Sodom and Gomorrah

For other uses, see Sodom and Gomorrah (disambiguation).

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, John Martin, 1852.

Sodom (Hebrew: סְדוֹם, Modern Sədom Tiberian Səḏôm, Greek Σόδομα Sódoma) and Gomorrah (Hebrew: עֲמוֹרָה, Modern ʿAmora Tiberian Ġəmôrāh/ʿĂmôrāh, Greek Γόμοῤῥα Gómorrha) were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources.

According to the Torah, the kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah were allied with the cities of Admah, Zeboim and Bela. These five cities, also known as the "cities of the plain," were situated on the Jordan river plain in the southern region of the land of Canaan. The Jordan river plain (which correlates to the modern day Dead Sea^[1]) has been compared to that of the garden of Eden,^[Gen.13:10] being a land well-watered and green, suitable for grazing livestock. Divine judgment by Yahweh was then passed upon Sodom and Gomorrah along with two other neighboring cities that were completely consumed by fire and brimstone. Neighboring Zoar was the only city to be spared during that day of judgment.^{[Deut.29:23][Gen.10:19]}

In Christian and Islamic traditions, Sodom and Gomorrah have become synonymous with impenitent sin, and their fall with a proverbial manifestation of God's wrath.^{[2][Jude 1:7]} Sodom and Gomorrah have also been used as metaphors for vice and homosexuality viewed as a deviation. The story has therefore given rise to words in several languages, including the English word "sodomy", used in so-called sodomy laws to describe a sexual "crime against nature" consisting of oral or anal sex, either homosexual or heterosexual.^[3]

Historicity

The historical existence of Sodom and Gomorrah is still in dispute by archaeologists. The Bible indicates they were located near the Dead Sea (Genesis 14:1-3, 14:8-10, 34:3).

Strabo states that locals living near Moasada (as opposed to Masada) say that "there were once thirteen inhabited cities in that region of which Sodom was the metropolis". Strabo identifies a limestone and salt hill at the south western tip of the Dead Sea, and Kharbet Usdum ruins nearby as the site of biblical Sodom.^[4]

Archibald Sayce translated an Akkadian poem describing cities that were destroyed in a rain of fire, written from the view of a person who escaped the destruction; the names of the cities are not given.^[5] However, Sayce later mentions that the story more closely resembles the doom of Sennacherib's host.^[6]

Skeptics point out that the name Sodom is a derivative of the Hebrew word for "scorched" and Gomorrah is from the Hebrew ‘amar, meaning "a ruined heap",^[7] surmising that since these names could only have been given after their destruction, the entire story would have to be fictitious. However, the traditional explanation for the use of retronyms in ancient historical literature is that it is retroactive nomenclature. The name Sodom could likewise be a word from an early Semitic language ultimately related to the Arabic sadama, meaning "fasten", "fortify", "strengthen", and Gomorrah could be based on the root gh m r, which means "be deep", "copious (water)".^[8]

In 1976 Giovanni Pettinato claimed that a cuneiform tablet that had been found in the newly discovered library at Ebla contained the names of all five of the cities of the plain (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Bela), listed in the same order as in Genesis. The names si-da-mu [TM.76.G.524] and ì-ma-ar [TM.75.G.1570 and TM.75.G.2233] were identified as representing Sodom and Gomorrah, which gained some acceptance at the time.^[9] However, Alfonso Archi states that, judging from the surrounding city names in the cuneiform list, si-da-mu lies in northern Syria and not near the Dead Sea, and ì-ma-ar is a variant of ì-mar, known to represent Emar, an ancient city located near Ebla.^[10] William Shea points out in 1983 that on the 'Eblaite Geographical Atlas' [TM.75.G.2231], ad-mu-ut and sa-dam are good readings by Pettinato and correspond to Admah and Sodom, and they are contained in a list of cities that traces a route along the shores of, or quite possibly within the Dead Sea, whose position may have since shifted along its fault.^[11] Today, the scientific consensus is reported as being that "Ebla has no bearing on ... Sodom and Gomorra."^[12]

