Sodomy – What the Bible Says About This Sexual Sin

Sodomy takes its name from the ancient city of Sodom, whose behaviour became a byword for sexual sin throughout Scripture. This entry explains what the practice involves, how God judged it in Bible times, and what its account warns us of today.

What Sodomy Means

Sodomy is the perverted sexual conduct of anal intercourse, by a man often with another man (homosexuality) or with an animal (bestiality). The word derives its name from the Old Testament city of Sodom, where the men of the city sought to abuse the two angelic visitors who stayed with Lot (Gen 19:5). Scripture consistently places this practice among the serious sins of sexual immorality, whether committed between males or with animals.

The Sin of Sodom and Divine Judgement

The practice was common in the wicked cities of the Jordan plain, including Sodom, whose sin was "very grave" (Gen 13:12-13, 18:20). Abraham's intercession for the city (Gen 18:20-33) could not save it, for not even ten righteous people were found there. In response, God destroyed the wicked cities of the area, raining burning sulphur upon them and overthrowing all who lived there (Gen 19:24-29) – a dramatic act of divine judgement on sexual depravity.

A Warning for Today

The Bible does not treat sodomy as a mere cultural oddity but as sin that provokes God's judgement. All those living such immoral lifestyles are doomed to the Lake of Fire (2 Pet 2:4-6; Jud 1:7; Rev 21:8). Jude cites Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of those who undergo the punishment of eternal fire, and Jesus points to the days of Lot as a picture of the sudden reckoning to come (Lk 17:28-30). Yet the same Scriptures also show mercy: God rescued righteous Lot from the destruction, and forgiveness remains available to all who turn from sin and trust in Christ.

It is too late to change when judgement falls

Reflection and Application:

Recognise that God takes sexual sin seriously, as the fate of Sodom demonstrates.
Do not be shaped by a culture that normalises what Scripture calls sin.
Speak the truth about sexual ethics with humility and compassion, not contempt.
Point others to the forgiveness offered through Christ, remembering that God's mercy reached into Sodom before judgement fell.