In the Abrahamic religions, Sodom () and Gomorrah () were two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1–28). They are mentioned frequently in the Nevi'im section of the Hebrew Bible as well as in the New Testament as symbols of human wickedness and divine retribution, and the Quran contains a version of the story about the two cities.
These cities are depicted as two of the "cities of the plain" involved in Abraham and Lot's story, including rebellion against Chedorlaomer and their eventual rescue by Abraham. Sodom and Gomorrah are later destroyed by God after their pervasive wickedness, with Lot and his daughters spared while Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt for looking back.
Biblical and deuterocanonical texts expand on the story, portraying Sodom and Gomorrah as symbols of sin, often linked to adultery, arrogance, inhospitality, and oppression of the poor, rather than explicitly sexual immorality. References in the New Testament, including Matthew, Luke, Jude, and Revelation, use the cities as warnings of divine judgment, with some interpretations highlighting sexual transgressions, while others emphasize violence, injustice, and violations of hospitality. Scholars debate the precise nature of the sins, noting that the Hebrew term "'yada'" (to "know") in Genesis 19:5 could imply sexual assault but may also be interpreted as a demand to interrogate or dominate visitors, reflecting the cities' moral corruption more broadly.
Historically, Sodom and Gomorrah may have been based on real locations along the Dead Sea, with sites like Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira suggested as possible candidates, though archaeological evidence is inconclusive. Religious interpretations vary: Judaism often stresses cruelty, arrogance, and inhospitality as the cities' sins, while Christianity and Islam debate the relative importance of sexual immorality versus violent, inhospitable behavior, with these traditions also discussing homosexual transgression and disobedience to God. Gnostic texts, in contrast, present the cities as containing secret knowledge, and their destruction is a consequence of the spiritual ignorance and demonically influenced nature of the Demiurge.
Etymology
The etymology of the names Sodom and Gomorrah is uncertain, and scholars disagree about their origins. According to Burton MacDonald, the Hebrew term for Gomorrah was based on the Semitic root , which means "be deep, copious (water)".
They are known in Hebrew as () and (). In the Septuagint, these became () and (); Biblical Hebrew ghayn merged with ayin after the Septuagint was transcribed.
Biblical narrative Lot and Chedorlaomer Sodom and Gomorrah are among the "cities of the plain" referred to when Abraham and Lot resolve their conflict over land: Lot, the nephew of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham, chose to settle in the Jordan Valley and "moved his tent as far as Sodom".: English Standard Version (ESV) The cities were distinct entities at this time: Genesis 14:2 states that Bera was king of Sodom and Birsha was king of Gomorrah.
The two cities rebel against Chedorlaomer of Elam, to whom they were subject. At the Battle of Siddim, Chedorlaomer defeats them and takes many captives, including Lot. Abraham gathers his men, rescues Lot, and frees the cities.
Destruction of the cities Later, God resolves to inform Abraham of his plans for Sodom, because God's knowledge or choice of Abraham meant that Abraham would "keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice",: ESV while Sodom had acquired a reputation for wickedness. Abraham asks God "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?": ESV Starting at 50 people, Abraham negotiates with God, securing God's agreement to spare Sodom if ten righteous people could be found.
God sends two angels or messengers to destroy Sodom. They arrive in the evening and propose to spend the night in the town square, but Lot persuades them to stay with him and welcomes them into his home.: ESV Late in the evening, all the men of the town surround the house and demand that Lot surrender the visitors, that they may "know" them.: ESV Lot offers the mob his virgin daughters to "do to them as you please", but they refuse and threaten to do worse to Lot. The angels strike the crowd blind.: ESV
The messengers tell Lot, "For we are about to destroy this place; because the outcry against them before has become so great that has sent us to destroy it." (Genesis 19:13). The next morning, because Lot had lingered, the messengers took Lot, Lot's wife, and his two daughters by the hand and out of the city, and told him to flee to the hills and not look back. Lot says that the hills are too far away and asks to go to Zoara in the Transjordan instead, travelling there overnight (Genesis 19:23). God then rains sulfur (or brimstone) and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and "what grew on the ground" (Genesis 19:24–25). Lot and his two daughters are saved, but his wife disregards the angels' warning, looks back, and is turned into a pillar of salt.
Sodom and Gomorrah feature in the story of Lot's daughters (Genesis 19:29).
Other biblical references
The Hebrew Bible contains several other references to Sodom and Gomorrah. 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 and their residents. Additionally, the sins which triggered the destruction are reminiscent of the Book of Judges' account of the Levite's concubine.