If the cities actually existed, they might have been destroyed as the result of a natural cataclysm. Geologists have confirmed that no volcanic activity occurred within the last 4000 years. However, it is possible that the towns were destroyed by an earthquake in the region, especially if the towns lay along a major fault, the Jordan Rift Valley, the northernmost extension of the Great Rift Valley of the Red Sea and East Africa. However, there is a lack of contemporary accounts of seismic activity within the necessary timeframe to corroborate this theory.^[13]

More recently, researchers have hypothesized that a Middle East disaster which could have sparked the Sodom and Gomorrah legend may have been caused by the back plume of a massive meteor which exploded over the Austrian Alps in 3123 B.C, causing plumes to reach all the way down to the area.^[14]

Possible candidates for Sodom or Gomorrah are the sites discovered or visited by Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub in 1973, including Bab edh-Dhra, which was originally excavated in 1965 by archaeologist Paul Lapp, only to have his work continued by Rast and Schaub following his death by accidental drowning in the waters off of Cyprus in 1970. Other possibilities also include Numeira, es-Safi, Feifeh and Khanazir, which were also visited by Schaub and Rast. All sites were located near the Dead Sea, with evidence of burning and traces of sulfur.^[15][16] Archaeological remains excavated from Bab edh-Dhra are currently displayed in Karak Archaeological Museum (Karak Castle) and Amman Citadel Museum.

Another possible candidate for Sodom is the Tall el-Hammam dig site which began in 2006 under the direction of Steven Collins. Tall el-Hammam is located in the southern Jordan river valley approximately 14 kilometers Northeast of the Dead Sea. The ongoing dig is a result of joint cooperation between Trinity South Western University and the Department of Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.^[17] The tall proper is 36 hectares while the footprint size of general settlement extends beyond this well over 40 hectares. Due to the size this puts Tall el-Hammam as one of the largest Bronze sites that has been discovered in Jordan. Analysis of the findings indicates that the site was occupied from the Chalcolithic period on up the Iron Age (however there may likely be period gaps as well, along with evidences of destruction). In addition there is evidence of Hellenistic, Eastern Roman, and Byzantium occupation on the site.^[18]

Origin

The Book of Genesis is the primary source that mentions the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Major and minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible have also referred to Sodom and Gomorrah to parallel their prophetic events. In suite, the New Testament also contains passages of parallels to the destruction and surrounding events that pertained to these cities and those who were involved. Later Deuterocanonical texts attempt to glean additional insights about these cities of the Jordan Plain.

Government

See also: Battle of the Vale of Siddim

In Genesis Chapter 14, Sodom and Gomorrah’s political situation is described during the time biblical Lot had encamped in Sodom’s territory.^[19] Sodom was ruled by king Bera while Gomorrah was ruled by king Birsha. Their kingship, however, was not sovereign, because all of the river Jordan plain was under Elamite rule for twelve years. The kingdom of Elam was ruled by king Chedorlaomer.

In the thirteenth year of subjection to Elam, the five kings of the river Jordan plain aligned together to rebel against Elamite rule.^[v.4] These kings included those of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as their neighbors: king Shinab of Admah, king Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the unnamed king of Bela (later called Zoar).^[v.2]

In response, Elam’s king Chedorlaomer, gathered additional forces from Shinar, Ellasar and Goyim to suppress this rebellion from the cities of the plain.^[v.1,2] They waged war in the Valley of Siddim ^[v.3,8] in the fourteenth year. The battle was brutal with heavy losses in the cities of the plain, with their resultant defeat.^[v.10] Sodom and Gomorrah were spoiled of their goods, and captives were taken, including Lot.^[v.11,12]

The tide of war turned when Lot’s uncle Abram gathered an elite force that slaughtered king Chedorlaomer's forces in Hobah, north of Damascus.^[v.14-17] The success of his mission freed the cities of the plain from under Elam’s rule.^[v.18-20]

Judgment

In Genesis 18, God sends three men, thought by most commentators to have been angels appearing as men,^[20] to Abraham in the plains of Mamre.

