Bible Question:

In what years were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed?

Bible Answer:

The Bible provides seven important passages about the location and destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 10:19; 13:10-13; 14:2, 8; 19:25, 29; Deuteronomy 29:22).  But the Bible does not give us the date of the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah or of the other two cities that God destroyed. This article answers the question, “What years were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed?” Unfortunately, the answer to this question cannot be provided with precision since the Bible does not give us the date. But archaeology gives us some approximate dates.

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

The estimated dates for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah vary. James Ussher estimates that the destruction occurred in the year of 1897 B.C. [1]. Thomas Robinson, the author of The Bible Timeline, suggests a date of 1896 B.C.[2] Merrill Unger, the author of Archaeology and the Old Testament, gives a date of 2065 B.C. [3]. W. F. Albright states in The Archaeological Results of an Expedition to Moab and the Dead Sea that the dates of pottery in the location where Sodom is believed to have existed ranges from 2300 to 1900 B.C.[4]  The latest estimate for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is estimated to be about 2070 B.C., according to Bryant G. Wood.[5]

David E. Graves provides an extensive discussion about the dating and location of Sodom and Gomorrah in his book titled “Biblical Archaeology.” The dating depends upon the estimated location of the cities since the Carbon 14 dating derived from pottery and artifacts that are found in the location. David E Graves provides convincing evidence that the most likely location for Sodom and Gomorrah is north of the Dead Sea in the valley of the Jordan River.[6] The location is known as Tall el-Hammân. After presenting a lengthy discussion about a possible southern location for the city of Sodom, Graves states that Tall el-Hammân is the “most promising site for Sodom from among the candidates.[7] Based on some Carbon 14 dating of pottery the Tall el-Hammân is estimated to have been destroyed in the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000–1600 B.C.E.).[8] But during excavation archaeologists discovered five pieces of superheated vitrified pottery. That is the pottery was turned into glass. This could only have happened with temperatures exceeding 6,000 degrees Celsius. Secularists have assumed that this occurred due to a meteor. They have ignored the biblical account in Deuteronomy 29:23 which says that God destroyed the cities with brimstone and salt.

All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, 1unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger and in His wrath. Deuteronomy 29:23 (NASB)

Conclusion:

God prophesied that Sodom and Gomorrah would never be inhabited again.

“Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the LORD, “no one will live there, nor will a son of man reside in it.” (NASB) Jeremiah 49:18

This prophecy has come true and the cities do not exist today. The Bible speaks truth! It is the only book of its kind in the world.

References:

1.  James Usher. The Annals of the World. Master Books. 2004. p.26.
2. Thomas Robinson. The Bible Timeline. Barnes and Noble. 2000. Timeline chart.
3. Merrill Unger. Archaeology and the Old Testament. Zondervan Publishing. 1974. pp. 114-115.
4. F. W. Albright. “The Archaeological Results of an Expedition to Moab and the Dead Sea”. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. No. 14 (Apr., 1924), pp. 2-12.
5. Bryant G. Wood. The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Associates For Biblical Research. April 16, 2008.
6. David E. Graves. Biblical Archaeolog. Electronic Christian Media. 2018. pp. 136-145.
7. Ibid. p. 139.
8. Ibid.

Suggested Links:

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