1:26, Rom. The exact nature of the damning wickedness of the cities has been the subject of debate. According to this view, the mob’s demands to rape the angelic guests reveals their deep-seated violence and inhospitality and is meant to stand in striking contrast to the gracious hospitality given by both Abraham and Lot to those same strangers. Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. 23 The sun was rising when Lot reached Zoar. Other biblical references to Sodom and Gomorrah, including Jude 1:7, which mentions sexual immorality and “unnatural lust,” and the “abominable things” of Ezekiel 16:50, are seen as support for this view. An inspiration to writers, artists, and psychologists, Sodom and Gomorrah and their legendary wickedness have been the subject of numerous dramas, including the History of Lot and Abraham, a medieval mystery play; Sodome et Gomorrhe, by the French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, in 1943; and Sodhome kye Ghomorra, by the Greek writer Nikos Kazantzákis, in the 1950s. 19 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening. Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Looking At The Story. They came disguised as men, travelers along the road. Jeremiah compares the actions of the prophets with the adultery, lying and evil of the people of Sodom. All refer to Sodom & Gomorrah but mainly in reference to the destruction that would happen, and did happen, to the City of Jerusalem in 586 BC and 70 AD. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah at least in part due to the fact that the men of the city wanted to engage in same-sex behavior. Genesis 19 tells the story of how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, but spared Lot and his family (mostly). God agrees to spare the cities if 10 righteous people can be found (18:23–32). It has been concluded, from this and from other considerations, that the cities of the plain stood at the southern end of the Dead Sea. Sodom and Gomorrah were two ancient cities referred to in the Old Testament of the Bible, as well as in the Quran. The Biblical Account (Genesis 19:1-29) Sodom and Gomorrah have come to be two of the most infamous cities in the history of the world. Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in Genesis, notorious for their flagrant sin. Sodom and Gomorrah was an ancient city of Syria located in the plain of Jordan. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by Jacobz de Wet/Wikipedia/Public Domain According to archaeologists working on the site believed to include the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, they found evidence confirming the Biblical record that the two cities were destroyed by sulphur and fire: 23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came… This is a shame. The divine judgment of the cities of the Plain follows an encounter in Scripture between God and Abraham, in which God appears to Abraham as a … They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Read the full BIble passage about Sodom and Gomorrah below and find further study resources in the related articles and videos. But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. Archaeological evidence indicates that the area was once fertile, in the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000–1500 bce), with fresh water flowing into the Dead Sea in sufficient amounts to sustain agriculture. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a cautionary tale of the destructive consequences of sin. Question: "Why was Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt?" In Genesis 19, God sends two angels disguised as men to Sodom, where the men of Sodom threaten to rape them. Sodom was presumably located in plain South of the Dead Sea, now covered with water. Written by Jeanne Armintrout Plot Summary | Add Synopsis Sodom and Gomorrah have come to represent the epitome of evil. During the time of Abraham, three angels came to visit him and two of the angels decided to go visit Sodom and Gomorrah. However,  others who place the Cities of the Plain at the North end of the Dead Sea, fixes upon Khumran (or Gumran), marked on the Survey Map of Palestine North of Ras Feshkeh, where there are ruins about a mile from the Dead Sea. When he saw them, he got up to … The term Gomorrah came from the Greek name for the land that could mean “a heap of manure”. 2 And Eliezer Abraham’s servant applied to them different names, and he converted Serak to Shakra, Sharkad to Shakrura, Zebnac to Kezobim, and Menon to Matzlodin. Bring them out to us, so that we may know them” (Genesis 19:5). They were carried headlong by those vile affections (Rom. The video features the ancient Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and presents information from skeptics who doubt the Bible's accuracy concerning what led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It occurs in Genesis 19:1-29. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. On the one hand, the narrative of Genesis seems to state positively that it lay at the northern end of the Dead Sea. Suddenly the Lord rained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them and the whole valley, along with all the people there and everything that grew on the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Jeremiah compares the actions of the prophets with the adultery, lying and evil of the people of Sodom. of These cities probably stood close together and were near the northern extremity of what is now the Dead Sea. All men, animals, and vegetation were destroyed. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in Genesis, notorious for their flagrant sin. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. From a biblical inerrancy standpoint, the primary outward sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is definitively settled in the book of Jude which states in Jude 1:7, “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”. Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! The practice would have been bad enough if it had been carried on by intrigue and wheedling, but they proclaimed war with virtue and bade open defiance to it. Corrections? Don’t do this wicked thing. Harris spent a … This is a summary of the Biblical account of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). But there is nothing to support this view except the faint resemblance of the name and the inconclusive arguments placing the Cities of the Plain at that end of the sea. Recently, on the History Channel, was aired another video in the "Histories Mysteries" series titled "Sodom and Gomorrah." The present-day industrial site of Sedom, Israel, on the Dead Sea shore, is located near the presumed site of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah along with the cities of Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar (Bela) constituted the five “cities of the plain,” and they are referenced throughout both the Old and New Testaments and the Qurʾān. Here, it is argued, Christ is implying that the grave sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of any towns that refuse his disciples, is that of inhospitality. It was one of the five cities of the plain of Siddim (q.v.) Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. Traditionally, Sodom and Gomorrah have been associated with homosexual acts. Sodom and Gomorrah was a big flop when it was released and has been nearly forgotten since then. But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. The wickedness of the city became proverbial. 1 And the cities of Sodom had four judges to four cities, and these were their names, Serak in the city of Sodom, Sharkad in Gomorrah, Zabnac in Admah, and Menon in Zeboyim. The name Sodom means "burning" - It was a city in the vale of Siddim  Genesis 13:10; 14:1-16). By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. It seems that Sodom and Gomorrah were not as “destroyed” as previously thought. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. Sodom and Gomorrah addresses gang rape. All rights reserved. The name is still preserved in Jebel Usdum (Mt. Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 13:13 ); for, 1. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. Gomorrah was a biblical place always associated with Sodom. We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. Some catastrophe there undoubtedly was but what secondary agencies, besides fire, were employed in the accomplishment of the punishment cannot be safely determined in the almost total absence of exact scientific description of the natural features of the ground around the lake. They presumably were devastated about 1900 bce by an earthquake in the Dead Sea area of the East African Rift System, an extensive geologic rift extending southward from the Jordan River valley in Israel to the Zambezi River system in eastern Africa. It occurs in Genesis … Two of them went down to Sodom and Gomorrah, to observe firsthand the wickedness in those cities. Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. If you have, I'm sure you're wondering why I have a story on Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible prophecy section of my website as it describes an event that has already occurred. Three angels visited Abraham, God's hand-picked founder of his chosen nation, Israel. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. "Sodom and Gomorrah" by Michael G. Mickey. Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”, Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. However, two earlier passages are prelude to … Updates? Sodom). Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. The Bible places Sodom and Gomorrah in the region of the Dead Sea, between what are now Israel and Jordan in the Middle East. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground() 2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s houseYou can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” We may suppose, however, that the actual agent in the ignition and destruction of the cities had been of the nature of a tremendous thunder-storm accompanied by a discharge of meteoric stones, (and that these set on fire the bitumen with which the soil was saturated, and which was used in building the city. which were destroyed by fire (Genesis 10:19; 13:10; Genesis 19:24, Genesis 19:28. This has long been interpreted as “carnal knowledge,” and many believe that it is the widespread homosexuality of the inhabitants that earns their obliteration. Homosexual activity is … The biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah is found in Genesis 18 and 19. The sin of sodomy was an offense against nature frequently connected with idolatrous practices. It was located probably in the plain South of the Dead Sea, now covered with water. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Others, however, with much greater probability, contend that they stood at the northern end of the sea. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of many things, but foremost among them was the sin of homosexuality. He put his face to the ground 2 and said, “My lords, come into the … The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”. “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. The Bible story about the city of Sodom and Gomorrah is a terribly sad story that reminds us of just how much God hates sin. “Get out of our way,” they replied. After all, G‑d destroyed them with fire and brimstone. The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. This city and its awful destruction are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Deuteronomy 29:23; 32:32; Isaiah 1:9 Isaiah 1:10; 3:9; 13:19; Jeremiah 23:14; Ezekiel 16:46-5 ; Zephaniah 2:9 ; Matthew 10:15; Romans 9:29; 2 Pet 2:6 , etc.). Sodom and Gomorrah are two of the Old Testament’s most infamously sinful cities. 26 But Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. The film was a Franco-Italian-American co-production made by Pathé, SGC and Titanus. One can compare in this regard the Greek myth of Baucis and Philemon. Homosexuality was wrong for the Jews. Lot, leader of the Hebrews, believes his people can co-exist with the Sodomites, a disastrous decision. ). Sodom and Gomorrah, notoriously sinful cities in the biblical book of Genesis, destroyed by “sulfur and fire” because of their wickedness (Genesis 19:24). The Lord replied that if there was even 1 righteous person living there, then He would not destroy the city. God also told Abraham that he would spare the people and not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if he was able to find even 10 people who were righteous. When the two angels arrived in Sodom and Gomorrah, a man named Lot invited them to stay at his home. When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. And it may be that this burning out of the soil caused the plain to sink below the level of the Dead Sea, and the waters to flow over it--if indeed Sodom and its sister cities are really under the water.) Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. But Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Sermon on the Mount - Bible Story Verses & Meaning, The Prodigal Son Parable - Bible Story Verses & Meaning, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The Lord told Abraham that he was going to destroy the city because of the people's sin. Note, Those that allow themselves in unnatural uncleanness are marked for the vengeance of eternal fire. In Genesis 14, the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, Admah, and Zeboim all rebel against him and raise an army. Hence daring sinners are said to declare their sin as Sodom (see Isaiah 3:9). There was never any suggestion that homosexuality, or even male rape, caused this destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. You can’t decide to live near sin and think it won’t affect you. Then my life will be spared.”. Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom, the area where financial and judicial transactions took place, when two angels came into town. The sin of sodomy was an offense against nature frequently connected with idolatrous practices. The wickedness of the city became proverbial. On the other hand, long-continued tradition and the names of the existing spots seem to pronounce with almost equal positiveness that it was at its southern end. Because of the fertile land, Lot selected the area of the cities of the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea, or Dead Sea) to graze his flocks. But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Finding only Lot and his family as righteous among the inhabitants, the angels warn Lot to quickly evacuate the city and to not look back. To further this claim, some cite the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:14–15: If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. That they had arrived at the highest pitch of wickedness; they were sinners before the Lord exceedingly ch. Sex, torture and betrayal in Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. 1:27 ), which are worse than brutish, and the eternal reproach of the human nature, and which cannot be thought of without horror by those that have the least spark of virtue and any remains of natural light and conscience. There was never any suggestion that homosexuality, or even male rape, caused this destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And they were guilty of that, as are a large number of people not only today, but down through the ages. (Excerpt from Smith's Bible Dictionary), The name Gomorrah means "submersion". They are found on the Biblical Timeline between 2000 BC and 1900 BC. As the angry men tried to break into Lot's home, the angels struck the men blind and then led Lot and his family out of the city. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. They have brought disaster upon themselves. The “Sin of Sodom” Most people associate Sodom & Gomorrah with only one sinful passion – that of sexual perversion. 7) They were not ashamed to own it and to prosecute their design by force and arms. 24 Suddenly the Lord rained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 25 and destroyed them and the whole valley, along with all the people there and everything that grew on the land. Sodom and Gomorrah was an ancient city of Syria located in the plain of Jordan. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”. In this section of Leviticus, God gives directives not just for ritual purity, but commands to be observed by every Jew, and even by every visitor. The Genesis text The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the favorite passages of persons who oppose same-sex behavior. As Lot's family fled Sodom and Gomorrah, God rained down burning sulfur onto the city. Wickedness had become universal, and they were unanimous in any vile design. The New Testament uses these cities as examples of behavior that God’s people need to avoid. The wickedness of its inhabitants brought down upon it fire from heaven, by which it was destroyed (18:16-33; 19:1-29; Deuteronomy 23:17). Har Sedom (Arabic: Jabal Usdum), or Mount Sodom, at the southwestern end of the sea, reflects Sodom’s name. The word is used in a typical sense in Revelation 11:8. But that wickedness may be exceeded (Matthew 10:15; Mark 6:11). Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”. Woe to them! Kedorlaomer and his allies then ransack Sodom and Gomorrah, taking all their possessions, all their food, and carrying a ton of their citizens off. Sodom and Gomorrah (1962) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The angels warned Lot and his family to not look back but his wife did not listen and was immediately turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back. The Sodom and Gomorrah story reflects yet another motif pattern known from extrabiblical literature, that of divine beings who visit a city to test the hospitality of its people and eventually destroy the inhospitable city. One can compare in this regard the Greek myth of Baucis and Philemon. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah." Remember Sodom and Gomorrah, and the nearby towns, whose people acted as those angels did and indulged in sexual immorality and perversion: they suffer the punishment of eternal fire as a plain warning to all. Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. Sexual acts attributed to the Sodomites gave the city’s name to the contemporary term sodomy. Here were old and young, and all from every quarter, engaged in this riot; the old were not past it, and the young had soon come up to it. Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed - The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city.