After the angels received the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah, his wife, God reveals to Abraham that he will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, because their cry is great, "and because their sin is very grievous."^[Gen 18:20] In response, Abraham reverently inquires of God if he would spare the city if 50 righteous people were found in it, to which God agrees he would not destroy it for the sake of the righteous yet dwelling therein. Abraham then inquires of God for mercy at lower numbers (first 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, and finally at 10), with God agreeing each time.^{[Gen 18:22-33][21]} Two of the angels of God proceed to Sodom and are met by Abraham's nephew Lot, who convinces the angels to lodge with him, and they eat with his family.

Genesis 19:4-5 describes what followed, which confirms its end (RSV):

But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them (KJV: know them, RSV: know them, NIV: can have sex with them, NJB: can have intercourse with them)."

The Sodom and Gomorrah motif from the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel, 1493. Note Lot's wife, already transformed into a salt pillar, in the center.

In response, Lot refuses to give his guests to the inhabitants of Sodom and, instead, offers them his two virgin daughters to "do to them whatever you like." ^{[Gen 19:8]NASB} However, they refuse this offer and threaten to do worse to Lot than they would have done to his guests, and then lunged toward Lot to break down the door. Lot's angelic guests rescue him and strike the men with blindness.

Then, (not having found even 10 righteous people in the city) they command Lot to gather his family and leave, revealing that they were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. As they make their escape, the angels command Lot and his family not to look back under any circumstance. However, as Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by Yahweh with fire and brimstone, Lot's wife looks back at the city in defiance of the angels' specific command, and she becomes a pillar of salt.

Religious views

Jewish

Classical Jewish texts are seen by many^{[weasel words][who?]} as not stressing the homosexual aspect of the attitude of the inhabitants of Sodom as much as their cruelty and lack of hospitality to the "stranger."^[22] The Jewish Encyclopaedia^[23] has information on the importance of hospitality to the Jewish people. The people of Sodom were seen as guilty of many other significant sins. Rabbinic writings affirm that the Sodomites also committed economic crimes, blasphemy and bloodshed.^[24] One of the worst was to give money or even gold ingots to beggars, after inscribing their names on them, and then subsequently refusing to sell them food. The unfortunate stranger would end up starving and after his death, the people who gave him the money would reclaim it.

A rabbinic tradition, described in the Mishnah, postulates that the sin of Sodom was related to property: Sodomites believed that "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours" (Abot), which is interpreted as a lack of compassion. Another rabbinic tradition is that these two wealthy cities treated visitors in a sadistic fashion. One major crime done to strangers was almost identical to that of Procrustes in Greek mythology. This would be the story of the "bed" that guests to Sodom were forced to sleep in: if they were too short they were stretched to fit it, and if they were too tall, they were cut up (indeed, in Hebrew and Yiddish, the corresponding term for a Procrustean bed is a "Sodom bed").

In another incident, Eliezer, Abraham's servant, went to visit Lot in Sodom and got in a dispute with a Sodomite over a beggar, and was hit in the forehead with a stone, making him bleed. The Sodomite demanded Eliezer pay him for the service of bloodletting, and a Sodomite judge sided with the Sodomite. Eliezer then struck the judge in the forehead with a stone and asked the judge to pay the Sodomite.

The Talmud and the book of Jasher also recount two incidents of a young girl (one involved Lot's daughter Paltith) who gave some bread to a poor man who had entered the city. When the townspeople discovered their acts of kindness, they burned Paltith and smeared the other girl's body with honey and hung her from the city wall until she was eaten by bees. (Sanhedrin 109a.) It is this gruesome event, and her scream in particular, the Talmud concludes, that are alluded to in the verse that heralds the city’s destruction: "So^[25] said, 'Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and because their sin has been very grave, I will descend and see...'"^{[Gen 18:20-21]}

A modern orthodox position is one that holds, “The paradigmatic instance of such aberrant behavior is found in the demand of the men of Sodom to 'know' the men visiting Lot, the nephew of Abraham, thus lending their name to the practice of 'sodomy'."^[26]

Christian

Several theories have been advanced in Christian thought concerning the sin of Sodom, two of which are prevailing opinions—a sexual and a nonsexual view.

