(Excerpt from Smith's Bible Dictionary), The name Gomorrah means "submersion". It was the most unnatural and abominable wickedness that they were now set upon, a sin that still bears their name, and is called Sodomy. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. https://… The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. 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. But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! 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. "Originally called Abram, or "exalted father," the Lord changed his name to Abraham as a symbol of the covenant promise to multiply his descendants into a great nation that God would call his own. The wickedness of the city became proverbial. 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. (Matthew Henry Bible Commentary). Three angels visited Abraham, God's hand-picked founder of his chosen nation, Israel. read more. It is a sin against nature. 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. In both accounts, the wicked men of the city wish to rape the male guest of an outsider who is sojourning in their city. Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and in the deuterocanonical books, as well as in the Quran and the hadith. Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah found ! By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Two of them went down to … There is no doubt that the aut… Sodom and Gomorrah, like Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar, were Biblically considered "cities of the plain" (Genesis 10:19). Sodom and Gomorrah, notoriously sinful cities in the book of Genesis, destroyed by ‘sulfur and fire’ because of their wickedness (Genesis 19:24). 8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. religion belief, they belief homosexuality is being committed a sin. “Get out of our way,” they replied. The miserable fate of Sodom and Gomorrah is held up as a warning in numerous passages of the Old and New Testaments. He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. If not, I will know.'" Modern scholarship, particularly in Judaism and certain branches of Christianity, has proposed that it is the inhabitants’ lack of hospitality, not their homosexuality, that gives offence to God. 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. Some men from the city came to Lots home demanding to be given the two visitors so they could have sex with them. The Lord informed Abraham that "the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous" (Genesis 18:20). 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of # ch. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; the Lord. 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. It was one of the five cities of the plain of Siddim (q.v.) ). This has long been interpreted as “carnal knowledge,” and many believe that it is the widespread homosexuality of the inhabitants that earns their obliteration. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Sodom and Gomorrah Gomorrah was a biblical place always associated with Sodom. 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. They have brought disaster upon themselves. The city was destroyed by fire from heaven in the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19:24). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Nearly 4000 years ago three … Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. God allowed the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah to continue until it was clear that they were a sinful people, who relished in sin, and who continually chose to persist in it. Sexual acts attributed to the Sodomites gave the city’s name to the contemporary term sodomy. God agrees to spare the cities if 10 righteous people can be found (18:23–32). 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. The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Sodom and Gomorrah — known in the United States as The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah — is a DeLuxe Color 1962 epic film which is loosely based on the Biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah.The film was a Franco-Italian-American co-production made by Pathé, SGC and Titanus.It was directed by Robert Aldrich and produced by Maurizio Lodi-Fe, Goffredo Lombardo and Joseph E. Levine. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. As Lot's family fled Sodom and Gomorrah, God rained down burning sulfur onto the city. The story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis does not explicitly identify homosexuality as the sin for which they were destroyed. B. Abram and Melchizedek. Traditionally, Sodom and Gomorrah have been associated with homosexual acts. Sodom was presumably located in plain South of the Dead Sea, now covered with water. Several time in the Bible the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were given as examples of God’s judgment on those who reject Him and rebel against His Lordship (Luke 10:12, 17:29; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 1:7). Several time in the Bible the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were given as examples of God’s judgment on those who reject Him and rebel against His Lordship (Luke 10:12, 17:29; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 1:7). Sodom and Gomorrah was an ancient city of Syria located in the plain of Jordan. (1) God will judge those who reject Him. 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 … (18:20-21) As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! 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.). With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! 