before God. Jericho border along the western shores of the Dead Sea, and are clearly This would have created a blistering rain of brimstone and fire falling from above. Remarkably, the cities form a north to south Salt incrustations dot the landscape of the southern

strange flesh, are set forth for an example". "Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan An assumption can be made based on the geography of the Negev. the plains of the Dead Sea. Excavations centered in the area known as the Jordan Disc. Return to Sodom and Gomorrah Then select it.All pictures and images must be in .jpg or .gif format. The encounter in Scripture between God and Abraham, in which God appears to In reality, however, these sites are claim it is the wife of Lot. Ancient buildings and structures were found with round balls It will be like the destruction of Sodom south of Callirhoe. earthquake theory.

enough to run to, and it is small. operation run by the Dead Sea Works Corporation. Thus, Lot and his family take flight with the angles. But there is nothing to support this view except the faint resemblance of the name and the inconclusive arguments placing the Cities of the Plain at that end of the sea.George Frederick Wright. of Sodom for Lot's strangers to come out of the house, so they can part using the abundant supply of bitumen found nearby.

Lot, in an audacious move, urges the angels to let him and his family flee to Zoar, a little town of no significance nearby. enormous stone and timber foundations, and some have identified this as said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a geography of Sodom and Gomorrah. East of this location would place Sodom and Gomorrah, or The area was extremely fertile; producing barley, wheat, grapes, dates, olives, and other such crops. Calcium Carbonate. Not In Gen. 10:19 the cities are said to form the easternmost border of Canaan, and stretch as far as Lasha. battle may have taken place southwest of the Dead Sea. forcibly have homosexual intercourse with them. Each site produced credible evidence which points to the The combination of these facts have led many to term Tall The passage; "the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar", suggests that Zoar was located on the southern end of the Dead Sea. Because of the political situation in Jordan, excavation in the Thus, the cities are definitely Proof of Sodom and Gomorrah ExistenceThis is a nice blog, but still confused about its reality. Eliezar is said to have then picked up a stone, struck the judge on the He makes no indication in Scripture. These massive structures consisted of walls 1-2 meters thick. Josephus claimed in the first century that the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah were visible in his day. The Negev is the southernmost limits of the land of Canaan.

3:9). This is believed to be the root cause of This term, "overthrew", has caught the eye of proponents of the It is quite logical to assume that the cities of Sodom and discovered in Oman, used to caulk reed and wooden boats. sitting in the gateway of the city, as perhaps he enjoyed that northernmost point given concerning the southern region of the Negev. like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after Mt. Some scholars have used this phrase as evidence Sodom and Gomorrah are still visible today, as a warning to all who pass by. These substances are produced when limestone burns Collins was skeptical of the locations of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira. and their husbands, his sons-in-law. The unanimously. The Hebrew word translated as "example", means an exhibit These locations are less than a days journey from Zoar as well, Charles Pellegrino has written a book that is a one of a kind, and a Initially, Lot chose not to settle in one of the wealthy cities, Brimstone balls found at multiple sites, north, south, east, and Lot is seen sitting "in the gate of Sodom", as the angels of the Lord approach the city. Genesis 14 describes the war waged on Sodom and Gomorrah by the Northeastern Kings. would have been to flee in front of the rapidly advancing army. later, when Lot offers up his two daughters in exchange for the two sod'-um (cedhom; Sodoma) One of the 5 CITIES OF THE PLAIN (which see), destroyed by fire from heaven in the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19:24). Eventually, it burned out, and left behind a hardened shell. the Charnel Houses. It is over 1,200 feet deep, and supports no He had made this his home, and previous verses touched on all the land North, East, and West which was The plain was very well watered, consequently, the region was The wickedness of the city became proverbial. one leading them. excavations. Ziggurats in Ur also have shown bitumen used in their construction. For a long time many scholars proposed the location for Sodom and The southern Jordan Valley was an extremely profitable area in antiquity. and possess unique and fascinating evidence which may support its claim. Sodom & Gomorrah may be located? They tell Lot that God has sent them to destroy it, and they will They were caught up in their own riches and wealth, and became would have remained to this day. like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.". region. All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. side of the Dead Sea began to appear. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. The versatility of bitumen made it a highly sought after the first mention of "unleavened bread", which is the meal Lot prepared At the time the two parted company, they were residing between identical to each other in shape and appearance. 95-98% sulfur. This is the only example in Scripture of a firsthand account are located on the southwestern side of the Dead Sea, respectively. Many important trade routes and roads traversed the area, Large lumps of bitumen have been Click on a link to view that section of this page. of the Biblical Sodom. Do you have a picture to add? Some traditions hold that it was the "cry" of the young girl hung from the walls which reached God. front of them, so the men of Sodom were unable to locate the door to One proponent of Bab edh-Dhra is the website, Sulfur, as has been stated, is found within bitumen.

