Sodom and Gomorrah — two cities that became infamous for the greatness of the sins of the people that once lived there and the tragic destruction that followed. The search for the location of the doomed sister cities continues to fascinate many scholars, historians, and Bible readers. The story of these sister cities served as a cautionary tale (Jude 1:7) against sexual immorality, as well as other sins such as “pride, gluttony, and laziness” (Ezekiel 16:48-50).
Some clues that aid in the search: Sodom and Gomorrah formed the Pentapolis of the Cities of the Plain (Genesis 14:2) of the Jordan Valley which included Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar (Bela). It was there that Lot decided to settle with his family after a dispute between his herdsmen and Abraham’s over the land on which their herds and flocks grazed; meanwhile, Abraham remained and settled in the territory of Canaan
Sodom and Gomorrah were famous for the wickedness of its people as shown in Genesis 13:13 and by Genesis 19, it was doomed by God to be completely destroyed. Lot was warned about this destruction by the two angels he protected from the men of the city. He was told to take his family and find refuge in the mountains.
Another clue: Lot pleaded for the angels to spare a little village called Zoar so they could find shelter there. This was granted and according to Genesis 19:24-25, the Lord “rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.” The destruction was so great that Abraham saw it as he stood in Mamre (modern Hebron), far off west of the Jordan Valley. Lot and his daughters left Zoar later and temporarily lived in a cave in the mountains.
Zoar: The Key to Sodom and Gomorrah
For creation geologist Dr. Steve Austin, Biblical archaeologist Dr. Bryant G. Wood, and other scholars, Zoar was the key to finding the doomed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. To pinpoint Zoar (and possibly Sodom and Gomorrah), they first needed to locate the region where the cities were built. The search for Zoar took them to the southern region of the Dead Sea where the Jordan Valley is located, near the modern city of Safi in Jordan. They looked for the cave where Lot and his daughters supposedly lived in when they escaped Zoar and found the remains of an ancient church named the Sanctuary of St. Lot with a cave near it. It overlooked the modern town of Safi, which made it possible that the town once known as Zoar is now named as-Safi.
Zoar (Safi) is the only town that is still in existence after thousands of years since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Historical records show that it was involved in commercial trade as recently as the 10th century AD. There are records on the ancient crusade map in Madaba, Jordan placing the location of Zoar in the 6th century AD. According to
According to Isaiah and Jeremiah (15:5 and 48:34-35 respectively), Zoar was located in Moab. The Jewish historian Josephus stated that Zoar was located south of the Dead Sea. Zoar was also described by the Arab tribes that lived there as “As-Safiyah”. These point to the location of Safi as former Zoar making it was the perfect jump-off point for finding the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira: Ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah?
The angels of the Lord gave Lot and his family enough time to escape the destruction. According to Dr. Steve Austin, they probably traveled for six hours to Zoar by foot. He and other Biblical scholars that support this theory retraced the steps of Lot and came to the conclusion that the ruins of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira in Jordan are the possible candidates for the sites of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. Safi could be reached within six hours from Bab edh-Dhra by foot, and it was one of the biggest sites in the area that was settled by the time of Abraham (Early Bronze Age). The destruction that happened at the site was perhaps visible from Mamre (modern Hebron) in Canaan, and its location was an excellent sister city site.
The remains of Bab edh-Dhra is now just a mound (tell) with a cemetery right beside it. Geologists discovered that Bab edh-Dhra is located near an enormous fault zone, and the site experienced massive changes in geology over the years. It was once a fortified city with a 21-ft wide defensive wall (now collapsed) and contained a temple of an unknown god. Wadi Numeira, the remains of an ancient city near the ruins of Bab edh-Dhar, is said to be the city of Gomorrah. Numeira, just like Bab edh-Dhra, had a collapsed fortification, border fault, and evidence of widespread destruction caused by fire (burn deposits). Pieces of charcoal (from burned timber, possibly house beams) were found when the sites were excavated and in Numeira itself. Two human skeletons who died from trauma (burns and collapse of a structure) were found buried on site.
Both places were destroyed during the Early Bronze Age by ignition and collapse of structures, consistent with the “fire and burning sulfur” destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In addition, both sites were located near enormous border fault lines which contained a combination of combustible bitumen, petroleum, and natural gas. It is possible that what destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was a super-earthquake that spewed these destructive materials forced up by earth’s movement.
Evidence Against This Being the Site of Sodom and Gomorrah
Most archaeologists place the destruction of the two proposed cities during Early Bronze Age III which puts them about 400 years before the Biblical dates for their destruction. So does this mean these aren’t the infamous Biblical cities?
Dr. Bryant Wood of the Biblical Archaeological Society writes “In reality, the archaeological date for the end of the EB III period cannot be determined with any degree of certainty. Dating for the Bronze Age in Palestine is dependent upon synchronisms with the known history of Egypt. To date, we have no such synchronisms for the EB III (Early Bronze Age III) period. To date, we have no such synchronisms for the EB III period. There are a few correlations for the previous EB II period, suggesting that it was approximately contemporary with the Archaic Period (First and Second Dynasties) in Egypt, ca. 3100–2700 BC“
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This could be one of the “Unfathomable God Initiated Times” for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to be discovered for the Glory of God, because End Times Prophecy is definitely being fulfilled with Biblical Sin being given civil rights and legalized fulfilling the End Times Prophecy that “good will become evil and evil will become good,” and it seems, especially in the secular society, that there is becoming a generation that are truly “Lovers of Themselves!”