The more prominent theory, representing orthodox Christian opinion, holds that the demand of Lot's countrymen was referring to a militant solicitation for homosexual sex—a same-sex orgy.^[27][28]

The contention between the two positions primarily focuses upon the meaning of the word know, in verse 5:

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where [are] the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. —Gen 19:5

Those who favor the non-sexual interpretation argue against a denotation of sexual behavior in this context, noting that while the Hebrew word for know appears over 900 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, only approximately 1% (13-14 times)^[22][29] of those references is it clearly used as a euphemism for realizing sexual intimacy.^[30] Instead, those who hold to this interpretation usually see the demand to know as demanding the right to interrogate the strangers.^[31]

Countering this is the observation that one of the examples of "know" meaning to know sexually occurs only three verses later in the same narrative:

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing.... —Genesis 19:8

The following is a major text in regard to these conflicting opinions:

Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. —Jude 1:7

This reference to "going after strange flesh" is understood in different ways to include something akin to bestiality, having illicit sex with strangers, having sex with angels, but most often God's destruction of the populations of the four cities is interpreted to mean homosexual (same-sex) relations.^[32]

Many who interpret the stories in a non-sexual context contend that as the word for “strange” is akin to “another,” “other,” “altered” or even “next,” the meaning is unclear, and if the condemnation of Sodom was the result of sexual activities perceived to be perverse, then it is likely that it was because women sought to commit fornication with “other than human” angels,^[33] perhaps referring to Genesis 6 or the apocryphal Book of Enoch. Countering this, it is pointed out that Genesis 6 refers to angels seeking women, not men seeking angels, and that both Sodom and Gomorrah were engaged in the sin Jude describes before the angelic visitation, and that, regardless, it is doubtful that the Sodomites knew they were angels. In addition, it is argued the word used in the King James Version of the Bible for "strange," can mean unlawful or corrupted (Rm. 7:3; Gal. 1:6), and that the apocryphal book of Enoch condemns "sodomitic" sex (Enoch 10:3; 34:1),^[34] thus indicating that homosexual relations was the prevalent physical sin of Sodom.^[35]

Both the non-sexual and the homosexuality view invoke certain classical writings as well as other portions of the Bible.^[36][37]

Now this was the sin of Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. —Ezekiel 16:49-50

Here the nonsexual view focuses on the inhospitality aspect, while the other notes the description detestable or abomination, the Hebrew word for which often denotes moral sins, including those of a sexual nature.^[38][39]

In the Gospel of Matthew (and corresponding verse) when Jesus warns of a worse judgment for some cities than Sodom, inhospitality is perceived by some as the sin, while others see it fundamentally being impenitence:

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. --Matthew 10:14-15

The nonsexual view focuses on the cultural importance of hospitality, which this biblical story shares with other ancient civilizations, such as Greece and Rome, where hospitality was of singular importance and strangers were under the protection of the gods.^[40]

The orthodox position does not deny this important cultural aspect, but tends to see the refusal to repent as being the main issue behind Jesus's condemnation, with this being causative of the particular inhospitality shown by the cities Jesus referred to. In addition, they see the information regarding Sodom as best indicating that forced perverse sex was the specific means of inhospitality, and the primary physical sin of Sodom.

