Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah

ancient cities destroyed by God because of their wickedness. [O.T.: Genesis 19:1–29]

See: Debauchery

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Sodom and Gomorrah

Biblical cities destroyed by fire for wicked ways. [O.T.: Genesis 10:19; 13; 14; 18; 19]

See: Destruction

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Sodom and Gomorrah

cities of iniquity destroyed by God’s wrath. [O.T.: Genesis 19:24]

See: Wickedness

Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Sodom and Gomorrah

 

in Biblical mythology, two cities near the mouth of the Jordan River or on the western shore of the Dead Sea, whose inhabitants were infamous for their debauchery. As a punishment, god (Yahweh) destroyed the two cities and turned the land into a barren desert. The tale of Sodom and Gomorrah appeared in oral form in the second millennium B.C. Later, in the beginning or middle of the first millennium B.C., the tale was included in the cycle of tales about Abraham and Lot. The expressions “Sodom” and “Sodom and Gomorrah” are used to denote debauchery, disorder, and the like.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.