What happened to Lot's wife in the Bible?
As Lot's family fled the destruction of Sodom, his wife looked back despite the angels' warning not to, and "became a pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26). Jesus later invoked her as a warning against clinging to the past when called to follow him: "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32).
In Genesis 19, two angels warn Lot to flee Sodom before God destroys the city, explicitly instructing the family, "Look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed." As fire and brimstone fell on Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife (unnamed in the text) looked back - and "became a pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26). The region around the Dead Sea, rich in salt formations, has long been associated with this account, and some local rock formations near the Dead Sea are still popularly called "Lot's Wife" today, though the biblical text doesn't claim the formation still exists. Jesus later referenced the episode directly as a warning about the danger of hesitating or looking back once called to follow him, in the context of teaching about his second coming: "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:28-32) - urging his listeners not to cling to their old life when the moment for decisive action comes.
Key Passages
Lot's wife becomes a pillar of salt
Genesis 19:24-2624 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Jesus: Remember Lot's wife
Luke 17:31-3231 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32 Remember Lotโs wife.
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