Sodom and Gomorrah: A Deeper Look

I bring stories to life. That’s what a costume designer does. We take character’s and help tell their story. It has been my experience that the most powerful tales often have multiple layers of meaning. The Bible is no exception. These layers deserve careful attention and careful attention is what I have given the scripture just like I give to my costumes. Today we’re starting a series that digs deep into some of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. I had lots of questions as a child that no clergy man or woman could answer. For instance, it would have been far more helpful to me to have been told about the existance of lestbians after this conversation. I told the teacher at bible camp that I didn’t think there was a man that I could accept as head over me. I hadn’t met one that I respected enough and it wasn’t looking too good for the rest of them. I HAD met enough of them to know that wasn’t gonna happen. The point is, it would have been far more helpful to me to have learned about the exsistence of gays at a minimun. I got, “Wait for that ‘right MAN’ to come along” Any way, let’s begin with Sodom and Gomorrah – a story that’s often oversimplified but carries profound lessons about community, justice, and moral responsibility.

The story opens with God hearing an “outcry” against these cities. the word used here for out cry is Like in any small town, word travels fast when something’s wrong, and this wasn’t just idle gossip – it was a cry that reached to heaven itself. Genesis 18:20-21 tells us that their sin was “grievous,” serious enough to warrant divine intervention. So, serious. But do we really know why? We have equated it with homosexuality so long that it lives in our heads as synonomous, but where is the evidence? Let’s look at what is there.

While this story is often reduced to a single issue, Ezekiel 16:49-50 reveals a broader picture. “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” Coming from a place where Southern hospitality isn’t just a saying but a way of life, one would think this would be a higher priority for accepting folks different from you. These cities had fundamentally failed at basic human decency. The did NOT help the poor and needy and they got destroyed for that. Here is what Claude found out about it. Let’s look at these sins by looking at the original Hebrew text, which reveals nuances often lost in translation.

Original Hebrew text of Ezekiel 16:49: “הִנֵּה־זֶ֣ה הָיָ֔ה עֲוֺ֖ן סְדֹ֣ם אֲחוֹתֵ֑ךְ גָּא֨וֹן שִׂבְעַת־לֶ֜חֶם וְשַׁלְוַ֣ת הַשְׁקֵ֗ט הָ֤יָה לָהּ֙ וְלִבְנוֹתֶ֔יהָ וְיַד־עָנִ֥י וְאֶבְי֖וֹן לֹ֥א הֶחֱזִֽיקָה”

Key words and their meanings:

1. עֲוֺ֖ן (avon) – “iniquity” or “sin” – implies not just wrongdoing but perversion of right
2. גָּא֨וֹן (gaon) – “pride” or “arrogance” – from root meaning to rise or lift up
3. שִׂבְעַת־לֶ֜חֶם (sivat-lechem) – literally “fullness of bread” – meaning abundance or excess of food
4. שַׁלְוַ֣ת (shalvat) – “prosperity” or “ease” – indicates careless security
5. הַשְׁקֵ֗ט (hashket) – “idleness” or “quietness” – suggesting complacency
6. עָנִ֥י (ani) – “poor” or “afflicted” – refers to those suffering from poverty or oppression
7. אֶבְי֖וֹן (evyon) – “needy” or “destitute” – indicates extreme poverty
8. לֹ֥א הֶחֱזִֽיקָה (lo hechezikah) – “did not strengthen” or “did not help” – implies failure to support or assist

Verse 50 continues with: “וַֽתִּגְבְּהֶ֔ינָה וַתַּעֲשֶׂ֥ינָה תוֹעֵבָ֖ה לְפָנָ֑י וָאָסִ֥יר אֶתְהֶ֖ן כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר רָאִֽיתִי”

Additional key terms:

9. וַֽתִּגְבְּהֶ֔ינָה (vatigbehenah) – “became haughty” – from root meaning to be high or lofty
10. תוֹעֵבָ֖ה (toevah) – “abomination” – refers to something morally disgusting or detestable

The Hebrew text reveals that Sodom’s sins were complex and multifaceted, with particular emphasis on:

• Pride and arrogance
• Excess and gluttony
• Complacency and idle prosperity
• Neglect of social responsibility
• Failure to help those in need

The language choices emphasize not just the presence of wealth but the misuse of abundance and the deliberate neglect of social responsibility, suggesting that Sodom’s primary sin was one of callous indifference to human suffering despite having the means to help.

