King James Version
What Does Genesis 19:26 Mean?
“But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Context
24
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.
27
And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28
And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
Commentary
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers(26) **His wife looked back from behind him.**—In Oriental countries it is still the rule for the wife to walk behind her husband. As regards the method of her transformation, some think that she was stifled by sulphureous vapours, and her body subsequently encrusted with salt. More probably, the earthquake heaped up a mighty mass of the rock-salt, which lies in solid strata round the Dead Sea, and Lot’s wife was entangled in the convulsion and perished, leaving the hill of salt, in which she was enclosed, as her memorial. Salt cones are not uncommon in this neighbourhood, and the American Expedition found one, about forty feet high, near Usdum (Lynch, *Report, *pp. 183 *et seq.*)*. *Entombed in this salt pillar, she became a “monument of an unbelieving soul” (Wisdom Of Solomon 10:7).
Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of Genesis. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
Genesis 19:26 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Cross-References
Verses related to Genesis 19:26
Cross-references from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge