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Well, it’s complicated. And the Bible doesn’t help clear things up either. Let’s go down the rabbit hole, shall we? Ezekiel 16:49 reads, "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." Sounds like a self-absorbed, sinful city, right?

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The idea is then emphasized in Jude 7, which reads: “Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to immorality and perversion.”

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The homosexual theory points to Genesis 19:5, where some men of Sodom told Lot: “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have intimacy with them.”

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Yes, they sure are. Admah and Zeboim are mentioned in Deuteronomy 29:22-23. And Genesis 19:23 identifies the third city as Zoar.

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Homosexuality has been the scapegoat for the punishments of Sodom and Gomorrah for millennia. But there’s another version of the story: that the cities were destroyed because their inhabitants were unkind to strangers.

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Inhospitality was a big deal back then. Matthew 10:14-15 says: “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”

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Zoar, on the other hand, was spared the wrath of God because Lot (Abraham’s nephew) took refuge in it.

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Admah and Zeboim were equally sinful, so they were destroyed. They probably just weren’t as popular as Sodom and Gomorrah.

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2 Peter 2:6-9 stresses how Lot was saved by God, who did so because he was a godly and righteous man. Lot and his daughters managed to escape safe and sound. Lot's wife didn't make it because she disobeyed God and looked back, so she was transformed into a pillar of salt.

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Jeremiah 23:14 adds to the debate by saying, “And among the prophets of Jerusalem. I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. [...] They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

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Sodom and Gomorrah might get all the credit, but there were in fact three other cities along the Jordan River. These five cities were known as Cities of the Plain.

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In 2018, Collins came up with a theory that would explain the high temperatures that turned pottery into glass: a meteor.

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So, a meteor would have exploded over the Dead Sea and easily destroyed Tall el-Hammam. Plus, witnessing such an event would be easily interpreted as God being very, very angry.

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Well, the man who led the excavation, archaeologist Steven Collins, was an evangelical Christian on a mission to find it, and that alone made some people question his findings.

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Excavations took place in the area, mainly in the '80s and 90s, and several discoveries were made, such as the cave where reportedly Lot took refuge in.

Sources: (Grunge)

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In 2005, archaeologists discovered a vast area in Jordan known as Tall el-Hammam. Could this be Sodom?

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Zoar? Oh yes, we found that one! It became known as Zoara, and it’s mentioned throughout history, from the Romans to Islam.

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Regardless, the uncovered site is in the most probable location of the Cities of the Plain, and it turns out there is evidence that it has been devastated by fire.

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So much so that pottery unearthed was found to have turned into glass after being exposed to extremely high temperatures. Could this have been the work of God, or are we missing something?

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Before the apocalyptic event took place, Sodom and Gomorrah were actually devastated by war. Kedorlaomer (or Chedorlaomer), the King of Elam, attacked the cities, massacred their residents, and stole all their riches and food.

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So, maybe these citizens had a reason to stop following God’s will and become a bit rude and hedonistic. They did pay for it in the worst possible way in the end though.

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Ironic as it sounds, Lot committed a sin with his daughters when he escaped sin city. But why? The ancient Jewish book ‘Genesis Rabbah’ offers some insight.

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The men eventually reveal themselves as gods and warn the couple to flee as they will destroy the city. Sound familiar?

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Genesis 19:26 says that Lot’s wife looked back during the destruction of the city, disobeying God’s rule. As a result, she was turned into a pillar of salt. Pretty nasty, but Surah Hud 11:81 in the Quran is even more twisted.

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This is not the first story in the Bible that can be found elsewhere. Roman writer Ovid wrote a fable that mixes elements of Greek and Roman mythology, the story of Baucis and Philemon.

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Gods Zeus and Hermes (or Jupiter and Mercury, respectively) travel to a city disguised as men, only to find that everyone is inhospitable, except Philemon and his wife, Baucis, who take them in and give them food.

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It reads, “So travel with your family in the dark of night, and do not let any of you look back, except your wife. She will certainly suffer the fate of the others.” So, Lot knew his wife was going to be punished. But the question remains: why?

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It turns out that the Messiah was prophesied to come from Lot's line, so Lot and his daughters were just, erm, doing God’s will...

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Lot and his daughters had Moab and Ben-Ammi, who went on to start the dynasties known as the Moabites and the Ammonites.

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But it turns out that the Moabites and the Ammonites were constantly at war with the Israelites, God’s people.

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The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most popular ones in the Bible. These cities paid the ultimate price for sin: complete destruction. Only one man and his family were allowed to escape, but everyone and everything else was devastated. But why did Sodom and Gomorrah face the wrath of God? How serious were the sins committed by their residents, really?

Click through the following gallery to learn more about the story.