Genesis 18:20
Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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{ "author": "Traditionally attributed to Moses, though some scholars suggest a later compilation.", "location": "Written from the perspective of the Israelites, likely during their wandering in the wilderness or shortly after settling in Canaan.", "dateTime": "Likely composed during the Mosaic period, around the 13th century BC.", "literaryStyle": "Law, featuring specific legal codes and regulations, often presented in a narrative or instructional context." }
God reveals His plan to Abraham to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to the immense wickedness and outcry against them. This conversation follows Abraham's hospitality towards three visitors, one of whom is identified as the LORD. Abraham, deeply concerned, begins to intercede for the cities, questioning if the righteous should perish with the wicked.
When God looks at a city or a culture, what does He hear? It's not just the noise of daily life; it's the persistent, amplified sound of sin reaching a breaking point.
The verse states, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great..." This 'cry' isn't just a passive observation; it's an active, desperate plea that ascends to heaven. Think of it like a building's structural integrity reaching its limit – the groaning and creaking are signals of imminent collapse.
What does this 'cry' represent?
God doesn't ignore this. His attention is drawn not by random acts but by the 'greatness' of the outcry, indicating a widespread and deeply entrenched problem.
God doesn't just see sin; He feels its weight. For Sodom and Gomorrah, their sin wasn't just an action, but a heavy burden that distorted everything.
The text states their sin is "very grievous." This isn't a light matter; it's a profound burden. Imagine trying to carry an enormous, unevenly packed load – it throws you off balance, strains you, and eventually threatens to crush you.
What makes sin 'grievous'?
Understand the original words
tse'aqah · Hebrew Noun
A specific term referring to a loud cry for help or a plea for justice, particularly in response to wickedness, oppression, or suffering that demands God’s attention.
chatt'ah · Hebrew Noun
A transgression of God's law or a failure to reach the moral standard set by Him. It denotes rebellion against His will and a corruption of His intended order for humanity.
c. 2000-1800 BC
Abraham settles near Mamre
Abraham, having been called by God, settles with his family and flocks in the region of Mamre, near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham rescues Lot
Abraham leads his trained men to rescue his nephew Lot and others captured by invading kings, including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
c. 1800 BC
Divine visitors appear to Abraham
Three visitors, one of whom is identified as the LORD and the others as angels, appear to Abraham near Mamre.
c. 1800 BC— this verse
God declares judgment on Sodom
The LORD tells Abraham that the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is grievous, indicating imminent judgment.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham's intercession for Sodom
Abraham pleads with the LORD, questioning if the righteous will be destroyed with the wicked, and negotiates to spare the cities for the sake of a few righteous individuals.
This passage directly calls out the sins of Sodom, describing pride, excess, and a lack of care for the poor, directly echoing the 'great outcry' and 'grievous sin' mentioned in Genesis.
Romans 1:18-32This New Testament passage describes humanity's 'ungodliness and unrighteousness' that suppresses the truth, leading to all sorts of corrupt behavior, mirroring the moral decay that characterized Sodom and Gomorrah.
2 Peter 2:6-7Peter explicitly references the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example for future godless people, highlighting their 'worthless deeds' and Lot's 'righteous soul vexed' by their conduct.
Jude 1:7Jude also uses Sodom and Gomorrah as a stark warning, describing their pursuit of 'unnatural desire' and serving as an 'example' of eternal fire's vengeance.
calvinGenesis 18:1-33: "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;"
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Et negavit Sarah, dicendo, Non risi: quia timuit. Et dixit, Nequaquam, quia risisti.
And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
Et surrexerunt inde viri, et respexerunt contra faciem S…
gillGenesis 18:20: "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;"
And the Lord said,.... The Targum of Jonathan adds, to the ministering angels, the two angels that were with him in the likeness of men; or to Abraham, at least in his hearing, by which he understood that Sodom and other cities were about to be destroyed for their sins: because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great; either of Lot in it, whose righteous soul was vexed with…
{ "author": "Traditionally attributed to Moses, though some scholars suggest a later compilation.", "location": "Written from the perspective of the Israelites, likely during their wandering in the wilderness or shortly after settling in Canaan.", "dateTime": "Likely composed during the Mosaic period, around the 13th century BC.", "literaryStyle": "Law, featuring specific legal codes and regulations, often presented in a narrative or instructional context." }
God reveals His plan to Abraham to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to the immense wickedness and outcry against them. This conversation follows Abraham's hospitality towards three visitors, one of whom is identified as the LORD. Abraham, deeply concerned, begins to intercede for the cities, questioning if the righteous should perish with the wicked.
God reveals His plan to Abraham to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to the immense wickedness and outcry against them. This conversation follows Abraham's hospitality towards three visitors, one of whom is identified as the LORD. Abraham, deeply concerned, begins to intercede for the cities, questioning if the righteous should perish with the wicked.
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The word 'grievous' speaks to the profound negative impact and the severe consequences that sin carries, especially when it becomes pervasive and unrepentant.
c. 1800 BC
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Despite Abraham's intercession, the LORD rains down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them and the surrounding cities of the plain.
"Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave," — { "author": "Traditionally attributed to Moses, though some scholars suggest a later compilation.", "location": "Written from the perspective of the Israelites, likely during their wandering in t…
