Sodom was one of the cities of the fertile plain of the Jordan, near the Dead Sea.
Lot, Abraham’s nephew, chose to live there after separating from his uncle, drawn by the abundance of water and pastureland that resembled the garden of the Lord.
The city, however, was known for the extreme wickedness of its inhabitants. The biblical text states that the men of Sodom were wicked and great sinners against the Lord.
Sodom was plundered in a war between regional kings, and Lot was taken captive until Abraham gathered his men and rescued him.
Afterward, two angels visited the city and confirmed the gravity of its sin, when the inhabitants tried to violate them by force.
The next morning, the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and sulfur from heaven, sparing only Lot and his two daughters.
Since then, Sodom has become in the Bible the ultimate example of God’s judgment against stubborn sin, remembered by prophets, by Jesus, and by the apostles as a solemn warning.
