Genesis 19:24

II. THE DOOM OF SODOM.

24. The Lord rained.. brimstone and fire.

Not only these cities, but as we learn from Deuteronomy 29:23, Admah and Zeboim, all the five cities of the plain except Zoar, were submerged by fire. The five cities are named in, Genesis 14:2. Bush holds that brimstone and fire is used to signify lightning. Adam Clarke holds that brimstone "is used metaphorically, to point out the utmost degree of punishment executed on the most flagitious criminals." He refers for examples to Deuteronomy 29:23; Job 18:15; Psalms 11:6; Isaiah 34:9; Ezekiel 38:22. He adds: "As hell and an everlasting separation from God and the glory of his power, is the utmost punishment that can be inflicted on sinners, brimstone and fire are used metaphorically to indicate its torments." He adds further: "We may safely suppose that it was quite possible that. shower of nitrous particles may have been precipitated from the atmosphere, here, as in many other places, called heaven, which by the action of fire, or the electric fluid, would be immediately ignited, and so consume the cities. As we have already seen that the plains about Sodom and Gomorrah abounded with asphaltum or bitumen pits (slime pits in chap. 14), that what is particularly meant here in reference to the plain is the setting fire to this vast store of inflammable matter by the agency of lightning; and this, in the most natural and literal manner, accounts for the whole plain being burnt up; as that plain abounded in this bituminous substance. Thus we find that three agents were employed in the total ruin of these cities, and all the circumjacent plain: 1. Innumerable nitrous particles precipitated from the atmosphere; 2. The vast quantity of bitumen which abounded in that country, and 3. Lightning, rained from heaven in. mighty storm, which ignited the inflammable materials, and thus consumed both the cities and the plain in which they were situated." It is probable that this explanation suggests nearly the nature of the catastrophe. While the judgment was of God, natural causes were employed to effect his judgments. It cannot be doubted that some fearful visitation, terrible as that upon Herculaneum and Pompeii, destroyed this region. Outside of the Bible the traditions have survived in the other ancient writers who have alluded to this region, among them Josephus, and the Roman geographer Strabo, and the historian Tacitus.