The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, John Martin, 1852
Sodom and Gomorrah (/ˈsɒdəm ... ɡəˈmɒrə/) were two cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and in the deuterocanonical books, as well as in the Quran and the hadith.
According to the Torah, the kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah were allied with the cities of Admah, Zeboim, and Bela. These five cities, also known as the "cities of the plain" (from Genesis in the Authorized Version), were situated on the Jordan River plain in the southern region of the land of Canaan. The plain was compared to the garden of Eden [Gen.13:10] as being well-watered and green, suitable for grazing livestock. Divine judgment was passed upon them and four of them were consumed by fire and brimstone. Neighboring Zoar (Bela) was the only city to be spared. In Abrahamic religions, Sodom and Gomorrah have become synonymous with impenitent sin, and their fall with a proverbial manifestation of divine retribution. [Jude 1:7]
Sodom and Gomorrah have been used historically and in modern discourse as metaphors for h0m0sexuality, and are the origin of the English words, sodomite, a pejorative term for male h0m0sexuals, and sodomy, which is used in a legal context to describe sexual crimes against nature, namely änâl or oral sex (particularly h0m0sexual) and bestiality. This is based upon exegesis of the biblical text interpreting divine judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah as punishment for the sin of h0m0sexuality. Some Islamic societies incorporate punishments associated with Sodom and Gomorrah into sharia.