Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Lot’s wife
Introduction References & Edit History
Images
Lot and his family flee the burning city of Sodom in a Renaissance-style illustration after Raphael; Lot's wife looks back as flames engulf the city behind them. Lot and his two daughters walk away from burning Sodom in the background, while Lot's wife, turned into a pillar of salt, stands behind them. Painting by Albrecht Durer. Hand-colored woodcut from the Nuremberg Chronicle shows Lot and his family led by an angel away from burning Sodom, with Lot's wife depicted as a pillar of salt. The Flight of Lot and His Family from Sodom, painted by Jacob Jordaens, shows an angel guiding Lot and his family as Lot's wife looks back, with dramatic expressions and rich colors.
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Lot’s wife

biblical figure
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Lot’s wife, biblical character, a disobedient woman who was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back to see the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as she and her family were fleeing. Her story is seen as an example of what happens to those who choose a worldly life over salvation. Writers who have used the image of Lot’s wife in one sense or another include John Milton, Andrew Marvell, Lord Byron, Charlotte Brontë, William Blake, D.H. Lawrence, and James Joyce.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.