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'''Sodom''' was one of five ancient [[Canaanite]] (Gn. 10:19) "cities of the Plain", (Gn. 13:10) , along with its sister city of iniquity, [[Gommorah]], and  Admah, Zeboim and Lasha. The Bible records that Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed because, among other sins, they, "and the cities about them in like manner, [were] giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh", and thus  "are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7 [[KJV]]) Biblical texts confirm that "the cities about them" would be or would include Admah, and Zeboim. (Dt. 29:23; Hos. 11:8) Their destruction was by means of brimstone (thought by some to be hot [[lava]]) and fire from heaven, but which was preceded by the confirmation of the wickedness of Sodom by angels of God (appearing as men), and deliverance of righteous Lot and those of his family who went with him. Lot's wife however, disobeyed the command of the angels not to look back, and was turned into a pillar of salt. This region later became part of the the Holy Land of Israel.   

'''Sodom''' was one of five ancient [[Canaanite]] (Gn. 10:19) "cities of the Plain", (Gn. 13:10) , along with its sister city of iniquity, [[Gommorah]], and  Admah, Zeboim and Lasha. The Bible records that Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed because, among other sins, they, "and the cities about them in like manner, [were] giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh", and thus  "are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7 [[KJV]]) Biblical texts confirm that "the cities about them" would be or would include Admah, and Zeboim. (Dt. 29:23; Hos. 11:8) Their destruction was by means of brimstone (thought by some to be hot [[lava]]) and fire from heaven, but which was preceded by the confirmation of the wickedness of Sodom by angels of God (appearing as men), and deliverance of righteous Lot and those of his family who went with him. Lot's wife however, disobeyed the command of the angels not to look back, and was turned into a pillar of salt. This region later became part of the the Holy Land of Israel.   

==Dr. Bryant Wood's Archaeological Investigation in Relation to Sodom==  

==Dr. Bryant Wood's Archaeological Investigation in Relation to Sodom==

[[Image:sodom1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Location of the Ancient City of Sodom near the Dead Sea.]]

[[Image:sodom1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Location of the Ancient City of Sodom near the Dead Sea.]]

:"...the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground." [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2019:24-25;&version=49; Genesis 19:24-25]

:"...the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground." [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2019:24-25;&version=49; Genesis 19:24-25]

2Peter 2:6-7 (KJV} also references both Sodom and Lot,   

2Peter 2:6-7 (KJV) also references both Sodom and Lot,   

:"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked".

:"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked".

{{bibleverse||Jeremiah|23:14|KJV}} associates Sodom and Gomorrah with adultery and lies.   

{{bibleverse||Jeremiah|23:14|KJV}} associates Sodom and Gomorrah with adultery and lies.   

In Ezekiel 16:48-50 (KJV}, God compares [[Jerusalem]] to Sodom, saying "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.  (49)  Behold, 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.  (50)  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

In Ezekiel 16:48-50 (KJV), God compares [[Jerusalem]] to Sodom, saying "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.  (49)  Behold, 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.  (50)  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

{{bibleverse||Mark|6:11-12|KJV}}(cf. Mt. 11:20-24; Lk. 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.   

{{bibleverse||Mark|6:11-12|KJV}}(cf. Mt. 11:20-24; Lk. 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.   

==Sodom and homosexuality==

==Sodom and homosexuality==

''See also: [[Homosexuality and biblical interpretation#Genesis 19|Genesis 19]]''

{{See also|Homosexuality and biblical interpretation#Genesis 19|l1=Genesis 19}}

Classical Jewish commentary consistently condemns homosexuality, yet comments on Sodom, though not abundant, most usually mention traditions which tell of the cruelty of Sodom to strangers, but not its manifestation in homosexual rape.  Reasons for this include the references to lack of charity and injustice elsewhere in the Bible, such as Ezekiel, and also because the angels were in Sodom ''because'' God had already decided to destroy it (Gen. 19:13) and so the attempted homosexual rape was "just" further evidence of the total depravity of the city. However, Hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo (20 BC - 50 AD) described the inhabitants of Sodom,

Classical Jewish commentary consistently condemns homosexuality, yet comments on Sodom, though not abundant, most usually mention traditions which tell of the cruelty of Sodom to strangers, but not its manifestation in homosexual rape.  Reasons for this include the references to lack of charity and injustice elsewhere in the Bible, such as Ezekiel, and also because the angels were in Sodom ''because'' God had already decided to destroy it (Gen. 19:13) and so the attempted homosexual rape was "just" further evidence of the total depravity of the city. However, Hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo (20 BC - 50 AD) described the inhabitants of Sodom,

The most explicit reference to Sodom in the New Testament is found in the short book of Jude, in which one aspect has seen some varied interpretations.   

The most explicit reference to Sodom in the New Testament is found in the short book of Jude, in which one aspect has seen some varied interpretations.   

:''I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 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 5 -7 {KJV)

:''I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 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 5 -7 (KJV)

This section is part of a discourse warning of [[apostasy]], in which contemporary examples of those who are acting in rebellion to truth are likened to past examples, from Israelites who were faithless and disobedient to God, to angels who left their ordained position in rebellion against God, to Sodom and Gomorrah and like cities, who likewise acted in rebellion to God's order. While Sodom did not have the light the previous parties were given, as they were pagan Canaanites, pagan rebellion is detailed in [[Roman 1]], in which many iniquities are named as the result of rejection of truth which God has given by way of creation.   

