Lexical Summary
Sedom: Sodom
Original Word:סְדֹם
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Cdom
Pronunciation:seh-DOHM
Phonetic Spelling:(sed-ome')
KJV: Sodom
NASB:Sodom
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to scorch]
1. burnt (i.e. volcanic or bituminous) district
2. Sedom, a place near the Dead Sea
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Sodom
From an unused root meaning to scorch; burnt (i.e. Volcanic or bituminous) district; Sedom, a place near the Dead Sea -- Sodom.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitiona Canaanite city near the Dead Sea
NASB TranslationSodom (39).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
89 , important Canaanitish city named (usually) with Gomorrha ( , q. v.); — (inflected , ): — (on formation compare Lag
BN 54),
Genesis 13:10,12,13 7t.
Genesis 18, 19, + ( locative)
Genesis 10:19;
Genesis 18:22;
Genesis 19:1 (all J), + 8 t.
Genesis 14; from 8th cent. onwards, used as illustrating s judgments,
Amos 4:11;
Isaiah 1:9;
Isaiah 13:19;
Deuteronomy 29:22;
Jeremiah 49:18;
Jeremiah 50:40;
Zephaniah 2:9;
Lamentations 4:6; as proverbial for open sin
Isaiah 3:9;
Jeremiah 23:14 so metaphor
Isaiah 1:10 (i.e. rulers as corrupt as in Sodom),
Deuteronomy 32:32 (i.e. wickedness like Sodom's); Judah compare with to her disadvantage
Ezekiel 16:46,48,49,53,55,56. Site probably at south end of Dead Sea, where are now
Jebel Usdum (southwest), and
Zoar (southeast) compare Di
Genesis 19:20ff. Rob
BR ii. 187 ff. GASm
Geogr. 505 ff. Blankenhorn
ZPV xix (1896), 53 ff Bd
Pal. 3, 146 Buhl
Geogr. 117, 271, 274. See also .
Topical Lexicon
Geographical Situation and SettingSodom stood on the fertile plain of the lower Jordan (Genesis 13:10–12), near the Dead Sea, in company with Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Scripture depicts it as prosperous and well-watered “like the garden of the LORD” (Genesis 13:10), yet perilously close to powerful Elamite kings (Genesis 14) and to divine judgment.
Narrative Foundations in Genesis
•Genesis 10:19 first locates Sodom in a Table-of-Nations border note.
•Genesis 13: Lot’s choice of the valley places him at Sodom’s gate, introducing the city’s reputation: “the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD” (Genesis 13:13).
•Genesis 14 records Sodom’s defeat and rescue by Abram. Melchizedek’s blessing and the king of Sodom’s offer of spoils contrast righteousness and worldliness.
•Genesis 18–19 forms the theological center. Abraham’s intercession highlights God’s justice and mercy; the angels’ visit unmask Sodom’s depravity; the catastrophic rain of sulfur and fire (Genesis 19:24) obliterates the city, leaving only smoke and salt-laden waste (Genesis 19:28). Lot’s rescue typifies deliverance of the righteous out of judgment (cf.2 Peter 2:7).
Mosaic and Historical Allusions
Deuteronomy 29:23 and 32:32–33 invoke Sodom to warn Israel against covenant infidelity: barren land, salt, and burning are the covenant-curse mirror ofGenesis 19. The imagery resurfaces when the prophets describe national apostasy.
Prophetic Usage
Isaiah 1:9–10; 3:9; 13:19 employ Sodom as an analogy for Judah and Babylon—privileged but doomed if unrepentant. Jeremiah likens false prophets (Jeremiah 23:14) and Judah’s remnant (Jeremiah 50:40) to Sodom.Ezekiel 16:46–56 indicts Jerusalem for exceeding Sodom’s “pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease” while neglecting the poor—the sin beneath the sin.Amos 4:11,Zephaniah 2:9, andLamentations 4:6 use the ruin of Sodom as the supreme Old Testament benchmark for sudden, irrevocable judgment.
Wisdom Literature
In Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 16:8 (found in the Apocrypha) Sodom illustrates divine retribution; although not canonical for all traditions, it shows the enduring didactic force of the event among later Jewish writers.
New Testament Echoes
Jesus cites Sodom twelve times. InMatthew 10:15 He warns cities unresponsive to the gospel; inLuke 17:28–30 He compares the “days of the Son of Man” to Sodom’s complacency. Jude 7 and2 Peter 2:6 emphasize sexual immorality and eternal fire as paradigms of final judgment. Thus, Sodom serves apostolic preaching as a historical precedent guaranteeing future eschatological reckoning.
Theological and Moral Themes
1. God’s absolute holiness: The destruction showcases divine wrath against persistent, communal sin.
2. Mercy amid judgment: The rescue of Lot, at Abraham’s request, balances justice with covenantal grace.
3. Stewardship of privilege: Sodom’s fertile setting magnifies its accountability (cf.Luke 12:48).
4. Social righteousness: Ezekiel highlights pride, luxury, and neglect of the needy, extending the lesson beyond a single vice.
5. Intercessory ministry: Abraham’s appeal (Genesis 18:22–33) models bold, reverent prayer for the lost.
Ministry Applications
• Preaching: Sodom provides a vivid illustration of the wages of sin and the urgency of repentance.
• Counseling: The Lot narrative offers hope that God can deliver individuals even from corrupt surroundings.
• Cultural engagement: Believers are cautioned against assimilating into societal norms that offend God while called to pray for their cities’ welfare.
Archaeology and Historical Notes
Excavations at sites such as Bab edh-Dhra and Tall el-Hammam near the Dead Sea have unearthed Middle Bronze Age destruction layers featuring intense, sudden conflagration. While scholarly debate continues, such findings lend plausibility to the biblical account’s catastrophic tone.
Representative References
Genesis 13:10–13; 18:20; 19:1, 24, 28
Deuteronomy 29:23
Isaiah 1:9–10
Jeremiah 23:14
Ezekiel 16:49–50
Amos 4:11
Zephaniah 2:9
Matthew 10:15
Luke 17:29
2 Peter 2:6
Jude 7
Summary
Sodom figures in approximately thirty-nine Old Testament verses as the quintessential illustration of societal sin met by divine judgment. Its narrative, prophetic, and typological roles converge to warn, to instruct, and to assure believers of God’s unwavering standards of righteousness and His saving power toward those who trust Him.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּסְדֹֽם׃ בִסְדֹ֛ם בסדם בסדם׃ כִּסְדֹ֔ם כִּסְדֹ֣ם כִּסְדֹ֤ם כִּסְדֹ֥ם כסדם סְדֹ֑ם סְדֹ֑מָה סְדֹ֔ם סְדֹ֖ם סְדֹ֙מָה֙ סְדֹ֛ם סְדֹ֜ם סְדֹ֣ם סְדֹ֤ם סְדֹ֥ם סְדֹ֧ם סְדֹ֧מָה סְדֹֽם׃ סְדֹם֙ סְדֹם֮ סדם סדם׃ סדמה bis·ḏōm ḇis·ḏōm bisDom bisḏōm ḇisḏōm kis·ḏōm kisDom kisḏōm sə·ḏō·māh sə·ḏōm seDom səḏōm seDomah səḏōmāh visDom
Links
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