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See also: The Fall 30–35 ■ The Flood 40–41 ■ The Ten Plagues 70–71 ■ The Fall of Jericho 98–99GENESIS
will not destroy the cities if He
finds at least ten good people
within them.God’s wrath
The story moves to the city of
Sodom, where Lot, Abraham’s
nephew, invites two angel-
strangers to stay at his home
rather than in the town’s square.
Lot prepares a meal for the angels,
“baking bread without yeast,”
foreshadowing the hasty meal the
Israelites prepare when they flee
Egypt (Exodus 12:8).
Later that night, the men of
Sodom arrive at Lot’s door and ask:
“Where are the men who came to
you tonight? Bring them out to us
so that we can have sex with them”
(19:5). Refusing the men’s request,
Lot offers his two virgin daughters
to the crowd instead, but the men
refuse Lot’s offer and try to break
down the door. The angels strike
the crowd with blindness. They
warn Lot and his family that God
is about to destroy the city.
Lot flees from Sodom with only
his wife, two daughters, and the
angels. God rains down fire and
brimstone to destroy the two cities.The angels warn Lot not to look
back, but Lot’s wife glances behind
her and is turned to a pillar of salt.Saving the penitent
The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah
is traditionally considered to be
homosexuality, giving rise to the
word “sodomy.” However, passages
about the cities’ sins focus on
the abandonment of justice and
neglect of the poor (Isaiah 3:8–15
and Ezekiel 16:48–50). More
significant is what the story reveals
about God’s judgments and His
relationship with Abraham. God
considers the evidence before
making judgment and allows
Abraham to bargain with Him. God
is prepared to reward the righteous
and save the penitent. Nonetheless,
His judgment is final: the cities of
sin are not spared. ■Cities of sin
Sodom and Gomorrah are
not the only sinful cities in
the Bible. Other debauched
or lawless settlements include
the other three cities of the
“Valley of Siddim” (Admah,
Zeboiim, and Zoar), Edom,
and Jerusalem. States such
as Egypt and Assyria are
also censured for their lack
of morality and disregard for
God’s laws.
These cities of sin were
held up as dramatic warnings
about the terrifying power of
God’s wrath. The book of
Revelation describes the
destruction of the city of
Babylon at the end of time,
noting that “the smoke from
her goes up for ever and ever”
(19:3). This is a direct
reference to the smoke from
fire and brimstone (sulfur)
that rose up from the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah during
their destruction.Fire engulfs the sinful while Lot,
a “righteous” man, makes his escape
with his wife and two daughters
in The Destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, by John Martin, 1852.The day Lot left Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down
from heaven and destroyed
them all.
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