Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and GomorrahThis phrase describes a divine judgment executed by God upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The use of "rained down" suggests a sudden and overwhelming act of destruction, reminiscent of the flood in
Genesis 7. The mention of "sulfur and fire" indicates a catastrophic event, often associated with volcanic activity or a meteorite impact, though the exact nature remains debated. This judgment is a response to the grievous sins of the cities, as detailed in
Genesis 18:20-21, where their wickedness had reached a level that demanded divine intervention. The destruction serves as a warning and a symbol of God's intolerance for sin, echoed in later scriptures such as
Jude 1:7, which references Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of divine retribution.
from the LORD out of the heavens
The repetition of "from the LORD" emphasizes the divine origin of the judgment, underscoring that it was not a natural disaster but a deliberate act of God. "Out of the heavens" signifies the celestial realm, highlighting God's sovereignty and control over creation. This phrase reinforces the idea that the judgment was not only physical but also spiritual, as it was decreed by God Himself. The heavens are often associated with God's dwelling place, as seen inPsalm 11:4, and this act of judgment from the heavens serves as a reminder of God's omnipotence and authority over the earth. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a precursor to the final judgment, as described inRevelation 20:11-15, where God's ultimate justice will be executed.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The LORDThe covenant name of God, Yahweh, who is the central figure executing judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.
2.
Sodom and GomorrahTwo ancient cities known for their wickedness and sin, which led to their destruction by divine judgment.
3.
Sulfur and FireThe means of destruction used by God, symbolizing His wrath and judgment against sin.
4.
HeavensThe origin of the divine judgment, indicating that this act was a direct intervention from God.
Teaching Points
God's Righteous JudgmentThe destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a powerful reminder of God's holiness and His intolerance of sin. It underscores the reality that God will judge sin and that His judgments are just.
The Seriousness of SinThis event highlights the severity of sin and its consequences. It calls believers to examine their own lives and repent of any sin that separates them from God.
Divine Mercy and WarningBefore the destruction, God allowed Abraham to intercede for the cities, showing His willingness to spare them if righteous people were found. This teaches us about God's mercy and the importance of intercession.
The Certainty of God's PromisesJust as God fulfilled His promise to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He will fulfill all His promises, including those of salvation and judgment.
Living Righteously in a Wicked WorldBelievers are called to live righteously, even when surrounded by wickedness, trusting in God's protection and justice.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Genesis 19:24?
2.How does Genesis 19:24 demonstrate God's judgment against sin?
3.What lessons can we learn from God's actions in Genesis 19:24?
4.How does Genesis 19:24 connect with other biblical examples of divine judgment?
5.How should Genesis 19:24 influence our understanding of God's holiness and justice?
6.How can we apply the lessons of Genesis 19:24 in our daily lives?
7.How does Genesis 19:24 align with the concept of a loving and merciful God?
8.What archaeological evidence supports the historical accuracy of the events in Genesis 19:24?
9.Why did God choose to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone in Genesis 19:24?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 19?
11.What does the Bible say about fire and brimstone?
12.What is the definition of Hellfire preaching?
13.How can we reconcile the sulfur and fire destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:24) with natural explanations or lack of archaeological evidence?
14.What are the biblical clobber passages?What Does Genesis 19:24 Mean
Then the LORDThe verse opens with “Then,” tying the action to what has just taken place—Abraham’s intercession (Genesis 18:23-33) and the angels’ rescue of Lot (Genesis 19:15-22). Nothing about this moment is random.
• God has weighed the cities’ sin (Genesis 18:20-21) and now acts in perfect justice (Psalm 9:7-8).
• Peter later points to this exact moment as evidence that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly and to hold the unrighteous for punishment” (2 Peter 2:6-9).
• The same Lord who showed patience toward Nineveh (Jonah 3:10) here demonstrates that mercy rejected eventually gives way to judgment.
rained down sulfur and fireThe language is shockingly literal: “The LORD rained down sulfur and fire”.
• This is no poetic metaphor; real burning sulfur falls, consuming everything it touches (Deuteronomy 29:23;Psalm 11:6).
• Jesus Himself treats it as historical fact, pairing it with Noah’s flood (Luke 17:26-29).
• John later borrows the imagery to describe the final lake of fire (Revelation 21:8), showing that temporal judgment foreshadows eternal realities.
• The picture underscores the seriousness of sin; God’s wrath is not abstract but tangible.
on Sodom and GomorrahThe specific targets are named, reminding us that God’s judgment is never indiscriminate.
• These cities had become infamous for blatant wickedness (Genesis 13:13) and a lifestyle of arrogance, neglect of the poor, and sexual immorality (Ezekiel 16:49-50;Jude 1:7).
• By destroying them, God “made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6).
• At the same time, He preserved Lot, illustrating both His severity and His kindness (Romans 11:22).
• The ruins of the Dead Sea area remain a silent sermon to every generation.
from the LORDThe phrase repeats the divine name, stressing authorship and authority.
• It is not mere weather; the punishment comes directly “from the LORD,” distinguishing it from human or natural causes (Amos 4:11).
• Some see in the doubled reference a hint of plurality within the Godhead—one LORD on earth speaking with Abraham (Genesis 18:1-2) and one LORD in heaven executing judgment—foreshadowing later revelation of Father and Son (John 1:1-2).
