There are many intriguing tales found in the Bible that are used to teach religious and life lessons. An example of such a story includes the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah , two cities that were destroyed by God as told in the Book of Genesis. In this article, you will learn why the two cities faced a fatal end and the details surrounding the tale.
As told in Genesis 19:24-25 , the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim fell to destruction because of the sins committed by those who lived in these locations. Because of their fate, the names of the cities have been used to refer to shameless sin, sexual deviation, and associated with what God’s wrath is capable of. It is through this tale that the English word for ‘sodomy’ originates, which refers to an unnatural act. As told in Chapter 19:
“Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.”
Sodom belonged to a collection of five towns called the Pentapolis , joined by Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Bela. This region of cities was also referred to as the “Cities of the Plain” since they all were found on the plain of the Jordan River. A Biblical figure that appears in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is Lot, who is the nephew of Abraham (or Abram). He chooses to reside in Sodom because it is located close to ideal grazing for his flocks.
According to Genesis 18, God tells Abraham that he has plans to destroy the city of Sodom because of all the immoral acts that have been taking place. Abraham begs with God not to destroy the city, and God relents on the condition that a certain number of righteous individuals can be found in Sodom. The number of righteous people needed to save the city was consistently lowered. Two angels were sent to seek out the righteous people living in Sodom, and could only find one , Abraham’s nephew Lot. Because of the lack of righteous individuals in the city, God destroyed the city.
There is a version of the tale that sees angels visiting Lot to warn him to flee just before the final days of Sodom. Lot was hospitable to the two messengers, but the men of Sodom surrounded his home and demanded to have sexual relations with the strangers. Instead, Lot offers his two virgin daughters in place of the angels even though they were already promised to others, but the men are unwilling to take the exchange. In fact, they were extremely mad and felt that they were being judged by an outsider. As plans of breaking into Lot’s house brewed, the angels struck the men with blindness, giving Lot and his family the chance to leave the city.