Hebrew Bible "Sodom and Gomorrah" becomes a byword for destruction and desolation. Deuteronomy 29:21–23 refers to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:
Isaiah 1:9–10, 3:9 and 13:19–22 address people as from Sodom and Gomorrah, associates Sodom with shameless sinning and tells Babylon that it will end like those two cities.
Jeremiah 23:14, 49:17–18, 50:39–40 and Lamentations 4:6 associate Sodom and Gomorrah with adultery and lies, prophesy the fate of Edom (south of the Dead Sea), predict the fate of Babylon and use Sodom as a comparison.
Ezekiel 16:48–50 compares Jerusalem to Sodom, saying
In Amos 4:1–11, God tells the Israelites that although he treated them like Sodom and Gomorrah, they still did not repent.
In Zephaniah 2:9, Zephaniah tells Moab and Ammon that they will end up like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Deuterocanon
Wisdom 10:6–8 refers to the Five Cities:
Wisdom 19:17 says that the Egyptians who enslaved the Israelites were "struck with blindness, like the men of Sodom who came to the door of that righteous man Lot. They found themselves in total darkness, as each one groped around to find his own door."
Sirach 16:8 says that "[God] did not spare the neighbors of Lot, whom he loathed on account of their insolence".: RSV
In 3 Maccabees 2:5, the high priest Simon says that God "consumed with fire and sulfur the men of Sodom who acted arrogantly, who were notorious for their vices; and you made them an example to those who should come afterward".: RSV
2 Esdras 2:8–9 says "Woe to you, Assyria, who conceal the unrighteous in your midst! O wicked nation, remember what I did to Sodom and Gomor'rah, whose land lies in lumps of pitch and heaps of ashes. So will I do to those who have not listened to me, says the Lord Almighty."
2 Esdras 5:1–13 describes signs of the end times, one of which is that "the sea of Sodom shall cast up fish".
In 2 Esdras 7:106, Ezra says that Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom.
Chapter 12 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, references "Gemorra an Sedom".
New Testament In Matthew 10:14–15 (cf. Luke 10:11–12) Jesus says:
In Matthew 11:20–24, Jesus warns of the fate of some cities where he did some of his works:
In Luke 17:28–30, Jesus says:
Romans 9:29 refers to the words of Isaiah 1:9: "And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left survivors to us, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah."
2 Peter 2:4–10 says that just as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and saved Lot, he will deliver godly people from temptations and punish the wicked on Judgement Day.
Jude 1:7 records that both Sodom and Gomorrah "indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire".
Revelation 11:7–8, regarding the two witnesses, reads: This wording is rendered "Sodom or Egypt" in some translations.: New International Reader's Version
The sin of Sodom In the Hebrew Bible, God destroyed Sodom for its sins, but in the Genesis story, no sin is singled out as the cause of this destruction. Other texts, including apocrypha such as the Book of Jubilees, attributed a variety of sins, both sexual and nonsexual, to the inhabitants of Sodom. Over time, "unnatural" sex began to be more predominantly included among these, and eventually homosexuality was interpreted as the primary sin of Sodom. Since 1955, scholars increasingly view the great sin of Sodom to be one of inhospitable treatment of guests. Much of the debate in modern interpretation of the greatest sin of Sodom, and relatedly, whether the story concerns or condemns homosexuality, rests upon interpreting the moment the mob from Sodom confronts Lot about his guests. The idea that the sins of Sodom were sexual in nature seems to be an innovation (deviation) of Philo of Alexandria. The homophobic Christian interpretation began in the 6th century AD, becoming fully accepted Church dogma in the 12th century AD.
For the prophet's Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah, the crimes of Sodom are not primarily sexual in nature, but concern the poor treatment of the less fortunate.
Origin of the term sodomy
Sodom and Gomorrah, or the "cities of the plain", have been used historically and in modern discourse as metaphors for homosexuality, and are the origin of the English words sodomite, a pejorative term for male homosexuals; "sod", a British vulgar slang term for male homosexuals; and sodomy, which is used in a legal context under the label crimes against nature to describe anal or oral sex (particularly homosexual) and bestiality.
This is based upon Christian exegesis of the biblical text interpreting divine judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah as punishment for the sin of homosexual sex. Byrne Fone, in Homophobia: A History, analyzes the history of theological discourse surrounding Sodom and Gomorrah. He locates the origin of the argument that sodomy was sinful to a contested reading of one word in the story. Citing Sodom and Gomorrah, Christian authorities began to label and condemn acts of sodomy as the worst of all sexual sins, and one of the worst crimes in general. For many centuries, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah was used by the church to justify criminalization of sexual practices between men, and people labeled sodomites were often punished by execution. Western nations followed with similar criminalization of male homosexuality and sexual practices between men, and thousands of people were executed since 1292 under these laws.