What Was Sodom’s Sin?

Recently on social media and in the past, various people have claimed that Sodom was destroyed because the citizens of Sodom were not helping the poor. Is it true that the great sin of Sodom was a failure in assisting the poor or is there more that Scripture would state about the great judgment? The city of Sodom is first mentioned in Scripture in Genesis 10:19. Three other cities were in the vicinity of Sodom: Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim. Often the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned together but Sodom stands out in the listing of these cities and is mentioned the most of the four cities in Scripture – 49 times.

In Genesis 18:20 we learn that the sin of both Sodom and Gomorrah was very grave. In the next chapter we learn more about why this description was given. In Genesis 19, two angels, who appeared to look like regular men, visited Sodom. Lot met the two angels at the gate and offered them hospitality at his house. Before they went to bed, the men of Sodom, young and old, surrounded Lot’s house. They called to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we know them carnally.