Note the VOID of any mention of homosexuality. This detailed analysis confirms what we’ve been discussing – the focus was on social injustice, not sexuality.

The scene with the angels visiting Lot shows us this moral bankruptcy. The issue wasn’t just about inappropriate desires – it was a complete violation of the sacred duty of hospitality and human dignity. The men of the city demonstrated not just sexual immorality, but a complete disregard for the fundamental rights of others. They tried to force themselves onto people. People who were not consensual. They wanted to rape Lot’s visitors. They were asking Lot to allow them to have them without their consent and Lot offered them his daughters instead. We are going to talk about the morality issue with this point in a follow up post.

In Isaiah and Jeremiah it is revealed that these cities failed at seeking justice and defending the vulnerable. Isaiah 1:10-17 specifically calls out their failure to “seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” This wasn’t just about individual acts of sin – it was about a society that had completely lost its moral compass. This narrative of moral failure extends beyond just the Old Testament references.

In the New Testament, Jesus references Sodom and Gomorrah in the context of rejecting His message and refusing hospitality to His disciples. This connection highlights how deeply intertwined hospitality and righteousness were in biblical understanding. The rejection of divine truth and the rejection of human dignity went hand in hand.

So what can we learn from this deeper reading? The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah wasn’t about a single sin or issue – it was about a systematic failure of justice, compassion, and basic human decency. Looking at the evidence laid out above, we can see that these cities had fundamentally failed at multiple levels. These cities had created a society where:

• The vulnerable were ignored
• Justice was perverted
• Hospitality was violated
• The needy were neglected
• Arrogance replaced compassion
• People didn’t matter

If you aren’t seeing a pattern, you aren’t paying attention. This story challenges us to examine our own communities and our own actions. Are we maintaining justice? Are we caring for those in need? Are we treating all people with dignity and respect?

It shouldn’t even matter if these are Bible mandates or not. Why are we not doing these things for these things sake? Why are we not doing them because it’s the right thing to do? These questions are just as relevant today as they were then.

This is just the first in our series exploring misunderstood biblical narratives. By taking time to really understand these stories in their full context, we can better grasp their timeless lessons and apply them to our lives today. This story wasn’t about homosexuality until the middle of the 20th century. That means it is false doctrine that should be rooted out and throw out of the church, not embraced and legislated. Let’s look at things clearly, read what is there and stop adding stuff to it to fit a narrative that harms some of God’s children.

This reexamination of Sodom and Gomorrah is just the beginning of our journey into misunderstood biblical narratives. The Bible isn’t just a collection of moral tales meant to guide us to a perfect world in the after life. It’s a complex tapestry of human experiences and divine truths that deserves our careful attention and thoughtful analysis. The Bible also isn’t an archaic book with no value. It is full of wisdom and I aim to share my experiences and journey through life and the truths I have uncovered in those pages as a results. We are analyzing stories that I needed answers to. Me and other kids like me deserved the truth.. Kids who were not afraid to question doctrine noone dared . Now that I have some answers Stay tuned and we will continue to explore and unpack more of these stories together. We don’t have to swallow what we’ve been told it says. We can read it for ourselves. We don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater either. Many of you have pitched the bible to the curb, but you don’t have to miss the insights it gives once you understand it from the point of view of Natural Law. You also, do not have to believe what people have told you it says. I’m here to tell you, that it often says something that conflicts with popular interpretations and we are going to correct that wrong thinking. Scratch that. We are going to present evidence using the exact same scriptures, but delving into the meaning of the words, and uncover the truth that has been hiding in plain sight this entire time. If you think you have the ears to hear, sign up for our journey down the rabbit hole of what the bible really says.

Does this make me an apologist? IDK. I defy definition.