Sodom

Biblical Account

Sodom first appears in Genesis as a city on the border of Canaan (Genesis 10:19). Abraham's nephew Lot chose the well-watered plain of the Jordan and moved his tent near Sodom. At this point Scripture notes, "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly" (Genesis 13:10–13).

• Chapter 14: The king of Sodom is defeated in battle against the kings of the east, and Lot is taken captive; Abraham rescues him.
• Chapter 18: Abraham intercedes for Sodom, and God answers that He will not destroy the city if even ten righteous people are found there.
• Chapter 19: When two angels lodge at Lot's house, the men of the city gather around it and demand that the visitors be brought out to them. The next day God rains brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and destroys them. Lot and his two daughters flee to Zoar, but Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

This event is commonly referred to as Sodom and Gomorrah.

Background

Genesis 14:2 lists Sodom together with Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (Zoar). Proposed locations include the southern shore of the Dead Sea and the plain of the Jordan northeast of the Dead Sea, among others, but none has been confirmed. The etymology of the name is also uncertain.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

In the Old Testament, Sodom serves as an example of God's utter judgment (Deuteronomy 29:23; Amos 4:11).

• Isaiah compares corrupt Jerusalem to Sodom (Isaiah 1:9–10).
• Ezekiel identifies the sins of Sodom as pride, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness, and failure to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:49–50).

The New Testament carries this imagery forward.

• Jesus says that cities rejecting the gospel will face a heavier judgment than Sodom (Matthew 10:15; 11:23–24).
• Jesus compares the day of the Son of Man to the days of Lot and says, "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:28–32).
• 2 Peter 2:6–8 cites Sodom as an example of judgment and as the account of righteous Lot's deliverance.
• Jude 1:7 cites Sodom as an example of fornication and of going after "strange flesh."
• Revelation 11:8 says that the great city where the Lord was crucified is "spiritually" called Sodom.

Interpretation and Debate

The nature of Sodom's sin has long been debated.

• Traditional interpretation: Reading "that we may know them" in Genesis 19:5 as a demand for same-sex intercourse and linking it with Jude 1:7, this view has understood Sodom as the epitome of sexual depravity. The English word "sodomy" derives from this understanding.
• Alternative interpretation: Some scholars locate the heart of the passage in the attempted gang assault on strangers and the refusal of hospitality, emphasizing the social injustice described in Ezekiel 16.

Some interpreters hold both perspectives together. The passage is frequently cited today in discussions of homosexuality and the church.

Stories not found in the biblical text have also been handed down. Jewish tradition (such as the Midrash) contains numerous tales depicting the cruelty of the people of Sodom, but these do not appear in Scripture. The practice of calling a salt formation near the Dead Sea "Lot's Wife" is likewise a later tradition.

In the Korean Church

The words "Remember Lot's wife" are frequently used in sermons warning against lingering attachment to the world. Genesis 18 is often cited as a text for teaching intercessory prayer. The expression "ten righteous people" is also widely used both inside and outside the church.