What is the meaning of Genesis 19:25?

Thus He destroyed

“Thus He destroyed…” (Genesis 19:25) points us straight to the Lord as the active Judge.

•He alone initiates and completes the judgment (Genesis 19:24; Deuteronomy 29:23).

•This decisive action underscores His holiness; sin is not ignored or minimized (2 Peter 2:6; Isaiah 13:19).

•At the same time, the swiftness reminds us that mercy had already been extended—Abraham’s intercession and the angels’ warning (Genesis 18:22-33; Genesis 19:12-14).

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these cities

The focus is Sodom and Gomorrah, with the surrounding towns likely including Admah and Zeboiim (Deuteronomy 29:23).

•They were once thriving centers (Genesis 14:8-12), yet their prosperity could not shield them from accountability.

•God’s dealing here sets a pattern: collective sin can bring collective judgment (Jeremiah 50:40; Hosea 11:8).

•The cities stand as a lasting example, referenced all the way into the New Testament (Jude 7).

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and the entire plain

The “plain” is the lush Jordan Valley Lot had chosen (Genesis 13:10-11).

•What looked like Eden became a wasteland—showing that external beauty cannot cover moral decay (Proverbs 14:12).

•The breadth of the ruin testifies that God’s judgment is comprehensive, not partial (Amos 4:11).

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including all the inhabitants of the cities

Every resident, except those the angels led out, perished (Genesis 19:15-23).

•The clause stresses personal accountability: each life was evaluated (Romans 2:6).

•It also reinforces the urgency of obedience—Lot’s sons-in-law mocked and were lost (Luke 17:28-30).

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and everything that grew on the ground

The devastation reached vegetation, erasing any sign of life.

•God’s judgment touched the environment, reversing the fertility that once drew people there (Genesis 2:5; Exodus 9:25).

•This detail foreshadows later prophetic imagery where sin scars the land (Isaiah 34:9-10).

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summary

Genesis 19:25 presents a total, literal judgment: God personally annihilated Sodom, Gomorrah, and their fertile plain, wiping out people, cities, and vegetation. The verse showcases His holiness, the certainty of accountability, and the futility of earthly security apart from obedience.