in the South Atlantic
- Lot's Wife and Lot, rock formations that are part of the geography of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic
Former landmarks
- Lot's Wife, a chalk pillar once part of The Needles formation off the Isle of Wight, until its collapse in 1764
- Lot's Wife, nickname of Long Ya Men, a craggy granite outcrop in Keppel Harbour, Singapore, destroyed in 1848
Sculptures
- Lot's Wife, an 1878 sculpture by Hamo Thornycroft
- Lot's Wife, a 1958 sculpture by Moshe Ziffer
In Literature
- "Lot's Wife", a short story by Joseph Heller in the 2003 collection, Catch As Catch Can: The Collected Stories and Other Writings
- Lot's Wife, a student newspaper of Monash University
In Movies
- Lot's Wife, a 2008 short film by Harjant Gill
In Music
- "Lot's Wife", a reggae song by Prince Alla
- Lot's Wife, a 1980s musical composition by David Earl
- "Luscious Word (Lot's Wife)", a bonus track on the 1996 album All Under the Leaves, the Leaves of Life by Eyeless in Gaza (band)
- Portland indie rock band The Thermals reference this story on their 2007 A Pillar of Salt single.
Lots Wife is remembered in "Natural Is Not In It" a song by British indie band Gang Of Four
In Television
- "Would You Believe It?", 1981, first episode of the 4th series of "Tales of the Unexpected" (Episode Guide)
In Theatre
- "Lot's Wife", a song from the musical "Caroline, or Change" written by Tony Kushner.