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One of the five cities of the plain, or Vale of Siddim, that revolted against Chedorlaomer, who attacked and carried away the people and the spoil. They were rescued by Abraham because Lot was among the captives. The wickedness of the cities being exceedingly great, they were, with the exception of the small city of Zoar, destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven. SODOM is constantly associated with Gomorrah in the accounts of this destruction, and they are held up both in the O.T. and in the N.T. as a signal instance of God's direct action in judgement. Gen. 14, 18, 19; 2 Peter 2: 6; Jude 7. Yet, solemn and complete as was their destruction, the Lord said it would be more tolerable in the day of judgement for these cities than for those where His mighty works had been done, and which had rejected Him. Matt. 10: 15.
It is not known where these cities were situated, except that they were near to the Dead Sea: at its north end is now considered to be most probable.
In Isa. 1: 10 Israel had fallen so low that the prophet addresses them as 'ye rulers of Sodom,' 'ye people of Gomorrah,' and Jerusalem is 'spiritually called Sodom and Egypt' in Rev. 11: 8.