Islamic

Main article: Islamic view of Lot

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the twin cities which Lot was sent to with God's message, transgressed consciously against the bounds of God. Their avarice led to inhospitality and robbery, which in turn led to the humiliation of strangers by mistreatment and rape. It was their abominable sin of homosexuality which was seen as symptomatic of their attitudes,^[41][42] and upon Lot's exhorting them to abandon their transgression against God, they ridiculed him,^[43] threatening with dire consequences;^[42][44][45] Lot only prayed to God to be saved from doing as they did.^[46]

Other references

Moses

Moses in talking with the Israelites during the Exodus, refers to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Deuteronomy 29:22-23:

"Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the LORD has afflicted it. The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the LORD overthrew in fierce anger." - NIV

See also: Deuteronomy 32:32-33

Major Prophets

Isaiah 1:9-10, Isaiah 3:9 and Isaiah 13:19-22 addresses people as from Sodom and Gomorrah, associates Sodom with shameless sinning and tells Babylon that it will end like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jeremiah 23:14, Jeremiah 49:17-18, Jeremiah 50:39-40 and Lamentations 4:6 associate Sodom and Gomorrah with adultery and lies, prophesies the fate of Edom, south of the Dead Sea, prophesies the fate of Babylon and uses Sodom as a comparison.

In Ezekiel 16:48-50 God compares Jerusalem to Sodom, saying "Sodom never did what you and your daughters have done." He explains that the sin of Sodom was that "She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me."

Minor Prophets

In Amos 4:1-11 God tells the Israelites he had warned them and treated them like Sodom and Gomorrah, still they did not repent.

In Zephaniah 2:9 the prophet tells Moab and Ammon, southeast and northeast of the Dead Sea, that they will end up like Sodom and Gomorrah.

New Testament

In Matthew 10:1-15, cf. Luke 10:1-12, Jesus declares certain cities more damnable than Sodom and Gomorrah, due to their response to Jesus' disciples, in the light of greater grace (RSV):

"And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town."

In Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus prophesies the fate of some cities where he did some of his works (RSV):

"And you, Caper'na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

In Luke 17:28-30 Jesus compares his second-coming to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (RSV):

"Likewise as it was in the days of Lot—they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed."

In Romans 9:29 Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9-10 (RSV): "And as Isaiah predicted, 'If the Lord of hosts had not left us children, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomor'rah.'"

In 2Peter 2:4-10 Peter uses the time of Sodom and Lot in his description of the time of the second coming of Jesus.

Jude 1:7 records that both Sodom and Gomorrah were "giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."

Revelation 11:7-8 makes an allegorical use of Sodom when it describes the places where two prophets will descend during the Apocalypse.

Deuterocanonical references

Wisdom 10:6 refers to Five Cities, including Sodom, or Pentapolis: "Wisdom rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing; he escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities."

Sodom was one of a group of five towns, the Pentapolis (Wisdom 10:6): Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Bela—also called Zoar.^[Gen 19:22] The Pentapolis region is also collectively referred to as "the cities of the plain" ^[13:12]

Modern Sodom

The site of the present Dead Sea Works, a large operation for the extraction of Dead Sea minerals, is called "Sdom" (סדום) according to its traditional Arab name, Khirbet as-sudūm. Nearby is unique Mount Sodom (הר סדום in Hebrew) consisting mainly of salt. In the Plain of Sdom (מישור סדום) to the south there are a few springs and two small agricultural villages.

Popular culture

• The story of Sodom and Gomorrah was told in a 1963 film starring Stewart Granger as Lot with Anouk Aimee and Pier Angeli and directed by Robert Aldrich.
• In the movie Year One (film) the main setting is Sodom
• In the movie The Bible: In The Beginning, George C. Scott plays Abraham, Gabriele Ferzetti Lot, and Peter O'Toole the three angels, in the bargaining episode.
• In the movie The Scorpion King, the antagonist Memnon rules the city of Gomorrah.
• In the manga and anime, One Piece, the Franky Family owns two King Bulls called Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer Hal Duncan, who is homosexual, writes a monthly column entitled Notes from New Sodom.^[47]
• In the videogame Fallout: New Vegas one of the main casinos on the strip is named Gomorrah, and its most notable trait is the abundance of exotic dancers and prostitutes as well as a hell-like decor.
• Sodom and Gomorrah are discussed by "John Doe" in the movie Se7en during the film's final scene.
• Reverend Bizarre's track, Sodoma Sunrise, from their album In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend, is based on the tale of the destruction of the cities.
• In the science-fantasy game setting Warhammer 40000, the Dark Eldar's home city of Commorragh derives its name--and likewise it's decadent culture--from the biblical Gomorrah.
• The punk band Anti-Flag has released a song called "Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C" on their album The People Or The Gun
• In the song Jokerman by Bob Dylan from his 1983 album Infidels.