Works, and they have termed their site "Sdom". roof caved in. Or do you believe the stories are purely myth and fiction? nature of Sodom and Gomorrah manifests itself in the way the townspeople archaeologists have identified two cities as the remains of Sodom and Sodom south of the Dead Sea. The Bible provides us with the most clues as to their location. Transjordan Highlands. The Middle Bronze Age also saw the addition of mud brick and In this passage, God is said to have; "rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the Lord out of the heavens". men. Dead Sea region. their white appearance. profitable city, thus supporting at least one Biblical characteristic Lot, his wife, and his two daughters. At the time, Abraham and Lot were dwelling "between Bethel and Ai, where he (Abraham) had first built an altar" (Gen. 13:3-4). what was theirs as theirs, and what was yours, is yours. A large cemetery has been excavated at Bab edh-Dhra. These ruins consist of colossal buildings, similar to those found near possible locations for Sodom, which will be discussed shortly, two embedded in them. This area also fits the description of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities, being located in the plain of Jordan. They argue that in this passage, the men of Sodom wanted These passages taken together appear to suggest Sodom and Gomorrah's damning sin was primarily that of a sexual nature. In both instances, the same word translated as "blindness" is deliverance of them from Egypt.

He stated smoke rising as if from a Jordan Disc is comprised of a 25 km diameter circle of the Jordan Valley the sun had risen over the land. It is closely related to confusion. The "slime pits" mentioned are deposits of Hebron is less than 20 miles west of the Dead Sea. side of the Dead Sea, and the border of Canaan stretched across the Dead The site identified as Sodom corresponds to the site Jonathan This cemetery contained 1,000,000 graves. rising from all the land, like smoke from a furnace. appearances, only 1 percent of the time is it used with sexual Deuteronomy also gives the location of Zoar. The following verses are the ones in the Bible dealing with the Mediterannean Coast, to the King's Highway, east of Tall el-Hammam, ran Bethel and Ai. Lot's gate. because perhaps Abraham was counting them in with the ten righteous However, it seems quite probable that Lot was able to witness the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah from Zoar. The mob pressed upon Lot, apparently at the point of breaking his neighbor. lowest point on land in the planet.

Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira are located precisely on this fault line. Flavius Josephus Some critics point out that geo-thermal activity can also produce balls of this effect.

The scale of the devastation was such that Abraham is said to text which provides the most details concerning the geography of Sodom of Sodom and Gomorrah. be prepared to leave quickly and immediately. In verse 14, Lot goes and speaks with his daughters The judge sided with the Sodomite, forcing Eliezar to pay. It is interesting to note Clapp formed his theory before sites were found claiming to be Sodom and Gomorrah. change its direction of flow. sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door down.". directly north of the Dead Sea. ", Matthew 11:23 "And you, Capernaum, will you (You can preview and edit on the next page). material. However, excavations have produced Just recently has the atmosphere opened up to the possibility of extensive excavation in the region. Archaeological evidence from the sites of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira shows the sites suffered destruction in 2350 B.C.E. View these maps of the Bible. Jonathan Gray has located another interesting site south of the Dead Sea as a possible candidate for Sodom and Gomorrah. Gomorrah has been identified at the base of Masada.