8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham drew near and said, "Will You also destroy the righteous (in Sodom and Gomorrah… Although the Bible does not record Abraham being initially told what, if any, penalty there would be if grievous sins were found in Sodom and Gomorrah, he was fully aware of what could occur. (see Jude. Deuteronomy 29:23 All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger. The biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah is found in Genesis 18 and 19. He refused this warning from God, and would eventually lose everything when Sodom and Gomorrah were judged. (Easton's Bible Dictionary), One of the CITIES OF THE PLAIN (which see) destroyed by fire from heaven in the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19:23-29). When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. Note, Those that allow themselves in unnatural uncleanness are marked for the vengeance of eternal fire. Of the catastrophe which destroyed the city and the district of Sodom, we can hardly hope ever to form a satisfactory conception. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. The wickedness of the city became proverbial. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Sodom-and-Gomorrah, Ancient Origins - Sodom & Gomorrah - Scientific Evidence. Abraham pleads for the lives of any righteous people living there, especially the lives of his nephew, Lot, and his family. The Lord told Abraham that he was going to destroy the city because of the people's sin. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 23The sun was rising when Lot reached Zoar. Lot, trying to defend and protect the angels, offered the men his virgin daughters in their place. Bring them out to us, so that we may know them” (Genesis 19:5). We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. When the two angels arrived in Sodom and Gomorrah, a man named Lot invited them to stay at his home. It was located probably in the plain South of the Dead Sea, now covered with water. 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.) They were located in a fertile valley, south of the Dead Sea, which in … Sodom and Gomorrah, notoriously sinful cities in the biblical book of Genesis, destroyed by “sulfur and fire” because of their wickedness (Genesis 19:24). which were destroyed by fire (Genesis 10:19; 13:10; Genesis 19:24, Genesis 19:28. Just opposite the site of Zoar, on the south-west coast of the Dead Sea, is a range of low hills, forming a mass of mineral salt called Jebel Usdum, "the hill of Sodom." In the Genesis account, God reveals to Abraham that Sodom and Gomorrah are to be destroyed for their grave sins (18:20). The Bible records a catastrophic event that took place during the life of Abraham, the first Hebrew, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Learn about the biblical account and significance of their destruction. Sodom and Gomorrah – Holy Tales From The Old Testament – Bible Stories Lot’s angelic guests rescued him and struck the men with blindness and they informed Lot of their mission to destroy the city. Sodom and Gomorrah and their fiery fate crop up in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, in the Torah, and in the Quran. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. 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. The name Sodom means "burning" - It was a city in the vale of Siddim  Genesis 13:10; 14:1-16). Additionally, Ezekiel 16:49 mentions the inhabitants’ refusal to care for the poor despite their prosperity, which is taken as further evidence that homosexuality is not the cause of their damnation. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”. So where is Sodom, according to the Biblical geography of Genesis 13? Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”. 24Suddenly the Lordrained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 25and … “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. Sodom). But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Deuteronomy 29:23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: 13:13 ); for, 1. Likewise, in both accounts the host offers his daughter(s)2 to the men of the city in place of his guest. Har Sedom (Arabic: Jabal Usdum), or Mount Sodom, at the southwestern end of the sea, reflects Sodom’s name. 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. 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. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities … The cities are referenced throughout both the Old and New Testaments and the Qur’an. Woe to them! The mob of men that accosts the angels had demanded of Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? In art, the subjects involved in the biblical accounts of Sodom and Gomorrah have been portrayed in numerous medieval psalters, Renaissance frescoes, and paintings down to the present day. Don’t do this wicked thing. Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed 19 The two angels(A)arrived at Sodom(B)in the evening, and Lot(C)was sitting in the gateway of the city. Genesis 18:20-21 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will … God’s mercy is long-suffering, but there will be … Support the show at Patreon. As they flee the destruction, Lot’s wife looks back upon the city and is turned into a pillar of salt (19:12–29). Salem Media Group. But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. Sodom and Gomorrah have come to represent the epitome of evil. 3) from the Associates for Biblical Research announces "The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah". By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. They ride out to do battle, but fall into a bunch of tar pits and get massacred. Hence daring sinners are said to declare their sin as Sodom (see Isaiah 3:9). The present-day industrial site of Sedom, Israel, on the Dead Sea shore, is located near the presumed site of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? It is almost impossible for the reader of this text to miss its connection to the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.1 In both texts, the sin of homosexuality and its judgment is a primary theme. 24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, … The sin of sodomy … 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. The exact nature of the damning wickedness of the cities has been the subject of debate. The name is still preserved in Jebel Usdum (Mt. 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. 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