Sodom and Gomorrha
Sodom and Gomorrha
Two cities of the Pentapolis, utterly destroyed by “brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven” (Genesis 13, 18, 19), for the unnatural sins of their inhabitants. Their names are synonymous with impenitent sin, and their fall with a manifestation of God’s just wrath (Deuteronomy 29; 2nd Peter 2; Jude 7; Ezechiel 16). Tradition says their site is covered by the Dead Sea, but geologically this is impossible; the exact location is unknown, but is included in “the country about the Jordan.”
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Sodom and Gomorrha
Sodom, a city of Pentapolis (Wisdom 10:6; Genesis 14:2): Sodom, Gomorrha, Adama, Seboim, and Bala — later called Segor (Genesis 19:22). They were situated in “the country about the Jordan” (Genesis 13:10); their exact location is unknown (cf. Genesis 14:3, 8, 10, 17; 19:20-22, 30, 37; Deuteronomy 34:3). Josephus identifies Segor with “Zoara of Arabia” at the south end of the Dead Sea (“Bel. Jud.”, IV, viii, 4; cf. “Ant. Jud.”, I, xi, 4; XIII, xv, 4; XIV, i, 4). Conder identifies it with Tell esh-Shaghur, seven miles north of the Dead Sea; Burkhard, Wetstein, and others with Chirbet es-Safich, three miles south of the Dead Sea; E. Robinson puts it on Lisan, etc. For the unnatural sins of their inhabitants Sodom, Gomorrha, Adama, and Seboin were destroyed by “brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Genesis 13:13; 18:20; 19:24, 29; Hosea 11:8). Since then, their names are synonymous with impenitent sin, and their fall with a proverbial manifestation of God’s just wrath (Deuteronomy 29:23; 32:32; Isaiah 1:10 sqq.; Ezekiel 16:49; Matthew 11:23 sq.; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7). The Septuagint rendering katestrephe (Genesis 19:25) probably led to the erroneous opinion that the destruction of Sodom was accompanied by great upheavals of the earth, and even to the formation of the Dead Sea.
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HUMMELAUER, Comment. In Gen. (Paris, 1895), 376, 416 sq.; BUHL, Geog. des Alt. Pal. (Leipzig, 1896), 271-74; ROBINSON, Bibl. Researches in Palestine, II (Boston, 1847), 480 sqq.; Palestine Explor. Fund (1879), 15, 99, 144 (1881), 277 (1884), 126 (1886), 19-22; BLANCHENHORN in Zeirschr. des deutsch. Pal. Vercins (1896); CONDER, Handbook to the Bible (London, 1873), 38; IDEM, Heth and Moab (London, 1880), 154 sqq.
NICHOLAS REAGAN Transcribed by Thomas M. Barrett Dedicated to the mercy of God
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIVCopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York