{
  "id": "dict_005346",
  "term": "Sodom and Gomorrah",
  "slug": "sodom-and-gomorrah",
  "letter": "S",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_and_event",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Two cities in the biblical account whose destruction by God became a lasting warning of divine judgment against grievous sin.",
  "simple_one_line": "Two cities destroyed by God in Genesis, remembered as a warning of judgment.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical cities destroyed by divine judgment; later Scripture uses them as a warning.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Lot",
    "Abraham",
    "Judgment of God",
    "Wrath of God",
    "Repentance",
    "Sin",
    "Fire and Brimstone"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Gomorrah",
    "Admah",
    "Zeboiim",
    "Cities of the plain",
    "Destruction of Sodom",
    "Sodomite"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Sodom and Gomorrah are the best-known cities of the plain in Genesis 18–19. Their destruction became one of Scripture’s clearest warnings that God judges persistent wickedness, while also showing his justice, mercy, and care in rescuing the righteous.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical cities destroyed by God because of deep moral corruption and rebellion.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Main narrative: Genesis 18–19",
    "Became a symbol of judgment in later Scripture",
    "Their sin is described broadly, including violence, sexual immorality, pride, and neglect of the poor",
    "God’s rescue of Lot highlights mercy alongside judgment"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Sodom and Gomorrah are the cities in Genesis 18–19 that God judged with catastrophic destruction. Their sin is presented in Scripture as severe wickedness, including violence, sexual immorality, pride, and disregard for justice and mercy. Later biblical writers use them as examples of divine judgment on persistent rebellion.",
  "description_academic_full": "Sodom and Gomorrah are two cities of the plain chiefly known from Genesis 18–19, where God judges them after their wickedness had become exceedingly great. The biblical witness presents their guilt broadly, not narrowly: the narrative highlights violent depravity and attempted sexual outrage, while other texts also mention pride, prosperous ease, neglect of the needy, and sexual immorality. Because of this judgment, the names Sodom and Gomorrah became enduring biblical symbols of moral corruption and of God's holy judgment against unrepentant sin. At the same time, the account also highlights God's justice, his willingness to spare for the sake of the righteous, and his mercy in rescuing Lot. Later passages in both Testaments use these cities as warnings to covenant breakers and false teachers and as reminders that God will judge evil truly and finally.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Genesis 18–19 presents the cities in the context of Abraham’s intercession and Lot’s deliverance. Their destruction follows a divine investigation of their grievous sin. Later biblical authors treat the event as a historical warning and a moral example.",
  "background_historical_context": "Sodom and Gomorrah were likely located in the region of the Jordan Valley or Dead Sea plain, though the exact sites are not certain. Their names survived in biblical memory as symbols of catastrophe and judgment rather than as simply geographical labels.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Later Jewish interpretation also remembered Sodom and Gomorrah as paradigms of evil and judgment. While extra-biblical traditions vary in emphasis, Scripture itself defines their guilt broadly and morally, not by a single modern category.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Genesis 18:16–33",
    "Genesis 19:1–29"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Deuteronomy 29:23",
    "Isaiah 1:9–10",
    "Isaiah 3:9",
    "Jeremiah 49:18",
    "Ezekiel 16:49–50",
    "Matthew 10:15",
    "Luke 17:28–30",
    "Romans 9:29",
    "2 Peter 2:6",
    "Jude 7"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The names are transliterated from Hebrew. In Scripture they function both as place names and as symbolic references to judgment and corruption.",
  "theological_significance": "Sodom and Gomorrah illustrate God’s holiness, his impartial judgment of evil, and his mercy toward those he delivers. They also show that Scripture describes sin comprehensively, not merely by one isolated act.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The account presents moral evil as real and accountable before God. Divine judgment is not arbitrary but corresponds to persistent wickedness, and mercy does not cancel justice.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Avoid reducing Sodom’s guilt to one sin only. Scripture presents a broader indictment that includes violence, pride, injustice, and sexual immorality. Also avoid speculative claims about the exact archaeological site, which is not certain.",
  "major_views_note": "Christians generally agree that the cities were real historical places in the biblical narrative and that their destruction functions as a warning of judgment. Debate usually concerns location, not the moral meaning of the account.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "The passage teaches divine judgment, human sinfulness, and mercy in rescue. It should not be used to flatten all forms of sexual sin into the same category or to ignore the wider biblical description of Sodom’s guilt.",
  "practical_significance": "The account calls readers to repentance, humility, and gratitude for God’s mercy. It also warns against moral complacency, injustice, and the assumption that judgment will never come.",
  "meta_description": "Sodom and Gomorrah were biblical cities destroyed by God and remembered as a warning of divine judgment against grievous sin.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/sodom-and-gomorrah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/sodom-and-gomorrah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}