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Going Biblical: Fascinating Divine Punishments Recounted in the Old Testament

Khalid Elhassan May 9, 2025 19 min

Punishment - The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden — The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Encyclopedia Britannica

20. An Expensive Backwards Glance

Punishment - Lot's wife looks back, and is turned into a pillar of salt — Lot’s wife looks back, and is turned into a pillar of salt. Meister Drucke

As Lot fled with his family, fire and brimstone rained down from the heavens and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. In that terrifying moment of divine judgment, Lot’s wife did what most people would probably do, and looked back at the horror behind her. Perhaps it was out of regret, sorrow, or longing, but whatever her motives, she had disobeyed the Lord’s command, and for that, she was instantly turned into a pillar of salt.

Over the centuries, there have been many interpretations of her punishment. It symbolizes the consequences of clinging to a sinful past when the Lord offers salvation and a new path. The backward glance is seen as an act of disobedience, reflecting a divided heart: she was physically leaving Sodom, but her heart remained tied to it.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.