The first was an outworking of the second. Therefore, the reference to their wickedness and ordained destruction by God beforehand (in Genesis 13:13 and 18:20) is entirely appropriate, because it was sexual sin (in this case homosexuality) which God considered “grievous” or “grave,” then later condemned and destroyed Sodom (and the other cities of the plain) for. Had there been even ten righteous people in the city, God would have spared it (Genesis 18:32). They were a prideful people and delighted in cruelty and neglected any form of social justice. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is closely connected to the story of Abraham and his nephew, Lot. Even in that passage, inhospitality is ranked behind pride—indeed, inhospitality is only a subset of the greater sin of hating our neighbor. About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth: they became unjust toward men, and impious toward God, insomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him: they hated strangers and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices.6, Now, when the Sodomites saw the young men to be of beautiful countenances, and this to an extraordinary degree, and that they took up their lodgings with Lot, they resolved themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence.7. In other words, in threatening to now rape Lot, they were admitting that their desire for the angels was pure lust, not dominance in the form of rape. As it was, only four left Sodom alive, and only three made it to safety. As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Some have argued that rape was the primary sin of Sodom. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before meTherefore I did away with them as you have seen. Conditionalists often appeal to this verse because it says that Sodom and Gomorrah were reduced to ashes and that the destruction of the cities is an example for the ungodly. Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. The other men of Sodom learn about the two strangers in their midst. Try downloading another browser like Chrome or Firefox. Before I answer, I just want to make a couple of comments. Anonymous. No. The Jewish historian Josephus looks at all these factors (pride, homosexual behavior, hatred) in describing the sin of Sodom. … Thank you for signing up to receive email newsletters from Answers in Genesis. The story represents, for Christianity, a tale "of homophobic genocide" signifying the "culture's desire that gay people not be".4, Thus, even if the angels had been consenting, it is wrong to read the Sodomite's demand as anything else but an act of abuse of outsiders. What Was the Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? So, the Bible is clear that sexual sin and homosexual behavior, in particular, was the outward sin for which they (Sodom and Gomorrah) were destroyed. How Do We Know the Bible Is True? All of these are manifestations of pride itself. All sin is an offense to God and demonstrates mankind’s rebellion against him. Terms of Service apply. New Living Translation. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the favorite passages of persons who oppose same-sex behavior. From the text of Genesis 19:4-9 though, if rape was the primary sin of Sodom, then the men of the city would have been just as willing to take Lot up on his suggestion to sexually abuse his daughters. is that it was homosexuality . The people of Nineveh were also wicked (Jonah 1:2) and violent (Jonah 3:8) and yet they were spared because they repented of their evil ways and called on God for forgiveness (Jonah 3:10). Note 5. So here’s a big question and a tough issue: What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? Your newsletter signup did not work out. Privacy Policy and But we must keep in mind that God was also ready to show mercy. 12 No.1 (1999). From a biblical inerrancy standpoint, the primary outward sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is definitively settled in the book of Jude which states in Jude 1:7, “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”. The Bible is not contradicting itself when it states that Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was sexual immorality and pride (and its related lack of concern for others). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250180760_Women_of_Sodom_and_Gomorrah_Collateral_Damage_in_the_War_against_Homosexuality, Noah’s Flood: a Historical, Global Catastrophe. In addition, the city was so wicked that its men … Q. "What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?" There were likely many cases of rape in Sodom, but it seems clear that all the men of the city (except Lot, and perhaps his sons-in-law mentioned in verse 14) had become bisexual or preferentially homosexual. All in all, a virtual garden of Eden. There are far too many examples of pro-isolationism in the Bible to even consider the notion that isolationism was their problem. They had no interest in sexual relations with women; only after Lot offered them a heterosexual alternative did they then decide that they would now forcefully seize and rape Lot (“deal worse with you”), and this would have been in contrast to the way they had desired to "deal with them." Instead, the overall sin of Sodom and Gomorrah had become so great that fewer than ten righteous people lived in the city. The first was an outworking of the second. It’s also the same word used in Leviticus 18:22 when addressing homosexual acts. Their refusal to show hospitality and love towards people who were vulnerable. Volumes 1 & 2. Genesis chapter 18 records the Lord and two angels coming to speak with Abraham. It occurs in Genesis 19:1-29. They highlight the phrase, “neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” in Ezekiel 16:49 but completely fail to address Ezekiel 16:50: “And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.” The Hebrew word תועבה tow‘ebah is most often used in the O.T. Therefore some critics have pointed this out as a Bible contradiction. