The term "Cities of the Plain" refers to a group of cities mentioned in the Bible, most notably in the Book of Genesis. These cities are primarily identified as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar (also known as Bela). They are situated in the region of the Jordan Valley, near the Dead Sea, an area characterized by its fertile land and strategic location.

Biblical References and Historical Context

The Cities of the Plain are first introduced in Genesis 10:19, which outlines the borders of the Canaanites: "And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha." These cities are further described in Genesis 13:10-12, where Lot, Abraham's nephew, chooses to settle in the plain of the Jordan because it was "well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt" (Genesis 13:10).

The narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah is particularly significant. Genesis 18 and 19 recount the account of God's judgment upon these cities due to their grievous sins. The Lord reveals to Abraham His intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because "their sin is so grievous" (Genesis 18:20). Despite Abraham's intercession, the cities are ultimately destroyed by "brimstone and fire from the LORD out of the heavens" (Genesis 19:24), sparing only Lot and his family.

Moral and Theological Significance

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a powerful moral and theological lesson throughout Scripture. These cities are often cited as examples of divine judgment against sin and immorality. In the New Testament, they are referenced as a warning to those who live ungodly lives. For instance, 2 Peter 2:6 states, "He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly" .

The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah are traditionally understood to include sexual immorality, pride, and a lack of hospitality. Ezekiel 16:49-50 provides further insight: "Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you have seen" .

Archaeological and Geographical Considerations

The exact locations of the Cities of the Plain have been the subject of much debate and archaeological investigation. The traditional view places them near the southern end of the Dead Sea. Excavations in this area have uncovered evidence of ancient settlements that some scholars associate with these biblical cities. However, definitive identification remains elusive.

The geological features of the region, including the presence of bitumen pits and seismic activity, align with the biblical description of the cities' destruction. Genesis 14:10 mentions, "Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits," which corresponds to the natural resources found in the area.

Zoar: A City of Refuge

Among the Cities of the Plain, Zoar holds a unique place as a city of refuge for Lot and his daughters. In Genesis 19:20-22, Lot pleads with the angels to spare Zoar so that he might flee there: "Look, here is a town near enough to flee to, and it is small. Let me flee there—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be saved." The city is spared from destruction, highlighting God's mercy even amidst judgment.

The Cities of the Plain, particularly Sodom and Gomorrah, continue to serve as enduring symbols of divine justice and the consequences of sin, reminding believers of the importance of righteousness and obedience to God's commands.Cities of the Plain

CITIES OF THE PLAIN; CICCAR

sit'-iz, plan, (kikkar ha-yarden): Included Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar. The locality is first referred to in Genesis 13:10, where it is said that Lot "lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar." The word translated plain is kikkar, "circle." In this ver, and in the 11th, as well as in 1 Kings 7:46 and Matthew 3:5, we have the full phrase "circle of the Jordan." Elsewhere (Genesis 13:12; Genesis 19:17, 29 Deuteronomy 34:3 2 Samuel 18:23) the word for "circle" is used alone with the article. Until recently the traditional view that this circle of the Jordan was at the south end of the Dead Sea was universally maintained. The arguments in favor of this view are:

(1) The name of Sodom is preserved in Jebel Usdum-Usdum having the same consonants with Sodom; moreover, the name is known to have referred to a place in that region as early as the days of Galen (De Simpl. medic. Facult., 4, 19) who describes certain "salts of Sodom" from the mountains surrounding the lake which are called Sodom.

(2) Zoar seems to have been represented in the Middle Ages by a place which the Crusaders called Segore, and Arabic writers Zoghar. Under the name Zughar or Sughar the place is often referred to by medieval Arabian geographers as situated South of Jericho "at the end of the Dead Sea" and as a station on the route between the Gulf of Akabah and Jericho, two days' journey from Jericho. Ptolemy (v.17, 5) reckons Zoar as belonging to Arabia Petrea. Eusebius (Onom., 261) describes the Dead Sea as lying between Jericho and Zoar. Josephus (Ant., I, xi, 4) makes the Dead Sea extend 580 stadia "as far as Zoar of Arabia" (Wars, IV, viii, 4). These references would locate Zoar at the base of the mountains just Southeast of the Dead Sea, and, as it was within easy reach of Sodom, from which Lot fled, would fix the Cities of the Plain in that locality. Jerome (Comm. on Isaiah 15:5) says that Zoar was in the borders of Moab.

On the other hand, it is maintained that the "kikkar of the Jordan" lay North of the Dead Sea for the following reasons:

(1) That is the region which is visible from the heights of Bethel whence Abraham and Lot looked down upon it (Genesis 13:10), while the south end of the lake is not visible. But it may be answered that the phrase need not be limited to the actual region in sight, but may have included the whole known extension of the valley.

(2) Zoar was said to be in range of Moses' vision from the top of Pisgah (Deuteronomy 34:1-3) whereas the south end of the Dead Sea is invisible from that point, on account of intervening mountains. But this description in Deuteronomy evidently is not intended to be limited to the points which are actually visible, but should be understood as describing the extreme limits of the land some points of which are visible in their near vicinity. Certainly the vision did not comprehend all portions of Dan or Judah "unto the hinder sea." The phrase from Jericho Zoar is like "from Dan to Beersheba." The mountain heights overlooking Zoar were certainly visible.

