Dr. Dylan Johnson

for that possibility, right? One is this group of four kings from the East came and destroyed these cities. And the landscape was always like that, at least in that story. And then Genesis 18 and 19 and some other texts offer an alternative explanation about how that region transformed from what was once a fertile landscape into a desolate place.

And then this explanation of sin and punishment comes in. So That's kind of where I see the Sodom and Gomorrah tradition. They stand as archetypes of punishment because of the landscape, because the landscape is punishing. And no one can live there in the days of these biblical writers. So why people could have lived there in the past begs some kind of explanation.

And then this explanation of sin and punishment comes in. So That's kind of where I see the Sodom and Gomorrah tradition. They stand as archetypes of punishment because of the landscape, because the landscape is punishing. And no one can live there in the days of these biblical writers. So why people could have lived there in the past begs some kind of explanation.

And then this explanation of sin and punishment comes in. So That's kind of where I see the Sodom and Gomorrah tradition. They stand as archetypes of punishment because of the landscape, because the landscape is punishing. And no one can live there in the days of these biblical writers. So why people could have lived there in the past begs some kind of explanation.

And the biblical writers are human beings who want to explain the world in which they live as well. And they offer two explanations for us.

And the biblical writers are human beings who want to explain the world in which they live as well. And they offer two explanations for us.

And the biblical writers are human beings who want to explain the world in which they live as well. And they offer two explanations for us.

Right, yeah. So the association of Sodom and Gomorrah just generically with sin, it's not exclusively associated to Genesis 18 and 19. There does seem to be other texts that are aware of this association. But what's interesting is the detail and the fixation on very particular types of sin and punishment. really come to the fore in what we call exilic and post-exilic literature.

Right, yeah. So the association of Sodom and Gomorrah just generically with sin, it's not exclusively associated to Genesis 18 and 19. There does seem to be other texts that are aware of this association. But what's interesting is the detail and the fixation on very particular types of sin and punishment. really come to the fore in what we call exilic and post-exilic literature.

Right, yeah. So the association of Sodom and Gomorrah just generically with sin, it's not exclusively associated to Genesis 18 and 19. There does seem to be other texts that are aware of this association. But what's interesting is the detail and the fixation on very particular types of sin and punishment. really come to the fore in what we call exilic and post-exilic literature.

And no more is it more explicit outside of Genesis than in Ezekiel, and specifically in Ezekiel 16, where he's explicit about the fact that Jerusalem is the new Sodom, and its punishment is more or less understood in analogous terms.

And no more is it more explicit outside of Genesis than in Ezekiel, and specifically in Ezekiel 16, where he's explicit about the fact that Jerusalem is the new Sodom, and its punishment is more or less understood in analogous terms.

And no more is it more explicit outside of Genesis than in Ezekiel, and specifically in Ezekiel 16, where he's explicit about the fact that Jerusalem is the new Sodom, and its punishment is more or less understood in analogous terms.

So, with that, you know, understanding in mind, a lot of scholars, based on other factors which have to do with the growth and development of the book of Genesis, kind of see this as a setting when that Genesis 18 through 19 story makes the most sense coming into existence.

So, with that, you know, understanding in mind, a lot of scholars, based on other factors which have to do with the growth and development of the book of Genesis, kind of see this as a setting when that Genesis 18 through 19 story makes the most sense coming into existence.

So, with that, you know, understanding in mind, a lot of scholars, based on other factors which have to do with the growth and development of the book of Genesis, kind of see this as a setting when that Genesis 18 through 19 story makes the most sense coming into existence.

Exactly. And Ezekiel makes clear also that for as bad as Jerusalem is, it's not quite as bad as Sodom because there's a remnant. There is the possibility for return and renewal, which obviously is something Sodom and Gomorrah don't get.

Exactly. And Ezekiel makes clear also that for as bad as Jerusalem is, it's not quite as bad as Sodom because there's a remnant. There is the possibility for return and renewal, which obviously is something Sodom and Gomorrah don't get.

Exactly. And Ezekiel makes clear also that for as bad as Jerusalem is, it's not quite as bad as Sodom because there's a remnant. There is the possibility for return and renewal, which obviously is something Sodom and Gomorrah don't get.

So it's not all negative, but it definitely shows us a moment when those motifs and those archetypes would have been of great interest to biblical writers because Ezekiel dedicates essentially an entire chapter to it.