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But His Wife Looked Back From Behind Him & She Became A Pillar Of Salt, Genesis.19 Verse 26. - Jan Luyken (1649-1712) - 1750's
GDI2801B
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But His Wife Looked Back From Behind Him & She Became A Pillar Of Salt, Genesis.19 Verse 26.

ArtistJan Luyken (1649-1712)
EngraverWilliam Tringham (1723-1770)
Date1750's
TechniqueCopper Engraving
CategoryReligion
SourceMr.S.Clark's Family Bible (Printed For & Sold By I.Fuller At Bible in Blonbladder Street Cheapside London )

Description

This engraving is based on the narrative of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis, part of the Old Testament. It directly references verse 26, "But Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt." The composition in the engraving is quite dramatic and theologically charged. The old man walking in front is Lot. Next to him are his two daughters, and a little behind him is his wife, who, turning her head back, does what God clearly forbade. Her looking back is not an escape from God's judgment, but a yearning for worldly attachments and the past, turning her face back toward disaster. This "look" is, in fact, a metaphorical return. It symbolizes man's disobedience, disbelief, and worldly desires in the face of God's judgment. Therefore, Lot's wife was turned into a "pillar of salt" as divine punishment. She is frozen both physically and morally. In the background, the flames, lightning, and ruins engulfing cities portray God's wrath and the fulfillment of divine justice. This scene represents not only destruction but also a moral warning and the necessity of submission to God's will.