Yet, they both continued to blend in among the worldly society. Salt is a fundamental necessity of life, and has been used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. Why did god choose a pillar of salt? Also, Lot had achieved prominence among the citizens of Sodom beyond his wealth. Many commentators are of the opinion Lot’s wife was a native of Sodom which would explain her longing for the area and the people, which may have caused her to turn to see its destruction, turning into a pillar of salt. Thus, when Lot's wife fled for little Zoar, her wealth, her house and her social circle were not the only things on her mind. The economy of both Sodom and Gomorrah suffered as a result. Although Job did not heed his wife’s advice and curse God so that he might die, in chapter three of Job, we see that he wanted to die. Als zwei Engel in der sündigen Stadt Sodom nach Gerechten suchen, die von der drohenden Zerstörung Sodoms durch Gott gerettet werden sollen, nimmt Lot die zwei Fremden bei sich auf. His fears were well founded, for the perverted men of the city surrounded his house and brazenly demanded that Lot surrender the two angels to them so they could molest them (Genesis 19:4-5). As the dawn was approaching, the angels again told Lot that judgment was immediate, and he needed to take his wife and daughters out of the city. When God commands His elect to flee to a place of safety, many of us will be required to entrust unconverted family members to God's mercy. There is no room or time to worry about the things we leave behind in our journey forward with Christ. Christian tradition has read this passage as being a revelation of the mystery of the Holy Trinity, each one of these three angels being a Person of the Trinity. Browse more questions about the Bible and see answers from around the world, Explore a database of religious debates organized by participants and topics, Read original blog posts on a wide variety of topics written by our resident Bible Inspectors, "Why did God turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt?". The angels warned Lot to collect his family and immediately depart from Sodom “because we are going to destroy this place. ["because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt;"] The second blessing, “Blessed be the true Judge” (that is recited upon hearing of someone’s death), is recited for the punishment visited on Lot’s wife (BT Berakhot 54a–b). He and his armed servants were able to save Lot and all his goods. Do not look behind you, nor stop anywhere in the plain; flee to the hills, lest you be swept away!” The rest of the story, we already know. But she replied, '[Besides entertaining guests], is it your wish to introduce into Sodom another vile custom [that of seasoning their food]?' Hence, she herself became a pillar of salt."' Support Aleteia with as little as $1. God wants us to make strides to overcome the ungodly practices that we have absorbed from "this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4, KJV). When they became physically violent, the angels pulled Lot inside and struck the Sodomites with blindness. Some other mentions of her are found in the book of Wisdom (10:7) and the Gospel of Luke (17:32). His guidance can always be trusted because he is the “spirit of truth.”, We are reminded of this assurance in John 16:13, “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”. (, "If there is no “scientific” explanation of this miracle, then we can reasonably ask why God chose to do this to Lot’s wife. Here, Abraham begins to bargain, asking God for mercy at lower numbers: first 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, and finally at 10. As Paul says in Philippians 3:13-15: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. What is the logic or scientific explanation? His daughters were engaged to local men. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit. The Lord agreed each time. Sign up for The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. We have guests,' intending thereby to have the townspeople become aware of the presence of guests in her home [and penalize Lot for it]. Whatever the case, the point is she was called to desert everything to save her life, but she could not let go, and she paid for it with her life. Some non-biblical Jewish traditions (oral sources, rabbinical commentaries, even folk tales) refer to her every now and then as “Ado” or “Adit,” that is, “Edith.” Islamic references to Lot’s wife (“the wife of prophet Lu”) are also relatively common but, as in the Bible, she doesn’t have a name. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back" (Luke 17:31). Since it was hospitality what allowed Abraham and Sarah to have a son, grow, and prosper, it is only logical that those who deny hospitality (not only Lot’s wife, but the entire city of Sodom) would turn into a wasteland. It was a family of close and complicated relationships as Abraham was married to his own half-sister. Whereas Lot invited these strangers to spend the night in his house, served them, fed them, and gave them shelter, other Sodomites wanted Lot to hand them over. They certainly all could have benefited from the presence, wisdom, and guidance of a loving mother. Lot’s wife divided their house into two parts and told her husband: “If you want to receive them, do so in your part” (Gen. Rabbah 50:6). One of the angels charged him, however, with two commands: 1) "Do not look behind you" and 2) do not "stay anywhere in the plain" (verse 17). T He declared, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Finally, the angels tell him, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here" (verse 15), implying he had daughters elsewhere. Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” (Genesis 19:17). "She became a pillar of salt" (verse 26). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and at his golf devotion par3sixteen.com. (Imprimis, November 1995, p. 3). They went southwestward into the land of Canaan, to the place of Sichem, [v. 5–6] the present day West Bank of Nablus. Lot, being a righteous man (II Peter 2:7), recognized the angels whom God had sent and offered them his hospitality, knowing how dangerous it was for strangers to be in public once the sun went down. 3 We too are living at a time when it is vital that we do not look back in a figurative sense. That would mean hospitality was not part of her customs, and Jewish sources claim that when Lot asked her to bring salt to his guests, she complained: “Also this evil custom you wish to introduce into this place?” (Cf. If we are to remember Lot's wife, we need to review what happened in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Luke 22:30, we see Peter’s misplaced self-confidence. Evidently, Sodom and Gomorrah were the chief two of these five cities, situated in a beautiful, verdant valley "like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar" (Genesis 13:10). Two angels met Lot as he sat at the gate of Sodom and offered them lodging for the night. She finally complied with her husband’s request, but she acted cunningly in order to remove the guests from her house. Perhaps this is why He reminds us to "remember Lot's wife." Revelation 4:8 Explained, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. We lead the industrialized world in murder, rape, and violent crime. 2)." In Genesis Rabbah R. Isaac said: "She sinned through salt. The author wrote, “...the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.