The story of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt is found in Genesis 19:26. She is not named in the biblical text, but is referred to simply as “Lot’s wife”. The background to this story is that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was living with his family in the city of Sodom. God was planning to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the extreme wickedness of the cities. But God sent two angels to warn Lot and his family to flee and not look back. Here is the key verse:
“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26 ESV)
So as they were fleeing from the soon-to-be-destroyed city of Sodom, Lot’s wife disobeyed the command to not look back, and as a result was turned into a pillar of salt. Why did this happen? Here are several reasons commentators have suggested:
1. Disobedience to God’s direct command
The angel had clearly instructed them “Escape for your life. Do not look back…lest you be swept away.” (Genesis 19:17 ESV). Lot’s wife directly disobeyed this command by looking back. Her judgment into a pillar of salt was a direct consequence of her defiance of God’s explicit instruction.
2. Lack of faith
Lot and his family had been mercifully delivered by God from impending disaster. However, by looking back, Lot’s wife was demonstrating a lack of faith in God’s ability to save and protect them. She was holding on to her life in Sodom rather than moving forward by faith in God’s provision.
3. Longing for her former life
Sodom was wicked, but it was also where Lot and his family had lived for a long time. It’s possible Lot’s wife longed for her home and life back in Sodom. By looking back, she revealed where her heart was truly anchored. Jesus said “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 ESV). Lot’s wife was clinging to her former ways.
4. Judgment for sin
The destruction of Sodom was God’s judgment on the extreme wickedness of the city. Perhaps Lot’s wife looked back simply because she doubted God would really judge them. She was so tied to the sinful city that she underestimated the reality of God’s impending judgment. Her looking back expressed skepticism about God’s coming wrath on sin.
5. Symbolic judgment
Turning her into salt was a poetic, symbolic judgment from God. She became frozen and immobilized in her backward glance. Salt is associated with covenant and purification in the Bible. As a pillar of salt she became a perpetual reminder and warning to others about the consequences of disobedience.
The biblical text does not explicitly give Lot’s wife’s reasons or motivations for looking back at Sodom. But clearly her heart was still clinging to the past and she failed to fully trust and obey the Lord. Her judgment reminds believers to wholeheartedly obey God without reservation and not cling to sinful past ways.
6. Warning against apostasy
Lot and his family were rescued from imminent destruction because of God’s mercy and grace. Yet Lot’s wife did not truly leave Sodom behind. Though she was physically leaving, her heart was still attached to that sinful place. Her judgment warns believers about the dangers of apostasy, or turning away from the faith by holding on to past sinful ways after experiencing God’s grace.
7. Warning to be vigilant
Jesus referenced Lot’s wife when warning about His second coming: “Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” (Luke 17:32-33 ESV). Lot’s wife perishing while being rescued highlights the need for moral vigilance and perseverance for believers in every age as they await Christ’s return.
8. Symbol of God’s justice and holiness
The severity of Lot’s wife’s judgment underscores God’s demand for reverent obedience, as well as His justice in judging sin. She became an example of what happens when God’s commands are not taken with utter seriousness. Her judgment points to God’s uncompromising holiness.
Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she disobeyed the angel’s command, indicating a heart still anchored in Sodom. Her judgment reminds believers of God’s expectation of wholehearted trust, obedience and commitment. It serves as a sober warning against apostasy, nostalgia for past sin and lacking vigilance. It demonstrates God’s uncompromising standards of holiness and the vital necessity of obedience for the redeemed.
9. Contrast Between Lot’s Wife and Lot
Both Lot and his wife were rescued from Sodom, yet she looked back and was judged, while Lot was spared. Genesis emphasizes Lot’s hesitancy and resistance to leaving:”So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law…But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered.” (Genesis 19:14-16 ESV)
Yet despite Lot’s reluctance, when the angels took hold of his hand and led him out of the city, he ultimately obeyed and left his former life behind without looking back. Lot’s wife, though she physically left, was mentally still clinging to Sodom in disobedience. Their contrasting responses warn believers to wholeheartedly obey and leave their sinful past behind.
10. Picture of Judgment and Salvation
Lot and his daughters were saved from destruction, depicting salvation by God’s grace. Yet Lot’s wife perished in judgment, illustrating the eternal consequences awaiting those who ultimately reject God. Jesus said: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36 ESV). Lot’s wife’s judgment points to the eternal accountability for disobedience.
