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Sodom

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The city remembered for corruption and destruction by divine judgment.

Detailed Definition
Sodom is a city in Genesis associated with grave wickedness and destruction by fire, and its name later became shorthand for a society perceived as morally corrupt. In poetry, it can evoke a doomed city, civic cruelty, decadence, or the danger of refusing compassion. The image also carries the burden of inherited interpretation, so careful poets may use it to question easy judgments and examine who is condemned, who escapes, and what stories survive after a community has been reduced to ash.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poet may invoke Sodom as a symbol of corruption and moral ruin; An allusion to Sodom can warn that a prosperous city may be spiritually empty; Lot’s wife and the destruction of Sodom can provide images of backward-looking regret and sudden judgment; A contemporary poem may use Sodom to question who receives condemnation when a society calls itself righteous
Additional Notes
Sodom is chiefly known from Genesis for its destruction alongside Gomorrah and is traditionally associated with grave wickedness and divine judgment. Later biblical passages use Sodom as a warning and a symbol of social corruption. In poetry, the name may suggest moral collapse, abandoned cities, fire, or the consequences of injustice.
Other Meanings of “Sodom”
Also Known As
Cities of the Plain
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