Let’s dive into the legends and find out.
According to the Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, the people of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar (the cities of the plain) were… well, let's just say they weren't winning any humanitarian awards. They had this annual festival, a multi-day extravaganza of truly revolting orgies. But it wasn't just the immorality that got them in trouble. It was their utter cruelty and avarice.
Imagine a merchant passing through, minding his own business. Suddenly, he's swarmed by everyone in town, big and small, each grabbing a tiny piece of his belongings until he’s stripped bare. If he dared to complain, they’d shrug it off, “Oh, it’s just a trifle!” And then they’d chase him out of town!
There's a story about a traveler from Elam who arrived in Sodom, recounted by Ginzberg. He couldn’t find anyone to offer him shelter, until a sly character named Hedor lured him in, eyeing a magnificent carpet strapped to the traveler’s donkey. Hedor convinced him to stay longer than intended, and when the traveler finally asked for his carpet back, Hedor claimed he’d only dreamed it! He then demanded payment for interpreting the dream. When they went before Sherek, one of the judges of Sodom, the judge sided with Hedor, saying he was a trustworthy interpreter of dreams! The traveler, understandably, was chased out of town, carpet-less and disillusioned.
And it wasn't just Sodom. Ginzberg tells us that Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim had judges just as corrupt: Sharkar in Gomorrah, Zabnak in Admah, and Manon in Zeboiim. Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, cleverly renamed them based on their deeds: Shakkara (Liar), Shakrura (Arch-deceiver), Kazban (Falsifier), and Mazle-Din (Perverter of Judgment). Seems like a fitting tribute, doesn’t it?
These cities even had a twisted version of hospitality. They’d set up beds in public places. When a stranger arrived, they’d force him onto a bed. Too short? They’d stretch him until he fit. Too long? They’d try to cram him in, no matter how much it hurt. Their motto, according to the legends? "Thus will be done to any man that comes into our land."
Eventually, travelers learned to avoid these cities. But if someone was unlucky enough to wander in, they’d give him gold and silver… but no bread. The goal? To let him starve to death. Once he died, they’d take back the marked coins and fight over his clothes, burying him naked. Grim, isn’t it?
Even Eliezer, Abraham's servant, had a run-in with Sodom's "justice" system when he went to check on Lot. He tried to defend a stranger being robbed and got a stone to the head for his trouble. The assailant then demanded payment for performing a "cupping" procedure! When Eliezer refused and was dragged before Shakkara (the Liar), the judge ruled in favor of the attacker. So, Eliezer threw a stone at the judge, and when the judge started bleeding, Eliezer said, “Pay my debt to the man and give me the balance!” Talk about poetic justice!
What fueled this cruelty? According to the legends, it was their immense wealth. The soil was practically gold, and their greed knew no bounds. They didn’t want anyone else enjoying their riches, so they flooded the roads to their cities, making them impossible to find. They were cruel to animals, too, even trying to eradicate birds because they begrudged them the food.
They even murdered each other for wealth! Two would conspire against a rich man, lure him to some ruins, and then collapse a wall on him. Then they’d split the loot. They were also skilled thieves. They’d ask someone to hold money for them, money they’d smeared with scented oil. Then, under the cover of night, they’d follow the scent to rob the person blind.
Their laws were designed to oppress the poor. The richer you were, the more favored you were. A person with two oxen had to work as a shepherd for one day, while someone with only one ox had to work for two! One story tells of an orphan, forced to tend flocks for longer than the wealthy, who killed all the cattle in revenge.
Even the ferry service was rigged. It cost four zuz (an ancient coin) to use the ferry, but eight zuz to wade through the water. Heads you lose, tails you lose.
The wickedness extended to outright barbarity. Lot’s daughter, Paltit – named because she was born shortly after Lot's rescue by Abraham – lived in Sodom and married there. When a beggar came to town, the court decreed that no one should give him food. But Paltit, filled with compassion, hid bread in her water pitcher and secretly fed him. When the Sodomites discovered her act of kindness, they burned her alive for it.
In Admah, the cruelty was just as shocking. A young woman gave a stranger water and bread, defying the law of the land. As we find in Legends of the Jews, the people of Admah smeared her with honey and left her to be stung to death by bees. Her cries were ignored.
It's no wonder that, according to the legends, God finally decided that enough was enough. The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sister cities, had reached a point where destruction seemed like the only option.
Reflecting on these stories, it's easy to see why these cities became symbols of sin and depravity. But perhaps the most chilling aspect of these tales is how ordinary people can become capable of such extraordinary cruelty when driven by greed and a lack of empathy. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the subtle ways we might be contributing to similar injustices in our own world, and what we can do to choose a different path.