See also

• Apples of Sodom
• Aye, and Gomorrah
• The Bible and homosexuality
• Bombing of Hamburg during the last week of July, 1943, designated Operation Gomorrah
• Gesangsszene, a musical setting by Karl Amadeus Hartmann of Jean Giraudoux's Sodome et Gomorrhe (Sodom and Gomorrah).
• Homosexuality in the Hebrew Bible
• Religion and homosexuality
• Vayeira, the Torah portion containing the story of Sodom and Gomorrah
• Vine of Sodom
• Lot
• Lot's Wife

References

1. ^ Smith, William (circa 1863). "Sodom". Smith's Bible Dictionary. http://topicalbible.org/s/sodom.htm. Retrieved 2011-08-15. 
2. ^ Qur'an(S15)Al-Hijr:72-73
3. ^ Koerner, Brendan (2002-12-10). "What is sodomy". Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2075271/. Retrieved 2010-05-30. 
4. ^ de Saulcy, Ferdinand (1853). Voyage autour de la mer Morte et dans les terres bibliques. Paris: Gide et J. Baudry. 
5. ^ A. H. Sayce. "The Overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Accadian Account)" Records of the Past XI 115. 
6. ^ Archibald Sayce (1887). The Hibbert Lectures, 1887: Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion. pp. 309. 
7. ^ Cornwell, Jim A.. "The Kings of Canaan Gen. 14:1-11". The Alpha and the Omega. http://www.mazzaroth.com/ChapterFour/KingsOfCanaan.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-14. 
8. ^ B. Macdonald (2000) (PDF). "East of the Jordan": Territories and Sites of the Hebrew Scriptures. American Schools of Oriental Research. ISBN 0897570316. http://www.asor.org/pubs/macdonald.pdf. 
9. ^ Hershel Shanks (November/December 1981). "BAR Interviews Giovanni Pettinato". Biblical Archaeology Review 7 (6). 
10. ^ Alfonso Archi (September/October 1980). "Are "The Cities of the Plain" Mentioned in the Ebla Tablets?". Biblical Archaeology Review 6 (5). 
11. ^ Bryant G. Wood (Summer 1999). "The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah". Bible and Spade 12 (3). 
12. ^ Chavalas, Mark W., and K. Lawson Younger, Jr. (eds.) Mesopotamia and the Bible: Comparative Explorations. 2003. P.41
13. ^ J. Penrose Harland (September 1943). "Sodom and Gomorrah: The Destruction of the Cities of the Plain". Biblical Archaeologist 6 (3). 
14. ^ "Evidence of Asteroid Impact For Sodom and Gomorrah?". http://www.universetoday.com/13560/evidence-of-asteroid-impact-for-sodom-and-gomorrah/. 
15. ^ "Does Archeological Data Support the Biblical Story?". http://www.aish.com/societyWork/sciencenature/Biblical_Archeology_Sodom_and_Gomorrah.asp. 
16. ^ [1]
17. ^ "tallelhammam.com". http://www.tallelhammam.com. 
18. ^ "tallelhammam.com". http://www.tallelhammam.com/uploads/TeHEP_SEASON_FIVE_2010_REPORT.pdf. 
19. ^ Genesis 13:11-12
20. ^ According to Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible, the "three men" were three heavenly beings in human bodies. "Some think they were all created angels; others, that one of them was the Son of God, the Angel of the covenant." In Genesis 18:3, the word "Lord" is the same word as in verse 1, but is plural, which would seem to indicate that Abraham could not determine that they were heavenly beings since they appeared as men. It wasn't until after the three had eaten, verses 9-15, that Abraham realized the true identity of his visitors and their purpose.[2]
21. ^ This is compared with the Sorites paradox in Geocomputation, Stan Openshaw, Robert J. Abrahart, 2000, p. 167.