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah wasn't independence and isolationism, it was extreme wickedness. God can and does judge upon the motives of the heart, but he can and does also judge on the physical actions. That is how the term " sodomy " came to be used to refer to anal sex between two men, whether consensual or forced. The SIN of Sodom in short: Ezekiel said, while condemning the people of Jerusalem, shortly before the city was destroyed, Ezekiel explicitly stated the source of Sodom‘s guilt; “behold, this was the iniquity of those sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Jude 7 . Genesis 18:20 says, “And the Lord said, ’The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.’” Indeed, not even ten righteous people could be found in the city. See … The biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah begins when two angels, disguised as travelers, arrive at the gates of Sodom. While their sexual sins again were highlighted in Genesis 19, the real object of their sin is revealed in the pre-destruction polemic against them several chapters earlier: “But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD” (Genesis 13:13; cf. An especially wicked place is described as a "Sodom and Gomorrah." Why were they not counted among the righteous when Abraham pleaded for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-33) and stopped at 10? What city could ever be worse off than Sodom and Gomorrah? Contextually, that is poor exegesis. They were also guilty of the sin of greed. The fate of these cities is held up by religious conservatives to justify the suppression of non-heterosexual people and to fan hatred of same sex eroticism and gender fluidity. (Read full chapter First of all, my goal here is not to bash anybody, to make anybody feel bad. The people of Sodom ignored all of these things, and rather than be forewarned by them and repent, they continued sinning. It's become popular to claim that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was something other than homosexuality. What does the Bible say? We need to keep in mind that it was God, the righteous judge (2 Timothy 4:8) who condemned Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities on the plain. But, in general, most people just think of Sodom and Gomorrah and they often think that it was destroyed because of homosexuality, which is also not biblical. Genesis chapter 18 records the Lord and two angels coming to speak with Abraham. And they also had Lot living among them, who though weak was described as a righteous man by the Apostle Peter. One such example is listed below: Another recent hypothesis about the main sin of Sodom (and one which is often taught in concert with the “rape” hypothesis) is the lack of hospitality position. Rather than reading the attempted rape of the angels as an instance of homosexual violence I believe it should be more accurately read as an instance of homophobic violence.5. Out of more than 20 references to Sodom and Gomorrah in the rest of Scripture, none mention same-sex behavior as even part of the reason for Sodom’s destruction. Thus the tensions of homosexual panic amongst the men of Sodom are relieved in a way that confirms their own heterosexuality. What were Admah and Zeboiim in the Bible. So, some theologians and scholars have claimed, especially based on Ezekiel 16:49, that the real sin of Sodom was not homosexual behavior, but that God judged them for pride. The names Sodom and Gomorrah (1) are bywords in our modern society. Some have even postulated that this may be one reason Lot didn’t offer his wife—she was most likely from Sodom, therefore an “insider.” To address the potential question that the rape of the women would not have been as humiliating as the rape of men during this time period and in the Middle East, we need to keep in view what happened about 100 years later in Genesis 34. According to the Bible, the answer is any city that ever heard the gospel but still rejected Jesus. For those who uphold biblical inerrancy and authority, the answer is obvious—yes! They meet Lot, a relative newcomer to the city, who insists that they spend the night in his house. Throughout the chapter, the Prophet lists many sins of the people: rebelling against God, lacking in knowledge, deserting the Lord, idolatry, engaging in meaningless religious ritual, being unjust and oppressive to others, being insensitive to the needs of widows and orphans, committing murder, accepting bribes, etc. Now it must be admitted that homosexual behavior was only the outward manifestation of their true sin. