What was the Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?

The biblical account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:23-29 has long stood as a clear example of God’s judgement of homosexuality as sin. A recent narrative of those who would defend homosexuality biblically is to say that the sin of the cities was not homosexuality, but that of being unhospitable. They point to the fact that the angels destroyed the city only after the men of the city wanted to forcibly pull them from Lot’s home and rape them, an especially unhospitable action (Genesis 19:5).

Sequence of Events

When assessing this interpretation, the first thing to consider is the sequence of events regarding the destruction of the cities. God planned to destroy the cities before ever sending the angels there:

“Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” - Genesis 18: 20-21

The angels then said to Abraham directly before going to the cities, “For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it (Genesis 19:13).” Notice that God sent them specifically to destroy the cities. It was not something he determined to do after the arrival of the angels.

No doubt rape – whether heterosexual or homosexual in nature – is perhaps the most extreme form of an inhospitable act. But a question must be asked – would God send such a supernatural judgement – one never done before or since – for the sin of inhospitality? We have biblical warrant to definitively say no, God would not.

Sending Fire from Heaven

We see something very similar in Jesus’ ministry. While He was making His final journey to Jerusalem, He sent some ahead of the group into a Samaritan village to “make preparations”, presumably to find a place for them to rest for the evening. When they arrived, the people of the village were not hospitable, refusing Him (Luke 9:51-53).

When the apostles James and John saw what happened, they asked Jesus, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them (John 9:54)?” Had Jesus permitted this, it would have been very similar to Sodom and Gomorrah: it would have been a supernatural judgement on the town for their inhospitality. It would have also fit the narrative that inhospitality is worthy of supernatural judgement. However, Jesus did not allow it, rebuking them for the suggestion and moving on without any hint of judgement for the town (Luke 9:55-56).

We see other very similar stories in Judges 20-21 and 1 Samuel 25 without divine judgement for inhospitality.

Jude’s Commentary

If there is any doubt left, the matter is settled definitively by Jude. He wrote about angels who did not “stay within their own position of authority (Jude 6)” and compared them to Sodom and Gomorrah saying, “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Jude is clear that their punishment was due to their sexual immorality and unnatural desire; he did not mention anything about being inhospitable.

Further evidence in Leviticus 18 and 20, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1 show that it is not just homosexual rape that is sinful, but any homosexual act.

Conclusion

This quick study to consider the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah illustrates the importance of the concept of scripture interpreting scripture. If the account of the destruction of the two cities was the only insight we had into their destruction, it could be a reasonable conclusion that God’s judgement was against their inhospitality. However, God has given us much more in His word, specifically by giving us a fuller account of what happened, the inclusion of other similar events, and through clear commentary in the book of Jude.

Let us ask God for grace to be faithful to His revealed word as we seek to understand and speak to the culture.