Quote:
Originally posted by leagleaze
Salt in the womb.
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Naughty Altar Guild jokes aside, "pillar of salt" was a Hebrew euphemism for a barren woman. Lot's wife was punished for her disobedience by being made sterile. The reason the story makes it sound literal is that she's never mentioned again, and so to the modern ear, she sounds horribly dead. But she's not mentioned again only because she could no longer do anything Biblically relevant (i.e., bear great heroic children).*
Not everybody would consider this a punishment, mind you. I think Bilmore would have gladly gazed upon Sodom. And I'm sure Slave does so daily.
A(Will the real Cliff Claven please stand up?)G
P.S. I vaguely remember posting this story on the Stalin Board, but it's my favorite illustration of why fundamentalist wingnuts are always completely wrong about the Hebrew Bible, so I'll post it again and again.