The tale of Sodom and Gomorrah is found in Genesis 18-19. It kicks off with El having a little chit-chat with Abraham about his future offspring, promising to make his lineage a great nation as long as they stick to him as their one and only El and do as he says. As he’s heading out, Abraham, being the hospitable guy he is, walks with him for a bit. Then, out of nowhere, YHVH starts musing to himself about Sodom and decides it’s time for a little visit to see if the rumors about its wickedness are true. Spoiler alert: if the gossip is accurate, El figures the place needs a good old-fashioned smiting.
From Genesis 18:22 to the end of the chapter, we get to witness Abraham’s epic plea bargaining session for Sodom. He starts off asking if El would spare the city for the sake of fifty good people. Abraham keeps haggling, whittling the number down to ten. YHVH, ever so patient, finally promises not to obliterate the city if he can find just ten decent folks. Spoiler: Things don’t look too good for Sodom.
Let’s unpack this a bit. This is the part of the Bible where El still chats with his people face to face, just like those other gods from various myths. But, of course, some folks insist it was just an angel and not actually El himself in these encounters. Because, you know, that makes it all much more believable.
“Abraham’s god El is a very mild deity. He appears to Abraham as a friend and sometimes even assumes human form. This type of divine apparition, known as an epiphany, was quite common in the pagan world of antiquity. Even though in general the gods were not expected to intervene directly in the lives of mortal men and women, certain privileged individuals in mythical times had encountered their gods face to face.”
–Karen Armstrong, A History of God
So, Abraham and El are having a little chat, and Abraham has the audacity to bargain with El. Pretty bold move for a mere mortal, don’t you think? Actually, he’s just trying to save his nephew, who’s shacked up in Sodom.
Now, in Genesis 19, El decides to check out Sodom. But, surprise, surprise, he doesn’t go himself; he sends two messengers or angels to do the dirty work. Sodom has a twin city, Gomorrah, and they’re both accused of the same sin. Lot, being the good host, invites the messengers into his home. Not long after, the men of the city come knocking, wanting to “know” Lot’s guests. And by “know,” many believe they mean “know” in the biblical sense: as in, have sex with them. This is where the story veers off from Rabbinical teachings and gets a whole new twist in the Christian world as El condemning homosexuality as the sin of the cities. But let’s see what the Rabbis have to say about it.
“Despite the common perception that the sin of Sodom was rampant sexual vice, Jewish literature has largely rejected this reading. The Prophet Ezekiel locates the sin of Sodom in its inhospitality, its cruelty and perversion of justice, and not in homosexuality. He describes Sodom as arrogant and insensitive to human need. The residents of Sodom had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquility, yet they refused to support the poor and the needy.”
— Rabbi Steve Greenberg The Real Sin of Sodom
Did you catch that? According to Ezekiel, the big sin of Sodom wasn’t about sex at all. It was their inhospitality, cruelty, and perversion of justice. So much for the whole “sexual sin” narrative!
“Lo, this hath been the iniquity of Sodom thy sister, Arrogancy, fulness of bread, and quiet ease, Have been to her and to her daughters, And the hand of the afflicted and needy She hath not strengthened. And they are haughty and do abomination before Me, And I turn them aside when I have seen.”
Ezekiel 16:49-50 (Young’s Literal Translation)
So, the list of sins had nothing to do with sexual immorality, but everything to do with haughtiness. El was not impressed and decided to wipe out the town, but not before letting Lot and his family escape—a story that’s quite a trip on its own. This put an end to their offensiveness in his sight. Quite different from what modern Christians love to say about the whole ordeal.
Image Credits: Public Domain Based Image
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