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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_53463" /> == | | == Holman Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_39532" /> == |
| <p> <strong> [[Plain,]] [[Cities]] [[Of]] [[The]] </strong> . These were five in number, namely, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and [[Bela]] (or Zoar), situated in the plain (‘ <strong> circle </strong> ’) of Jordan. Their inhabitants being guilty of great wickedness, the first four of the above-named five were overthrown by fire. Lot, the nephew of Abraham, who had made his home in Sodom, was warned by the Lord to withdraw from the city before it was destroyed; and he accordingly escaped to Zoar, which, at his entreaty, was spared the fate of its neighbours ( [[Genesis ]] 18:1 -33; Genesis 19: 1- 38 ). < /p> <p> The situation of the five cities has been variously placed at the [[N.]] and the [[S.]] end of the [[Dead]] Sea . The Biblical statements are generally in favour of the former site, which is supported by the facts: (1) that the circle of the Jordan, which is also called the circle of the valley of [[Jericho]] ( Deuteronomy 34:3 ), is appropriate only to the broad hasin of the Jordan, near its mouth; (2) that it was visible from near [[Bethel]] ( Genesis 13:3-10 ); (3) that the cities were [[N.]] of Hazazon- tamar (usually identified with En- gedi), since this place was passed by [[Amraphel]] when he marched from [[Kadesh]] against the king of [[Sodom]] and his allies ( Genesis 14:7-8 ). On the other hand, (1) it is implied in Ezekiel 16:46 that <strong> Sodom </ strong> was on the right ( < em> i.e. </em> south) of Jerusalem, whereas if it were at the [[N.]] end of the Dead Sea it would be almost due [[E.;]] (2) <strong> [[Zoar]] </strong> , which must have been near the other cities ( Genesis 19: 20 ), is placed by [[ Josephus]] in [[Arabia]] ( <em> [[Bj]] </em> [[Iv.]] viii. 4), and by [[Eusebius]] at the opposite end of the Dead Sea to Jericho; (3) the name <em> Sodom </em> is generally identified with <em> Jebel Usdum </em> , a cliff of rock-salt near the [[S.W.]] corner of the Dead Sea; (4) Hazazon-tamar may be, not En-gedi, but the [[Tamar]] of Ezekiel 47: 19 , which has been identified with a locality 20 m. [[ W.S.W.]] of the lake, and therefore on the road between Kadesh and Sodom if the latter were at its [[ S.]] end. If this view is right, the site of the cities is probably the marshy flat <em> es-Sebkha </em> , [[E.]] of Jebel Usdum. But the statement that the plain (or circle) of [[Jordan ]] was near Jericho seems incompatible with a situation [[S.]] of the Dead Sea ; and if the name <em> Sodom </ em> survives in < em> Jebel Usdum </ em> , that of < strong> [[Gomorrah]] </ strong> seems to linger in that of < em> Tubk Amriyeh < /em> , a place at the [[ N.W.]] corner of the lake; so that, though the evidence is conflicting, the preponderant weight appears to support a [[N.]] site. (For the other view see Driver’s art. ‘Zoar’ in Hastings’ <em> [[Db]] </ em> <em> [ Note: Dictionary of the Bible.] </em> ). </p> <p> The nature of the catastrophe which destroyed the cities can only be conjectured. It may perhaps be suggested that the bitumen which abounds in the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea was ignited by lightning, and that this caused an extensive conflagration in which the cities perished. </ p> <p> [[ G.]] [[W.]] Wade. </p> | | Genesis 14:1 [[Genesis ]] 19: 24- 29 <p> Most recent scholarship has located the five cities in the shallow water of the southern end of the [[Dead]] Sea , south of the Lisan, the tongue of land along the southeastern shore that protrudes into the sea. However, no conclusive evidence has been found to support this proposal. Excavations along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea in recent years have convinced some scholars that the cities of the plain might be located in that region, especially at Bab- ed- Dhra and Numeira near the Lisan. </ p> < p> The particular phrase, “cities of the plain, ” occurs only in Genesis 13: 12 as the place [[ Lot]] chose to dwell, and in Genesis 19: 29 concerning the destruction. The [[ Hebrew]] word translated “plain” more nearly means “round.” Thus it seems better to think of these cities as being ones “around” the Dead Sea or “around” the [[ Jordan]] Valley. This interpretation may indicate simply that these cities were allies that lay in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea . As such, these cities may have been on a trade route and themselves involved in the trade of bitumin, salt, and sulphur. </ p> < p> Joel F. Drinkard, Jr. </ p> |
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| | == Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_50435" /> == |
| | <p> <strong> [[Cities Of The Plain]] </strong> . See Plain [Cities of the]. </p> |
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| | == The Nuttall Encyclopedia <ref name="term_70878" /> == |
| | <p> [[Sodom]] and Gomorrah, with adjoining cities under the like doom. </p> |
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| ==References == | | ==References == |
| <references> | | <references> |
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| <ref name="term_53463"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/plain,+cities+of+the Cities Of The Plain from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref> | | <ref name="term_39532"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/cities+of+the+plain Cities Of The Plain from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref> |
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| | <ref name="term_50435"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/cities+of+the+plain Cities Of The Plain from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref> |
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| | <ref name="term_70878"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/the-nuttall-encyclopedia/cities+of+the+plain Cities Of The Plain from The Nuttall Encyclopedia]</ref> |
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| </references> | | </references> |