Lot’s wife became an example of judgment on sin as an object lesson to future generations. Her judgment highlights the importance of leaving sin behind and not looking back. It serves as a sober reminder to present and future believers of the need for moral vigilance, wholehearted obedience and perseverance in the faith.
11. Remembering Lot’s Wife
Jesus directly referenced Lot’s wife as a relevant object lesson for future believers: “Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:32-33 NIV)
This indicates believers should continually be reminded of her example. Though the details of her judgment are sparse, they serve as a perpetual illustration of the consequences of disobedience, nostalgia for sin and wavering commitment. Lot’s wife failed to firmly leave her past life behind, and believers through the ages are exhorted to learn from the example of her judgment.
12. Sign of the End Times
Jesus linked the days before His second coming to the time of Lot: “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:28-29 NIV)
Lot’s deliverance and his wife’s judgment point forward to end times events. As Lot’s family was rescued from impending judgment on wickedness, so the Church will be rescued prior to final worldly judgment at Christ’s return. Lot’s wife stands as an example of those who will turn back and face eternal consequences in the final day of reckoning.
13. Action Despite Uncertainty
Lot expressed uncertainty about where to flee: “Look, this town is near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” (Genesis 19:20 ESV)
Yet the angels still instructed Lot to take decisive action to flee, regardless of his unclear circumstances. Like Abraham, he was called to obey God’s direction in faith despite uncertainty. Lot’s wife’s judgment comes in the context of them needing to make an unclear, difficult journey by faith, not hesitating or looking back.
14. Judgment Despite Deliverance
Both Lot and his wife experienced deliverance from God, yet she still faced judgement. Peter explains, “if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless, if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.” (2 Peter 2:7-9 ESV)
Yet Lot’s wife showed that deliverance from difficulty does not equal final salvation. Believers should remain faithful even after experiencing God’s blessings and rescue.
15. The Importance of Perseverance
Lot’s wife looked back in disobedience after being rescued by God’s mercy. She failed to persevere and finish her deliverance. Her example underscores Jesus’ warning, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 ESV)
Believers must learn from Lot’s wife by finishing their salvation and not regressing, turning back or losing focus. Her example is a timeless warning to persevere in obedience.
16. Not Seeing God’s Face
An intriguing Jewish tradition claims Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt as judgment for refusing to offer hospitality to angels. This story alleges the angels visited Lot’s wife before visiting Abraham and Lot, yet she refused to welcome them.
Lot and Abraham welcomed the angels and were blessed as a result. But Lot’s wife’s rejection of the divine messengers precluded her from being worthy to gaze on God’s face and live. Her judgment into salt reflected dying without seeing His face.
While not canonical, this extra-biblical tradition contains poignant warnings about the vital importance of hospitality in Jewish thinking, and the consequences of refusing to welcome God’s messengers.
17. Rebelling Against God’s Grace
Lot’s family was shown immense grace by being warned about God’s impending judgment. Yet Lot’s wife rejected this grace by looking back. One lesson is that God’s grace demands a response. To reject His grace is to choose judgment.
Paul makes a similar point: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Romans 2:4-5 ESV)
Lot’s wife highlights that God’s grace does not lessen the penalty for continued rebellion. It heightens it.
18. Consequences of a Hardened Heart
Lot himself was reluctant to leave Sodom initially. Yet he ultimately obeyed God’s command to flee. His heart softened and responded to God’s mercy.
But Lot’s wife’s heart remained hardened despite experiencing God’s grace. Her rebellion reflected an impenitent heart. The author of Hebrews warns “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15 ESV). Lot’s wife illustrates the consequences of a continually hardened heart.
19. The Permanence of God’s Judgment
Lot’s wife did not just suffer immediate physical death for her disobedience. She became a permanent monument of God’s judgment on sin. Jesus referenced her continuing as a pillar of salt centuries later as a sober lesson.
This permanence of her judgment reminds us that the coming final judgment is eternal, not temporary. Jesus said the wicked “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46 ESV). Lot’s wife previewed the permanence of final condemnation.
Lot’s wife turned into salt illustrates God’s uncompromising stance against sin and rebellion. Her judgment served as an example to future generations of the consequences of disobedience, lack of faith, hard-heartedness and apostasy. It underscores the supreme importance of wholehearted obedience and perseverance for the redeemed. While severe, her judgment reminds believers to flee sin and finish the journey of salvation with undivided loyalty and commitment.