• Either way, Scripture is clear: God Himself judges sin (Isaiah 45:7) and no power can stay His hand (Daniel 4:35).
out of the heavensThe source is heavenly, underlining God’s supremacy.
• Judgment descends, reminding us that “the LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men” (Psalm 14:2) and acts accordingly.
• Fire from above recalls the future rain of fire at the close of the millennium (Revelation 20:9), linking past and future acts of divine justice.
• Because it comes from heaven, no earthly refuge can shield the unrepentant—only God’s provided escape (Genesis 19:17) can.
summaryGenesis 19:24 records a literal, historical event in which the LORD personally pours out sulfur and fire from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. The verse highlights:
• God’s deliberate timing following ample warning.
• The reality and severity of divine wrath against persistent sin.
• The specificity of judgment directed at particular cities.
• God’s direct involvement, reinforcing His sovereign authority.
• A heavenly origin that leaves no doubt about who sends judgment.
Together, these truths call every reader to take God’s holiness seriously, to flee to His offered salvation, and to trust that the Judge of all the earth always does right.
(24)
The Lord (Jehovah)rained . . . from the Lord (from Jehovah).--Many commentators, following the Council of Sirmium, see in this repetition of the name of Jehovah an indication of the Holy Trinity, as though God the Son rained down fire from God the Father. More correctly Calvin takes it as an emphatic reiteration of its being Jehovah's act. Jehovah had mysteriously manifested Himself upon earth by the visit of the three angels to Abraham, but His activity on earth is one with His willing in heaven.
Brimstone and fire.--Though God used natural agencies in the destruction of the Ciccar cities, yet what was in itself a catastrophe of nature became miraculous by the circumstances which surrounded it. It was thus made the means not merely of executing the Divine justice, of strengthening Abraham's faith, and of warning Lot, but also of giving moral and religious instruction throughout all time. Seen by its light, events of history, for which sufficient secondary causes may be discovered, are nevertheless shown to be direct manifestations of the Divine justice, and to have moral causes as their real basis. We lose the benefit of the teaching of the Bible if we suppose that the events recorded there were different in kind from those which take place now. A certain limited number of events were so; but of most it is simply the curtain that is drawn back, and we see God's presence no longer veiled, as with us, but openly revealed. As for the catastrophe itself, it was not a mere thunderstorm which set the earth, saturated with naphtha, on fire; but, in a region where earthquakes are still common, there was apparently an outburst of volcanic violence, casting forth blazing bitumen and brimstone. This falling down upon the houses, and upon the soil charged with combustible matter, caused a conflagration so sudden and widespread that few or none could escape. Sulphur and nitre are still found as natural products on the shores of the Dead Sea.
Verse 24. -
Then the Lord rained - literally,
and Jehovah caused it to rain;
καὶ κύριοςἔβρεξε (LXX.), which latter term is adopted by Luke in describing this event (Genesis 17:29) -
upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah - and also upon Admah and Zeboim (
Deuteronomy 29:23;
Hosea 11:8), Bela, or Zoar, of the five cities of the Jordan circle (
Genesis 14:2, 8) being exempted -
brimstone and fire -
גָּפְרִית; properly pitch, though the name was afterwards transferred to other inflammable materials (Gesenius);
וָאֵשׁ, and fire, which, though sometimes used of lightning, as in
1 Kings 18:38;
2 Kings 1:10, 12, 14;
Job 1:16, may here describe a different sort of igneous agency. Whether this Divinely-sent rain was "burning pitch" (Keil), of lightning which ignited the bituminous soil (Clericus), or a volcanic eruption which overwhelmed all the region (Lynch, Kitto), it was clearly miraculous in its nature, and designed as a solemn punitive infliction on the cities of the plain -
from the Lord -
i.e.Jehovah (the Son)
rained down from Jehovah (the Father), as if suggesting a distinction of persons in the Godhead (Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Athanasius,
et alii, Delitzsch, Lunge, Wordsworth); otherwise the phrase is regarded as "an elegancy of speech" (Aben Ezra), "an emphatic repetition" (Calvin), a more exact characterization of the storm (Clericus, Rosenmüller) as being
out of heaven.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Then the LORDוַֽיהוָ֗ה(Yah·weh)Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelrained downהִמְטִ֧יר(him·ṭîr)Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4305:To rainbrimstoneגָּפְרִ֣ית(gā·p̄ə·rîṯ)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1614:Cypress-resin, sulphurand fireוָאֵ֑שׁ(wā·’êš)Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular
Strong's 784:A fireonעַל־(‘al-)Preposition
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstSodomסְדֹ֛ם(sə·ḏōm)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5467:Sodom -- a Canaanite city near the Dead Seaand Gomorrah—עֲמֹרָ֖ה(‘ă·mō·rāh)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6017:Gomorrah -- a city in the Jordan Valleyfrom the LORDיְהוָ֖ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelout ofמִן־(min-)Preposition
Strong's 4480:A part of, from, out ofthe heavens.הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃(haš·šā·mā·yim)Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064:Heaven, sky
Links
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OT Law: Genesis 19:24 Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and (Gen. Ge Gn) 
