A city in the story of God
Sodom
Sodom is the city whose name became a byword for wickedness and for the judgment of God. Its ruin in the days of Abraham and Lot echoes through the rest of Scripture as a warning.
“Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;”Genesis 19:24
The city in Scripture
The city in Scripture. Sodom lay in the well watered plain of Jordan, which Lot chose because it looked like the garden of the LORD (Gen 13:10-12). But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly (Gen 13:13). When the Lord came to Abraham, He revealed that the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was great, and Abraham pleaded that the city might be spared for the sake of the righteous within it (Gen 18:20-33). Two angels came to Sodom, and Lot took them in, but the men of the city surrounded the house in violence (Gen 19:4-11). The angels struck them with blindness and urged Lot to flee, for the Lord would destroy the place. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven (Gen 19:24-25), overthrowing the cities of the plain. Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt (Gen 19:26). The exact location of Sodom is uncertain, generally placed near the Dead Sea, though scholars differ on the site. What Scripture makes clear is the completeness of its overthrow.
What it came to mean
What it came to mean. Sodom came to mean the pattern of pride and wickedness that invites the judgment of God. Ezekiel names its deeper sin: This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezek 16:49). So Sodom stands not only for open immorality but for comfort without mercy, plenty without gratitude, and cruelty to the needy. Throughout Scripture its name is shorthand for a place ripe for judgment (Isa 1:9-10; Jer 23:14). Its overthrow becomes a fixed example, that the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment (2 Pet 2:6-9). Jude says its cities are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (Jude 7). Sodom teaches the seriousness of sin and the certainty that God, though patient, will not leave wickedness forever unjudged.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Sodom points to Christ by contrast and by the mercy that reaches toward it. Jesus used Sodom as a measure of judgment, warning that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for towns that rejected His messengers (Matt 10:15), and than for Capernaum, which saw His works and did not repent (Matt 11:23-24). This shows that light rejected is the gravest guilt of all. Yet the story also shows the intercessor. Abraham pleaded for the city, and one greater than Abraham now intercedes, for Christ makes intercession for the transgressors (Isa 53:12; Heb 7:25). Where Sodom found no ten righteous to spare it, Christ is Himself the righteous One who bears judgment for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God (1 Pet 3:18). The fire that fell on Sodom fell on Him at the cross for all who believe. His warning to remember Lot's wife (Luke 17:32) calls every heart to flee sin and turn to Him without looking back.
Questions people ask
What was the sin of Sodom?
Genesis describes violent wickedness and gross immorality, and Ezekiel 16:49 adds pride, excess, idleness, and neglect of the poor. Scripture treats its sin as full and unrepentant, provoking judgment.
Where was Sodom located?
It lay in the plain of Jordan and is generally placed near the Dead Sea, though the exact site is uncertain and scholars differ. Scripture emphasizes its overthrow rather than pinpointing its ruins.
Did Jesus mention Sodom?
Yes. Jesus said it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for towns that rejected His messengers (Matt 10:15), and He told hearers to remember Lot's wife (Luke 17:32).