Sodom and Gomorrah were part of the 5 cities of the Jordan Plain! The Jordan is at the N end of the Dead Sea, not the S end! Zoar, formerly called Bela (Lot said it was small/insignificant = Zoar) still remains where the above scholars pin-point it. All the other geographical markers mentioned in Genesis point to the N end of the Dead Sea! Check out the dig of Dr. Steven Collins, Tall el-Hammam, and you will find amazing evidence there…! Check out the geography with Genesis 12 + 13!
God bless, Kurt Schafli
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GkATIhRxxaE
Tunguska style meteorite airburst on Northern end of Dead Sea. Compelling argument is made for this location: Tall El-Hammam
So there still is no proof of where Sodom & gomohra are
The word “proof” is a rather definitive word to use in relationship to archaeological findings. We can have strong evidence that a city being excavated, is a specific city, but not exhaustive “proof”, unless, perhaps, a sign is found that says, “Welcome to Sodom”.
At this point we do not have absolute “proof” concerning the location of Sodom. However, I think we do have very strong evidence and very good reasons to believe the location of Sodom is at Tel el-Hammam. This location has the right stuff, at the right time, at the right location (according to Scriptural descriptions of location). Probably the only thing that would make it more certain that Tel el-Hammam is Sodom, would be to find that sign saying “Welcome to Sodom”.
DZ
So do is located at the North end of the dead Sea as gen 13 states. Steve Collins put up very convincing argument which genesis seems to confirm.
i dont doubt that it is. its hard to tell i personally beleive since the bible was reweitten so many times only three senerios can cross my thoughts. 1: they did exist just in a different location 2. they were whipped out of existance or 3. they never did exist this was a story made up by somebody who dont like gays
Apparently, with the evidence found in the last 15 years of excavating Tel el-Hammam, it looks like Sodom did actually exist and it is located at Tel el-Hammam. This by far appears to be the best reasonable conclusion. The fit is very convincing.
The Word of God tells me these cities existed and were destroyed. I don’t need an archeologist or man confirming it for me. If anything archeology has confirmed more of the Bible cities and people then anyone else outside of the Bible.
its there dead sea, God himself burn down the city and turn everything dead
My point is that is Sodom and Gomorrah in existence, or the name of the city as been changed.
Sodom and Gomorrah did exist I believe. I am 55. Physical and geographical changes that I have witnessed in my short life made me imagine centuries changes. Many thanks to avowed archaeologist that got these scanty evidences. God is great.
according to me i do not believe that it is hard to locate the sites of the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, especially considering that when the family of Lot were fleeing, the LORD had strictly commanded that no one should look back till they reached Zoar. However, it is recorded that Lot’s wife disobeyed God and looked back and the LORD punished her by turning her into a pillar of salt which is supposed to be standing in the very spot to date. If that is the case then, why cant those studying to locate the cities find it easy then by just studying the pillar of salt? Or so I thought. I stand corrected
Salt is soluble in water. After centuries rainwater would have dissolved away any salt pillar (just like how rainwater dissolves away limestone caves).
Most salts. particularly Sodium Chloride are water soluble. It wold be difficult to imagine that a salt pillar would last over a few thousand years. The best descriptor of the location of Sodom come from the Scriptures themselves, in Genesis 13. This description of general location, really narrows the field of possible locations. Now if ruins that fit the descriptions of Sodom could be found in that general location that could very well nail it.
it appears that Dr. Collins has nailed it with Tel el-Hammam, The Biblical city Sodom, of Genesis 13.
My question here is this, if the sister cities were found, what did they see/saw there? Another question is, Did they see any human structures or ashes to substantiate their founding?? Thanks
My brother was in the army during Second World War in that part of the world .
Army trucks were driving from Jordan to Iraq when they came across sodom and Gomorrah land all blackened/ burnt as far as the eye could see also in the distance was the pillar of salt .
My brother is nearly 93 years old but remembers it clearly
Then please, do tell, is it to the north or south of the Dead Sea? Genesis 13 seems to indicate that it’s North, if the “planes of Jordan” that Lot took (and which were near Sodom) were indeed by the River Jordan.
The placement of Sodom and Gomorrah at the southern end of the Dead Sea appears largely based on determining the location of the one little town that was spared, Zoar, which translates as “little” or “little town”. But just as there are 19 cities in the U.S. named Littleton, there were likely a number of little towns in Palestine called Zoar. It is also likely that, with the major cities and agricultural fields destroyed by God, the little town of Zoar was soon abandoned and lost to time, though another Zoar, far away, survived. Either way, using such a common place name seems a poor landmark for pegging the location of Sodom.
Having failed to pinpoint Sodom at the southern end of the Dead Sea, some scholars have concluded that the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah must now rest under the Dead Sea. However, in the 1960’s Israel began diverting water from the Jordan River for agriculture and domestic use. By 2010 the Dead Sea had dropped by 100 feet and continues to drop about 3 feet per year. Now, the southern half of the Dead Sea is little more than shallow salt flats used to evaporate the water to harvest the salts and minerals. No archeologically significant remains have been exposed there.
All of this further fortifies Dr. Steven Collins’ research supporting a probable location north of the Dead Sea.
In the opening paragraph, you reference Ezekiel 18:48-50…
“The story of these sister cities served as a cautionary tale (Jude 1:7) against sexual immorality, as well as other sins such as “pride, gluttony, and laziness” (Ezekiel 18:48-50).”
I believe you meant Chapter 16 (not 18). If you could edit for future readers, some may find that helpful.
Thank you for the article!
Thank you for that Jacob! We have taken your edit and updated the article.
I believe that they were most likely hit by a meteor and the blast sent a blast wave (shock wave) that destroyed the cities