22. ^ ^{a b} The Inhospitable Sodomites
23. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
24. ^ James Alfred Loader (1990). A tale of two cities : Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament, early Jewish and early Christian traditions. Peeters Publishers. pp. 28. 
25. ^ Hashem
26. ^ Jewish Ethics and Halakhah For Our Time (2002); Cf. Genesis Rabbah 50:5, on Gen. 9:22 ff. More generally see M.Kasher, Torah Shlemah, vol. 3 to Gen 19:5.)[139]
27. ^ "The Old Testament Attitude to Homosexuality." Expository Times, 102 (1991): 259-363
28. ^ Boswell, John (1980). Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 94. 
29. ^ Gn 4:1,17,25, 24:16, 38:26; Num 31:17,18,35; Jdg 11:39, 19:25, 21:11,12; 1Sam 1:19, 1Ki 1:4, cf. Mt 1:25, Lk 1:34
30. ^ Jack Bartlet, Rogers (2006). Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the myths, heal the church. Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press. pp. 139. 
31. ^ D S. Bailey, Homosexuality and the Western Tradition, p. 8; John J. McNeil, the Church and the Homosexual, p. 50; Daniel Helminiak, http://www.neednotfret.com/content/view/124/89/
32. ^ Miller, David. "Homosexuality and 'Strange Flesh'". Web: 28 Mar 2010. Homosexuality and 'Strange Flesh'
33. ^ Bailey, Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition, pp. 11-16; Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, p.97
34. ^ http://www38.bibliotecapleyades.net/enoch/2enoch01-68.htm
35. ^ response to prof. l. William Countryman’s review in Anglican theological review; On Careless Exegesis and Jude 7, Robert A. J. Gagnon
36. ^ Bailey, Homosexuality and Western Tradition, pp. 1-28; McNeil, Church and the Homosexual, pp. 42-50; Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, pp. 92-97
37. ^ review essay of homosexuality, science, and the “plain sense” of scripture, part 2, Robert A. J. Gagnon
38. ^ Lv.18:22; 26-27,29,30; 20:13; Dt. 23:18; 24:4 1Ki. 14:24; Ezek. 22:11; 33:26
39. ^ cf. Straight & Narrow?: Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate, Thomas E. Schmidt
40. ^ Peck, Harry Thurston (1898). Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. New York: Harper and Brothers. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin//ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062;query=id%3D%238285;layout=;loc=hospitium-1. Retrieved 2006-03-17. 
41. ^ Quran 07:81
42. ^ ^{a b} Quran 26:165
43. ^ Quran 29:29
44. ^ Quran 54:33
45. ^ Quran 7:80
46. ^ Quran 26:168
47. ^ "Notes from New Sodom". BSCreview. http://www.bscreview.com/author/hal-duncan/. Retrieved 2010-10-28. 

External links

• Atlantic Baptist University Sodom and Gomorrah
• "Commentary on Genesis 19" by Robert Jameison, D.D. 1871
• "Commentary on Genesis 19" by Theodore Beza
• Harvard University The 1975–1981 Excavations At The Town Site Of Bab edh-Dhra
• Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance This site has an extensive coverage of both the liberal and conservative Christian views of the story of Sodom and Gomorra.
• Sodom and Gomorrah at the Catholic Encyclopedia
• University of Melbourne "Bab edh-Dhra is located on the South-East edge of the Dead Sea in Jordan, not far from Numeira (identified with Gomorroh)."
• University of Notre Dame Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain.

Coordinates: 31°12′N 35°30′E / 31.2°N 35.5°E / 31.2; 35.5