Definition

1. Proper Noun:
   • A figure from the Old Testament: "Lot's wife" refers to the unnamed wife of the biblical patriarch Lot. According to the Book of Genesis, she was turned into a pillar of salt for disobeying God's command not to look back as they fled the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Usage

• The term "Lot's wife" is used primarily in religious, literary, and artistic contexts to refer to this specific biblical character and her story.
• It is often cited as a symbol or metaphor for disobedience, nostalgia, or the danger of clinging to a sinful past.

Examples

• Proper Noun:
  • The sermon used the story of Lot's wife as a warning against longing for a sinful life.
  • In the painting, the artist depicted the moment Lot's wife was transformed.
  • Her refusal to move forward was compared to that of Lot's wife.

Advanced Usage

• As a metaphor for irreversible consequence: Used to describe someone who suffers a severe, irreversible fate due to a single act of disobedience or curiosity.
  • By leaking the documents, he became a modern-day Lot's wife, forever frozen in infamy.
• As a symbol of nostalgia or looking back: Used to criticize excessive attachment to the past.
  • The company failed because its leadership was like Lot's wife, always looking back at old successes instead of innovating.

Variants and Related Words

• Lot (Proper Noun): The husband, a righteous man warned to flee the city.
• Pillar of salt (Noun Phrase): The form into which Lot's wife was transformed; often used synonymously with her name to reference her fate.

Synonyms

• The pillar of salt: A direct reference to her final state.
• Lot's spouse: A formal, less common variant.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To turn into a pillar of salt: An idiom meaning to become paralyzed or suffer a dire fate as a result of looking back or disobeying a clear warning.
  • If you keep dwelling on that old mistake, you'll turn into a pillar of salt.
• A look back like Lot's wife: A phrase describing an act of forbidden or fateful retrospection.
  • Leaving the city, he dared not take a look back like Lot's wife.

Noun

1. (Old Testament) when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his family were told to flee without looking back; Lot's wife was disobedient and was immediately changed into a pillar of salt