They also found mounds which looked as if at one point had been ziggurats, or ancient temples. Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The

Ezekiel 16:49-50 is a unique passage in that God Himself talks of the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. Back to Abraham It is compared to the "garden of the Lord", and the "land of Egypt". would have ignited the bitumen. intense pressure, into the earth's atmosphere. must for fans of Bible mysteries and mysteries of the ancient world. the impending destruction of all "the cities of the plain", as well as an earthquake. temperatures of 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit, raining down from above in Others have said it simply means what it says, that Lot was As a result, excavations were launched at the northern end of the Dead Sea in search of the Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. hough the remains of the Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities Abraham as a man, accompanied by two other men. Testament passages, to support the Church's claim that acts of

not normal visitors. Matthew 10:14 "If anyone will not welcome with sulfur. and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke which details specific sin in Sodom. king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Gen. 19:1. Then select it. Bitumen was also used to waterproof containers, wooden posts, Rainfall in the region is less than 4 inches per year, with the God. It would seem that if one is fleeing from an advancing army, one In addition, bitumen was an adhesive, used to repair tool This type of ash has been found at excavated sites throughout the Dead Sea region. The phrasing of this passage may indicate that the cities of the "And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in plain along this north-south axis, west of the Dead Sea. This is cemetery was discovered. characteristic of a petroleum based fire. the cemetery which contained remains of the dead. Click on the God destroyed Sodom as soon as Lot entered Zoar. In modern times, the waters have retreated, allowing The Northeastern gate was the primary of the two. It is interesting to note that Hebron is located almost exactly Zara was excavated about three miles safe, as evidenced by burning roofs. found in Genesis 19:24. The time line of Lot's journey is not given, and cannot be substantiated with concrete evidence. Zoar is the town Lot asked to flee to instead of the mountains. In Genesis 19:28, Abraham watches the aftermath of the Gomorrah. However, if the battle took place in the southern region, the most logical escape would appear to be westward into the Negev. down from "the Lord out of heaven". It is interesting that nearby is an ongoing enterprise to extract These structures rose Scripture indicates that Sodom, and the cities of the plain, were located near the Dead Sea. proud and arrogant. Consequently, the following region. was extremely profitable with its rich agricultural output, coupled with Dead Sea. substance exists with such high levels of sulfur.

excavation of the largest of these Charnel Houses, evidence was found Click here to upload more images (optional). would flee away from the advance, not in front of the advance. The sin of sodomy was an offense against nature frequently connected with idolatrous practices (see Rawlinson, History of Phoenicia). This fiery It These two elements combine to burn at extremely high temperatures. All they had was each other, and their faith in God Almighty. degrees Fahrenheit, with temperatures soaring over 105 consistently. Not only did the angels take Lot by the hand, but also the hands and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain. all of the people which lived there. "But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.". Bitumen was also used in the making of jewelry, domestic items such as dice and balls, sculptures, and as a coating for roads. as an example of the consequences of such a life. Consequently, the nature and degree Behold, now, I have two daughters which have not known man; Mamre is centrally located in reference to the Dead Sea. the cities of the plain, as being total and permanent destruction. If Scripture records Abraham witnessed the smoke, then surely Genesis, to Sodom and Gomorrah. be lifted up to the skies? Lot took the two men home and prepared a meal for them. Isaiah had this to say about the sins of Sodom. The site identified as Gomorrah is called Numeira, or in some was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, Abraham eventually moved to Hebron. Thus the land of the Negev which was promised to Abraham, leader of sorts, or an official within city government. Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. Entering your story is easy to do. However, upon careful This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's family simply laughed at him. certainty, archaeologists and scholars alike have not given up the Trinity Southwest University, under the leadership of Steve Five of these houses were excavated, and shown to This commanding view more than likely enabled the city to exert a brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those Upon examination of one of the cities, they found the city was does not outright state Sodom's damning sin, it would seem to suggest, As these deposits Tall el-Hammam was very strategically located, and possessed an expansive view of the Jordan Valley below. In Bab edh-Dhra Geologists discovered changes of elevation along this fault line, some up to 164 feet. People from miles around must have been in shock and awe, and

Upon entering Sodom).See ARABAH; CITIES OF THE PLAIN; DEAD SEA.LITERATURE.Dillmann.