Sodom and Gomorrah facts for kids
Sodom and Gomorrah were two famous cities mentioned in the Bible that were destroyed by God. The Bible says they were destroyed because the people living there were doing very bad things. These cities are often mentioned in religious texts as examples of human wickedness and God's punishment. The Quran also tells a version of their story.
Some people think the story of their destruction might be connected to real cities from the Bronze Age (a very old time in history) that were found in that area.
The Bible Story
Sodom and Gomorrah were two of five "cities of the plain." In the Bible, they rebelled against a king named Chedorlaomer. He defeated them in a battle and took many people captive, including Lot. Lot was the nephew of a very important person in the Bible, Abraham. Abraham gathered his men, rescued Lot, and freed the cities.
Later, God told Abraham that Sodom was known for its wickedness. Abraham asked God if He would destroy good people along with the bad. Abraham talked with God and asked if God would spare Sodom if even 50 good people could be found. He kept asking, lowering the number, until God agreed to spare the city if just 10 good people were found.
God then sent two angels to destroy Sodom. Lot welcomed them into his home.
The angels told Lot that the complaints against the city's people had become too great. The next morning, the angels took Lot, Lot's wife, and his two daughters out of the city. They told them to run to the hills and not look back. Lot said the hills were too far and asked to go to a smaller town called Zoar instead.
Then, God sent sulfur and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah. All the people in the cities and everything growing on the ground were destroyed. Lot and his two daughters were saved. But Lot's wife did not listen to the angels' warning. She looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.
Was It a Real Event?
Some people think that if the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is based on real events, the cities might have been destroyed by a natural disaster. One idea is that a big earthquake happened near the Dead Sea a long, long time ago. This earthquake might have caused hot tar to shoot out.
It's possible that the towns were destroyed by an earthquake because they were located near a major fault line. However, there are no old records that confirm an earthquake like this happened. Also, the idea that a volcano destroyed them is thought to be unlikely.
In 2021, a study suggested that a city called Tall el-Hammam might have been destroyed by a meteor air burst. This means a space rock exploded in the air above the city. Some people think this event could be the origin of the Bible story. However, another study argued that there isn't enough proof to confirm a meteor impact or air burst.
Where Could They Be?
Historians and archaeologists have looked for the possible locations of Sodom and Gomorrah for many years.
An ancient Greek writer named Strabo wrote that people living near the Dead Sea believed there were once thirteen cities in that area, and Sodom was the main one. Strabo pointed to a hill made of limestone and salt near the Dead Sea as a possible site for Sodom.
The Jewish historian Josephus also connected the Dead Sea to the ancient city of Sodom.
In 1973, archaeologists Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub explored several possible sites. These included Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira. However, later studies showed that some of these sites might not fit the timeline or description. For example, some walls thought to be houses were actually old tombs.
In 1976, a scholar named Giovanni Pettinato claimed that ancient clay tablets found in Ebla (an old city) listed the names of all five "cities of the plain," including Sodom and Gomorrah. This idea was popular for a while. But later, other scholars said that the names on the tablets likely referred to cities in northern Syria, not near the Dead Sea. Today, most experts agree that the Ebla tablets do not help in finding Sodom and Gomorrah.
See also
In Spanish: Sodoma y Gomorra para niños
- Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira, two archaeological sites that some people believe could be the locations of the two cities.