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Biblically, one could see the initial validity of making this argument—but it is placing all the emphasis on verse 49 and ignoring verse 50. Pride is a fountain of many sins because it effectively is saying, “I want what I want, and I will have it regardless of what God says or the cost to someone else because I am better than they are and deserve it.” If that lustful passion is for “strange flesh” or “unnatural desire” as Jude 1:7 terms it, then that can lead to homosexual behavior. God considers all sexual sin abhorrent in his eyes (Galatians 5:19-21). Why was Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt? In fact, only Lot and his two daughters survived. Other versions, such as the ESV use the terminology “pursued unnatural desire” here. In Isaiah’s day, the people of Israel had stopped following God’s laws. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. Words like haughty, bitter, venom, wanton, idleness, (when they could have been helping others) leap out of the verses as a description of a self-absorbed, hedonistic people who cared nothing for others. Sodom and Gomorrah were so infamous for their immorality that God destroyed them by fire (Genesis 19). At first, this was good and well. Notice the wording of this passage in Genesis 19:4–9,3 they wanted Lot to offer them the men (angels in the form of men) as sexual playthings. Michael Carden, “Compulsory Heterosexuality in Biblical Narratives and their Interpretations: Reading Homophobia and Rape in Sodom and Gibeah,” Australian Religion Studies Review, Vol. What city could ever be worse off than Sodom and Gomorrah? Furthermore, if the sin had just been men of Sodom wanting to rape, then why judge the women of the city? When the angels of God came to fetch Lot and his family, the men wanted to have sex with them. Editor’s note: This discussion of this disturbing biblical account contains terminology that may not be appropriate for sensitive readers. It was homosexuality to the extreme. Why did God allow Lot’s daughters to later have sex with their father? Can this apparent contradiction be explained? Please follow the instructions we emailed you in order to finish subscribing. by Kevin DeYoung, 101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality by Mike Haley. Confirmation in Other Scriptures. Jesus taught his disciples this very thing in Matthew 15:18–20. Surprisingly, both appeal to Scripture to support their positions, most notably Ezekiel 16:49 and Jude 1:7. We know because of Abraham's intercession. Liberal theologians and scholars and biblical critics have turned the tables on Genesis 19 and conclude that it is actually teaching homophobia. But is it? The men and women of Sodom had known and been physically rescued by Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 14:14-16. The story of the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah is told in Genesis 18–19.Three men come to Abraham in the plains of Mamre.After the angels received the hospitality of Abraham and Sarah, the Lord reveals to Abraham that he would confirm what he had heard against Sodom and Gomorrah, "and because their sin is very grievous.". In light of the passage, the most common response to the question "What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?" Internet Explorer is no longer supported. SIN OF GREED. So let’s start with examining that position. But there is hope for all mankind because God has provided a way of salvation and is patient with us “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). A third and fourth “sin explanation” has gained popularity in recent years, primarily in liberal Christian scholarship, but it is not deduced from an exegetical reading of Scripture. Not all the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah centered around sexual indiscretions. Sodom, Gomorrah along with three other cities formed a large settlement at the terminus of the Jordan River. Genesis 19 tells the story of how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, but spared Lot and his family (mostly). Likewise, Jewish scholars did not associate the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah with homosexuality until Philo in the first century AD and not with any measure of consistency until the sixth century. But as mentioned above, much of this is based on reading Ezekiel 16:49 in isolation (neglecting the rest of the Bible) and comparing Genesis 19 with other ancient Middle Eastern cultures, ancient Greek cultic prostitution, and even modern Middle Eastern countries. And we have the legal term sodomy for unnatural sex acts. This interpretation of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah seems to make sense when viewed with what the other Biblical writers had to say about it. Society today is indifferent to sin. While this latter sin is mentioned in the second half of Ezekiel 16:49, it is not (as posited in the second quote above) the primary sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s a deep valley and before these cities were overturned the Jordan branched out into a delta, watering the earth well and sprouting rich, lush greenery. : DVD Set, Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions Set, How Do We Know the Bible Is True? However, two earlier passages are prelude to this. 7 0. Although their sins of pride, sexual immorality, inhospitality, and cruelty were committed against other people—ultimately, they were a direct offense against God. God can and does judge upon the motives of the heart, but he can and does also judge on the physical actions. The Bible is not contradicting itself when it states that Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was sexual immorality and pride (and its related lack of concern for others). But what was the primary sin of Sodom (and Gomorrah and the nearby cities of the plain)? 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