Sodom and Gomorrah

In the Abrahamic religions, Sodom and Gomorrah (/ˈsɒdəm ... ɡəˈmɒrə/) were two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Sodom and Gomorrah are repeatedly invoked throughout the Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical texts, and the New Testament as symbols of sin, divine judgment, and destruction, serving as moral warnings and eschatological parallels. The Quran also contains a version of the story about the two cities.

In the biblical narrative, Sodom and Gomorrah, rebellious cities once defeated by Chedorlaomer, were destroyed by God because of their great wickedness. Lot and his daughters were spared when angels led them to safety, but Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back against the angels’ warning. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1–28).

The story of Sodom, originally associated with inhospitality, arrogance, and injustice, was later reinterpreted—especially in Christian theology—as a condemnation of homosexuality, a view modern scholars increasingly reject. Evidence for the cities’ existence and precise locations remains inconclusive.

Judaism views Sodom and Gomorrah’s sins as pride, cruelty, injustice, and severe violations of hospitality and social ethics. Christianity debates whether the cities’ destruction was due to sexual violence, especially attempted gang rape, or broader sins like inhospitality and arrogance. Islam sees the people of Lot as guilty of lewdness and immorality, particularly homosexual acts, leading to their punishment. Gnosticism interprets the story symbolically, focusing on spiritual corruption and ignorance rather than literal sins.