Question:
Answer:
It’s true that one of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah was inhospitality. Ezekiel 16:49 says as much: “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, surfeit of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.”
However, the narrative in Genesis 19 clearly indicates that the Sodomite men’s desire to have sexual relations with the two angels disguised as men was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
In Genesis 19:5, they say, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” The phrase “to know them” signifies sexual relations. Right after this encounter, the angels begin instructing Lot to gather his family members because they are about to destroy the city (Gen. 19:12–14).
So, while inhospitality is one of the sins of Sodom, it was not the sole reason for its destruction. It would be a gross error to simply ignore the sin of their desire for same-sex sexual relations as playing a key role in meriting destruction (see Rom. 1:24–27).