Sodom and Gomorrah: Difference between revisions

{{About|the biblical cities}}

{{redirect|Sdom|the standard deviation of the mean|Standard error}}

 

In the [[Abrahamic religions]], '''Sodom''' and '''Gomorrah''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɒ|d|ə|m}}; {{IPAc-en|g|ə|ˈ|m|ɒr|ə}}) were two cities destroyed by [[God in Abrahamic religions|God]] for their wickedness.{{sfn|Greene|2004|p=294}} Their story parallels the [[Genesis flood narrative]] in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's [[sin]] (see [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 19:1–28).<ref>{{Bibleverse|Genesis|19:1·28}}</ref>{{sfn|Schwartz|2007|p=465-466}} They are mentioned frequently in the [[Nevi'im|prophets]] and the [[New Testament]] as symbols of human wickedness and divine retribution, and the [[Quran]] also contains a version of the story about the two cities.{{sfn|Jackson|2014|p=119}}

===Destruction of the cities===

[[File:Nuremberg_chronicles_f_21r.png|thumb|[[Lot (biblical person)|Lot]] and his daughters flee Sodom. [[Lot's wife|His wife]] (center) is already a salt pillar. ([[Nuremberg Chronicle]], 1493)]]

 

Later, God gives advance notice to Abraham that Sodom had a reputation for wickedness. Abraham asks God "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" ({{bibleverse|Genesis|18:23}}). Starting at 50 people, Abraham negotiates with God to spare Sodom if 10 righteous people could be found.<ref>{{Britannica|552322}}</ref>

 

==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]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carden |first1=Michael |title=Compulsory Heterosexuality in Biblical Narratives and their Interpretations: Reading Homophobia and Rape in Sodom and Gibeah |journal=Australian Religion Studies Review |date=1999 |volume=12 |issue=1 |url=https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/ARSR/article/view/8459 }}</ref>

 

Some Hebrew scholars believe that ''yada'', unlike the English word "know", requires the existence of a "personal and intimate relationship".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ancient Hebrew Research Center Biblical Hebrew E-Magazine July, 2006, Issue #029|url=http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/emagazine/029.html|publisher=Ancient Hebrew Research Center|access-date=January 14, 2014|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225000445/https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/emagazine/029.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> For this reason, many of the most popular of the 20th century translations, including the [[New International Version]], the [[New King James Version]], and the [[New Living Translation]], translate ''yada'' as "have sex with" or "know ... carnally" in Genesis 19:5.<ref name=CBA>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbaonline.org/nm/documents/BSLs/Bible_Translations.pdf|title=August 2009 CBA Best Sellers|access-date=2011-02-09|publisher=Christian Business Association|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712211132/http://www.cbaonline.org/nm/documents/bsls/bible_translations.pdf|archive-date=2012-07-12}}</ref>

 

 

Countering this is the observation that one of the examples of "know" meaning to know sexually occurs when Lot responds to the Genesis 19:5 request, by offering his daughters for [[rape]], only three verses later in the same narrative:

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