Sodoma

Sodoma, the form used in Italian and several other languages for the biblical city commonly known in English as Sodom, is described in the Hebrew Bible as one of the cities of the plain near the southern end of the Dead Sea. In Genesis 13 and 18–19 the city is listed alongside Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim and is embedded in a narrative about the wickedness of the place and the hospitality extended to visitors. The story centers on the figure of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who is associated with the area through the surrounding narrative of the patriarch’s covenant and the fate of the cities.

According to the Genesis account, two angels visit Lot in Sodoma and are hosted there. The men of the city surround Lot’s house and demand that the visitors be brought out to them, but the angels intervene, striking the attackers with blindness and warning of imminent judgment. Lot is urged to flee with his family to Zoar; Sodoma and its neighboring cities are destroyed by fire and brimstone. Lot and his two daughters escape, while Lot’s wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt.

Scholarly views on the historical existence and exact location of Sodoma vary. The precise site has not been definitively identified; proposed locations near the Dead Sea include sites such as Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira, among others. Some scholars treat the narrative as a religiously significant account that may blend history, myth, and theological message rather than as a precise historical record. The story has had a broad cultural and religious impact, influencing later literature, art, and discussions of morality and divine judgment.