(3) In Genesis 14 the four kings coming up from Kadesh attacked the Amorites "that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar" before reaching Sodom, and Hazezon-tamar is to be identified with Engedi. On the other hand, it is possible that it is to be identified with the Tamar of Ezekiel 47:19; Ezekiel 48:28, and that this place lay Southwest of the Dead Sea. Or, if that explanation is not accepted, it is proper to note that the course of this expedition led at first a considerable distance South of the Dead Sea through Mt. Seir to El-paran, when "they smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites." In accomplishing this they would naturally be led along the highland to Hebron from which they could easily descend to Engedi, whence they could proceed without difficulty to the south end of the end Sea. Besides, it is by no means certain that there was not an easy passage along the whole western shore of the Dead Sea at that time. See DEAD SEA.

(4) It is argued that the region at the south end of the Dead Sea could not be described "as the garden of the Lord," etc. Neither, for that matter, could the region around the north end be so described in its present condition. But, on the other hand, the region South of the sea is by no means as devoid of vegetation as is sometimes represented, while there are convincing arguments to prove that formerly it was much more extensive and fertile than now. To the fertility of this area there is no more capable witness than Professor Hull, though he is an ardent advocate of the location of these cities at the north end of the lake. This appears both in his original diary, and in his more mature and condensed account contained in his article on the Dead Sea in Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible (five volumes), where he writes, "When, in December, 1883. the writer found himself standing on the edge of the terrace overlooking the Ghor, he beheld at his feet a wide plain stretching away northward toward the margin of the Dead Sea, and to a large extent green with vegetation and thickets of small trees. To the right in an open space were seen several large Bedouin camps, from which the shouts of wild men, the barking of dogs, and the bellowing of camels ascended. Numerous flocks of black goats and white sheep were being tended by women in long blue cloaks; and on the party of travelers being observed, groups of merry children came tripping up toward the path accompanied by a few of the elders, and, ranging themselves in a line, courteously returned salutations. Here the Arabs remain enjoying the warmth, of the plain till the increasing heat of the summer's sun calls them away to their high pasture grounds on the table-land of Edom and Moab. At a short distance farther toward the shore of the lake is the village of Es-Safieh, inhabited by a tribe of fellahin called the Ghawarneh, who by means of irrigation from the Wady el-Hessi cultivate with success fields of wheat, maize, dhurah, indigo and cotton, while they rear herds of camels and flocks of sheep and goats. On the produce of these fields the Arabs largely depend for their supplies of food and raiment, which they obtain by a kind of rude, often compulsory, barter."

LITERATURE.

Authorities favoring the south end of the Dead Sea: Dillmann, Genesis, 111; Robinson, BRP2, II, 187:ff; G. A. Smith, Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land, 505; Baedeker-Socin, Palestine, III, 146; Buhl, Buhl, Geographic des alten Palastina, 117, 271, 274; see also especially Samuel Wolcott, "Site of Sodom," Bibliotheca Sacra, XXV, 112-51. Favoring the north end: Sir George Grove in various articles in Smith, Dictionary of the Bible; Canon Tristram, Land of Moab, 330; Selah Merrill, East of the Jordan, 232-39; W. M. Thomson, The Land and the Book.

George Frederick Wright

Abraham --The Father of the Faithful.
... And the Lord hid them in the little town of Zoar, while a great rain of fire fell
upon the wicked cities of the plain, until they became a heap of ashes. ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter iii abrahamthe father of.htm

First Withdrawal from Herod's Territory and Return.
... suggests that they probably came to land at the south end of the plain, somewhere
near Magdala, and made a circuit of the cities in the plain of Gennesaret on ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxiii first withdrawal from herods 3.htm

From the Flood to Abraham
... His exploits as a hunter seem to have aided him to the throne. He began to reign
at Babel and had a number of cities in the plain of Shinar. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter iii from the flood.htm

A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
... A certain leader by the name of Sisera formed a coalition of the strong
Canaanite cities encircling the Plain of Esdraelon. The ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xii a nations struggle.htm

Attributes of Love.
... countries, and seek to justify themselves by an appeal to the destruction of the
old world by flood, and the destruction of the cities of the plain by fire and ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xiv attributes of love.htm

Israel in Canaan.
... the lowest water in the world, in a sort of pit of its own, with barren desolation
all round it, so as to keep in memory the ruin of the cities of the plain. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson v israel in canaan.htm

The Swift Destroyer
... 'The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.' The low-lying cities
of the plain would lie in shadow for some time before the sun topped the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the swift destroyer.htm

The Story of the Tower of Babel
... So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and lived in the
cities of the plain and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the story of the tower.htm

Retirement
... I ask not why he did remove. To happy Mamre's holy grove,. Leaving the cities of
the plain. To Lot and his successless train? All various lusts in cities still. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/cxix retirement.htm

The Importance of a Choice
... other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities
of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the importance of a choice.htm

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