This section is part of a discourse warning of [[apostasy]], in which contemporary examples of those who are acting in rebellion to truth are likened to past examples, from Israelites who were faithless and disobedient to God, to angels who left their ordained position in rebellion against God, to Sodom and Gomorrah and like cities, who likewise acted in rebellion to God's order. While Sodom did not have the light the previous parties were given, as they were pagan Canaanites, pagan rebellion is detailed in [[Roman 1]], in which many iniquities are named as the result of rejection of truth which God has given by way of creation.   

The part of verse 7 which commentators have found intriguing is "going after strange flesh". Pro homosexual writers seek to disallow its meaning as referring to homosexual relations, pointing out that the word for "strange" usually means ''another'' or ''other'', and contend that if it was sexual, then it referred attempted sex with angels. However, countering this is the traditionalist argument which points out that the wickedness of Sodom was regional, and that no distinction is indicated that only Sodom was going after strange flesh. Genesis 18 reveals that the angels appearance as men was in order to find out whether the cry of Sodomy was true, and it is certain that this cry was not that of seeking sex with angels. It is also understood that it would be unlikely that the Sodomites (or even Lot: Heb. 13:2) knew Lot's visitors men were angels. In addition, it is seen that the word for strange can easily mean that is which is unlawful or perverse, as in Rm. 7:3 or Gal. 1:6<ref>[http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Homosex_versus_the_Bible.html#Jude Homosexual relations and the Bible, Jude 1:7]</ref> Dave Miller states this pertains to the indulgence of passions that are “contrary to nature” (Barnes, 1949, p. 393)—“a departure from the laws of nature in the impurities practiced” (Salmond, 1950, 22:7).<ref>Dave Miller, Ph.D. http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/480</ref> Gagnon provides six indications why "giving themselves over to fornication" alludes, at least in part, to attempted male-male intercourse.<ref>[http://www.robgagnon.net/RevCountryman.htm RESPONSE TO PROF. L. WILLIAM COUNTRYMAN’S REVIEW IN ANGLICAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW; On Careless Exegesis and Jude 7]</ref> After examining evidence for both positions,  Thomas E. Schmidt  states, "The first Christians undoubtedly connected the sin of Sodom to the sin of same-sex relations and used the name of city as a symbol for extreme sexual wrongdoing, including but not limited to same-sex relations.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=Zeotd-ylKtwC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=quotes+Straight+and+Narrow?+Compassion+and+Clarity+in+the+Homosexuality+Debate&source=web&ots=WOXT85Pbxk&sig=8W9pkL8rcJ_7PS6oXbZ1QQBWCxQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA97,M1 Straight & narrow? by Thomas E. Schmidt]</ref>

The part of verse 7 which commentators have found intriguing is "going after strange flesh". Pro homosexual writers seek to disallow its meaning as referring to homosexual relations, pointing out that the word for "strange" usually means ''another'' or ''other'', and contend that if it was sexual, then it referred attempted sex with angels. However, countering this is the traditionalist argument which points out that the wickedness of Sodom was regional, and that no distinction is indicated that only Sodom was going after strange flesh. Genesis 18 reveals that the angels appearance as men was in order to find out whether the cry of Sodomy was true, and it is certain that this cry was not that of seeking sex with angels. It is also understood that it would be unlikely that the Sodomites (or even Lot: Heb. 13:2) knew Lot's visitors men were angels. In addition, it is seen that the word for strange can easily mean that is which is unlawful or perverse, as in Rm. 7:3 or Gal. 1:6<ref>[http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Homosex_versus_the_Bible.html#Jude Homosexual relations and the Bible, Jude 1:7]</ref> Dave Miller states this pertains to the indulgence of passions that are “contrary to nature” (Barnes, 1949, p.&nbsp;393)—“a departure from the laws of nature in the impurities practiced” (Salmond, 1950, 22:7).<ref>Dave Miller, Ph.D. http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/480</ref> Gagnon provides six indications why "giving themselves over to fornication" alludes, at least in part, to attempted male-male intercourse.<ref>[http://www.robgagnon.net/RevCountryman.htm RESPONSE TO PROF. L. WILLIAM COUNTRYMAN’S REVIEW IN ANGLICAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW; On Careless Exegesis and Jude 7]</ref> After examining evidence for both positions,  Thomas E. Schmidt  states, "The first Christians undoubtedly connected the sin of Sodom to the sin of same-sex relations and used the name of city as a symbol for extreme sexual wrongdoing, including but not limited to same-sex relations.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=Zeotd-ylKtwC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=quotes+Straight+and+Narrow?+Compassion+and+Clarity+in+the+Homosexuality+Debate&source=web&ots=WOXT85Pbxk&sig=8W9pkL8rcJ_7PS6oXbZ1QQBWCxQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA97,M1 Straight & narrow? by Thomas E. Schmidt]</ref>

==Other References==

==Other References==

<References/>

<References/>

[[category:Biblical Places]]

[[Category:Biblical Places]]

==External Links==

==External links==

*[http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Homosex_versus_the_Bible.html#Jude Homosexual relations and the Bible]

*[http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Homosex_versus_the_Bible.html#Jude Homosexual relations and the Bible]