Sodom

From the Book of Genesis

19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and
Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the
ground;

19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and
tarry all night, and wash your feet, and you shall rise up early, and go on your ways.
And they said, No; but we will abide in the street all night.

19:3 And he pressed on them greatly; and they turned in to him, and entered into his house;
and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed
the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

19:5 And they called to Lot, and said to him, Where are the men which came in to you this
night? bring them out to us, that we may know them.

19:6 And Lot went out at the door to them, and shut the door after him,

19:7 And said, I pray you, brothers, do not so wickedly.

19:8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring
them out to you, and do you to them as is good in your eyes: only to these men do nothing;
for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn,
and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with you, than with them. And they
pressed sore on the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

19:10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the
door.

19:11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small
and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

19:12 And the men said to Lot, Have you here any besides? son in law, and your sons, and
your daughters, and whatever you have in the city, bring them out of this place:

19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face
of the LORD; and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.

19:14 And Lot went out, and spoke to his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said,
Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that
mocked to his sons in law.

19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take your
wife, and your two daughters, which are here; lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold on his hand, and on the hand of his wife, and
 on the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful to him: and they brought him
forth, and set him without the city.

19:17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape
for your life; look not behind you, neither stay you in all the plain; escape to the mountain,
lest you be consumed.

19:18 And Lot said to them, Oh, not so, my LORD:

19:19 Behold now, your servant has found grace in your sight, and you have magnified your mercy,
which you have showed to me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil
take me, and I die:

19:20 Behold now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither,
(is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

19:21 And he said to him, See, I have accepted you concerning this thing also, that I will not
overthrow this city, for the which you have spoken.

19:22 Haste you, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till you be come thither. Therefore
the name of the city was called Zoar.

19:23 The sun was risen on the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

19:24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord
out of heaven;

19:25 And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities,
and that which grew on the ground.

19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

19:27 And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:

19:28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and
beheld, and, see, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered
Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the
which Lot dwelled.

19:30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelled in the mountain, and his two daughters with
him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelled in a cave, he and his two daughters.


(This account used the word 'men' indiscriminately to refer to the 'wicked men of Sodom' and
the two angels; I've tried to distinguish using a blue background for the angels and
highlighting the 'wicked men of Sodom',) Read the whole story.

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From Annotations to Lavater (Erdman 594)
"If you ask me which is the real hereditary sin of human nature, do you
imagine I shall answer pride? or luxury? Or ambition? or egotism? no; I
shall say indolence--who conquers indolence will conquer all the rest.
Pride fullness of bread & abundance of Idleness was the sin of Sodom.
See Ezekiel Ch xvi. 49 ver"

On plate 37 of Milton; Erdman 137-38:
"War; Woven in Looms of Tyre & Sidon by beautiful Ashtaroth.
In  Palestine Dagon, Sea Monster! worshipd o'er the Sea.
Thammuz in Lebanon & Rimmon in Damascus curtaind
Osiris: Isis: Orus: in Egypt: dark their Tabernacles on Nile
Floating with solemn songs, & on the Lakes of Egypt nightly
With pomp, even till morning break & Osiris appear in the sky
But Belial of Sodom & Gomorrha, obscure Demon of Bribes
And secret Assasinations, not worshipd nor adord; but
With the finger on the lips & the back turnd to the light"


On Plate 67 of Jerusalem; Erdman 220:
"till the Great Polypus of Generation covered the Earth
In Verulam the Polypus's Head, winding around his bulk
Thro Rochester, and Chichester, & Exeter & Salisbury,
To Bristol: & his Heart beat strong on Salisbury Plain
Shooting out Fibres round the Earth, thro Gaul & Italy
And Greece, & along the Sea of Rephaim into Judea
To Sodom & Gomorrha: thence to India, China & Japan
The Twelve Daughters in Rahab & Tirzah have circumscribd the Brain"


On Plate 89 of Jerusalem; Erdman 248:
The Covering Cherub's "Bosom wide reflects Moab & Ammon on the River
Pison, since calld Arnon, there is Heshbon beautiful
The flocks of Rabbath on the Arnon & the Fish-pools of Heshbon
Whose currents flow into the Dead Sea by Sodom & Gomorra"