Without Excuse: Apologetics Blog

The purpose of this article, which I hope to become a series, is to examine bible stories that are difficult to understand or to accept in natural terms. Oftentimes bible stories, which are thought of as fanciful or myth, can often be explained in natural terms. This is not an attempt, however, to explain away every supernatural event in natural terms. There are legitimate miracles, things that can’t be explained naturally, though they appear to be rare. More often than not, God does work through the natural to achieve His goals. That, however, does not make them any less miraculous.   Here we will be examining Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt. Lot’s wife’s name is not given in the bible, but in rabbinical literature she’s identified as “Irit” or “Idit”. As the story unfolds, Lot and his family are fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah before its sudden destruction. But Lot’s wife turns back and is suddenly turned into a pillar of salt: “ Then the LORD rained brimstone ...

Question:How can Lot have two virgin daughters that are married?  "See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof." Gen 19:8   So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.Gen 19:14 Possible Answer: Only two daughters are mentionied in the Genesis account, possibly because they were the only survivors.  However it is conceivable Lot had more daughters that were married. In fact rabbinic literature (The Midrash) says that Lot had 4 daughters, two that were married and two that were not. The two married daughters probably stayed behind with there husbands and this could be the reason why Lot's wife turned back.