Since the first Torahs and Bibles were written and printed, there has been constant discussion and argument circling around the aspects of interpretations and what certain passages mean versus what they don’t. As readers of anything, it is important to look for meaning, even more so when it comes to heavily religious texts like that of the Judeo-Christian faiths. Within recent years, the overarching argument within Christianity specifically, has become about the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This discussion, however, is not a simple one by any stretch, as the mentioning and referencing of this event spreads wide across Scripture in both Old and New Testaments. Not only is the topic widespread, but in the past few recent decades
…show more content…
It is a widely held value held in Israelite culture, as well as Middle Eastern culture to be incredibly hospitable towards strangers. In Leviticus 19:33-34, it commands exactly that of the Jewish people, saying “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God” (NIV). Although the Law of Moses was established after Lot and Abraham, the values were still present in the people of God. Jesus also speaks on the matter of hospitality in Matthew 25 as he tells his followers …show more content…
Lot was the only one to speak to them when they entered the city, he insisted he share his home with them, he offered them a meal, a place to sleep, and finally did as much as humanly possible to protect them, as the rules of hospitality ask for, even offering his daughters up, putting his own flesh and blood under less priority than his guests. In Word Biblical Commentary, the authors question the hospitality and conditions of Sodom by asking, “(why did not the Sodomites welcome the visitors?). Why should angels be afraid of spending the night with Lot?” (Martin 54). Other parts of the bible, too, tell a tale of Sodom’s inhospitality, as in Matthew 10, Jesus talks to his followers he is sending out that if a town doesn’t properly offer hospitality to them, that they are worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (NIV). Also, Ezekiel speaks on how those cities aren’t hospitable, due to their greed and reluctance to help the poor and needy. Finally, the author of the New Interpreters Study Bible says about the sin of Sodom that, “The story is particularly critical of their mistreatment of guests and disregard for the inviolable codes of hospitality” (New Interpreters Study Bible 38). The whole story puts Lot, who is still but an immigrant, as the most hospitable person in Sodom, as well as puts everyone in the town at fault, resulting in the city’s, as well as the surrounding
It is a widely held value held in Israelite culture, as well as Middle Eastern culture to be incredibly hospitable towards strangers. In Leviticus 19:33-34, it commands exactly that of the Jewish people, saying “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God” (NIV). Although the Law of Moses was established after Lot and Abraham, the values were still present in the people of God. Jesus also speaks on the matter of hospitality in Matthew 25 as he tells his followers …show more content…
Lot was the only one to speak to them when they entered the city, he insisted he share his home with them, he offered them a meal, a place to sleep, and finally did as much as humanly possible to protect them, as the rules of hospitality ask for, even offering his daughters up, putting his own flesh and blood under less priority than his guests. In Word Biblical Commentary, the authors question the hospitality and conditions of Sodom by asking, “(why did not the Sodomites welcome the visitors?). Why should angels be afraid of spending the night with Lot?” (Martin 54). Other parts of the bible, too, tell a tale of Sodom’s inhospitality, as in Matthew 10, Jesus talks to his followers he is sending out that if a town doesn’t properly offer hospitality to them, that they are worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (NIV). Also, Ezekiel speaks on how those cities aren’t hospitable, due to their greed and reluctance to help the poor and needy. Finally, the author of the New Interpreters Study Bible says about the sin of Sodom that, “The story is particularly critical of their mistreatment of guests and disregard for the inviolable codes of hospitality” (New Interpreters Study Bible 38). The whole story puts Lot, who is still but an immigrant, as the most hospitable person in Sodom, as well as puts everyone in the town at fault, resulting in the city’s, as well as the surrounding