New Research Shows How Sodom and Gemorah Might Have Been Destroyed

A few years ago, Forbes published an article that described an extremely hot, exploding meteor as the cause of the infamous destruction of Sodom and Gemorah. This week, another exciting study has revealed more information as to what precisely may have happened.

In a recent archeological find (posted by Nature.com), a massive plume of fire did indeed strike this area in the Jordan valley. The evidence shows that extreme temperatures and expansive radiation decimated the area within 20kms of the point of impact.

An unusual 3600-year-old charcoal-rich destruction layer at Tall el-Hammam marks the sudden abandonment of a Middle-Bronze-Age urban center in the Jordan Valley close to the north end of the Dead Sea. Across the 30-km-wide lower Jordan Valley, 15 other cities and > 100 smaller villages were simultaneously abandoned at the end of the Middle Bronze Age to remain largely uninhabited for ~ 300–600 years. The remains of this ancient city and adjacent areas appear to be unique compared with those of other times, pointing to the occurrence of some highly unusual catastrophic event. The primary purpose of our research here has been to attempt to resolve this mystery.

This catastrophic event was the result of a unique phenomenon called a Tunguska airburst.

Describing a Tunguska class airburst, we read;  

... a high-temperature jet of ionized gases and impactor fragments reaches Earth’s surface at high velocity, excavates unconsolidated sediment, and expands radially outward in what is sometimes called a ‘base surge’.

With temperatures greater than 1700 °C, and speeds as high as 1225 km/h, it seems the city and many surrounding villages were decimated in a manner strikingly similar to that mentioned in Genesis.

The LORD rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfurous fire from the LORD out of heaven—annihilating those cities and the entire Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground.
- Genesis 19:24-25

According to Jewish tradition, the city of Sodom and Gemorah was located around the present day area known as the Dead Sea. Notorious for its evil and atrocities, it was the lack of hospitality that ultimately caused G_D t render this city to the lifeless tourist attraction is has become. If loving your neighbor as yourself is the core of the Bible, their ethics were in extreme defiance.

In an age of disunity, political strife, and the dehumanization of those we disagree with - could this late find be a gentle reminder for us all?

Read the full article on Nature.com