Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. This was the city of Andrew and Peter; see Gill on John 1:44; so that as bad as it was, some persons were called out of it by the grace of God, and to the high office of apostleship; and which makes that grace in such the more distinguishing: for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram. Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. Abraham came near and said, Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Jeremiah 25:22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea. Even in the New Testament, Jesus and Paul took the time to minister to the people of these cities. Most Recent Articles Written by Henry B. Smith Jr. But most people today do not realize how this fits into Gods plan for mankind. How can we understand this? Camels in Genesis are Right Where They Belong, Joseph's Estate Plan (Entrusted with the Sacred Things), Locating Sodom: A Critique of the Northern Proposal, The Duration of the Israelite Sojourn In Egypt, The Patriarch Job, Chalcolithic Ossuary Jars, and the Resurrection of the Body, Shechem: Its Archaeological and Contextual Significance, The Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Part 2, The Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Part 1, Foreshadowings of the Messiah's Resurrection, Is the Bible Syncretistic Literature? When, therefore, he says that he knows that the people of Tyre and Sidon would have repented if they had witnessed his mighty works, his judgment at the great white throne will surely take this into consideration and he will act accordingly. On the island of Tyre, near the site of the ancient Egyptian (southern) port today sits impressive ruins from the Roman and Byzantine periods. they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashesremarkable language, showing that they had done less violence to conscience, and so, in God's sight, were less criminal than the region here spoken of. Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. For the iniquity of the daughter of my peopleIs greater than the sin of Sodom,Which was overthrown as in a moment,And no hands were turned toward her. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 1992 The Works of Josephus. Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.read more.Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they. The port of ancient Sidon is believed to have been . He was traveling with his nephew Lot, who "had flocks and herds and tents" of his own . You are also the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children. The Apostle Peter described the first judgment age, with which most are familiar: "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" But surely the verse should not be translated in this fashion; rather, in suffering punishment they are set forth as an example of eternal fire, or 'as a pointer to eternal fire'. In fact, the city took its name from this rock island. The administrative center for a number of nearby villages and towns, Tyre has a number of unplanned squatter settlements. You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. The mound was formed by tens of thousands of crushed murex shells from the city's famed purple dye industry. Why did Lot offer up his daughters to be gang raped? The golden age of Sidon was still to come. The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Abi-Milki, king of Tyre, sent ten letters to the Egyptian Pharaoh (EA 146-155). The Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?read more.For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him. And the Lord said, The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the, Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the. Endurable, tolerable. These two cities appear to be singled out to denote the whole region in which they laya region favored with the Redeemer's presence, teaching, and works above every other. Yet the failure to mention either Tyre or Tyrians may not be significant. And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans pride. As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your lips in your day of pride. Albeit, save that, rather, yet. Messrs. Fisk and King, American missionaries, passed through Sidon in the summer of 1823, and estimated the population, as others have estimated it, at 8,000 or 10,000; but Mr. Goodell, another American missionary, took up his residence there in June, 1824, for the purpose of studying the Armenian language with a bishop of the Armenian Church who lives there, and of course had far better opportunities to know the statistics of the place. Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state. If we ask why God did not give the people of Tyre and Sidon the light they needed to repent, then our answer must take into account the contrast that our Lord is making between the light given to Tyre and Sidon and Nineveh, compared with the light given to Capernaum and Chorazin. At the same time, it continued to be among the eastern Mediterranean's leaders in shipbuilding and shipping. Why did he wait, and not send his Son into our world until many centuries later? Mat Mt). But I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. Part One, The Valley of Elah in the Days of Saul and David. Most of them were upright, law-abiding, and decent. but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Many scholars follow Josephus (. He evidently did not conquer the city, but it may have surrendered conditionally to him. Jesus also includes another Jewish city, Capernaum, among the list of those to be condemned (Matthew 11:23-24). Log In Woe to you, Bethsaida! The third and final judgment period can be called the "Last Judgment Age"the book of Revelation calls it the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:1112). Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. He blessed him and said,Blessed be Abram of God Most High,Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High,Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.He gave him a tenth of all. Temple Mount Revisionism: Requiesce in pace! The modern isthmus that joins the island to the mainland holds streets of houses and shops. Because we dont want you to incur expenditure for which you are not prepared, could you please confirm whether you are willing to pay this charge, if necessary? The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up . 1350 BC). He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people. Beirut: Librairie Orientale. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Guest. Why did God allow Lots daughters to later have sex with their father? Nevertheless, I will restore their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and along with them your own captivity, in order that you may bear your humiliation and feel ashamed for all that you have done when you become a consolation to them. As their wealth and prosperity engendered luxury and its concomitant evilsirreligion and moral degeneracytheir overthrow was repeatedly foretold in ancient prophecy, and once and again fulfilled by victorious enemies. B., ed. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. The Exodus from Egypt, An Appraisal of the 2010 Drews and Han Wind Setdown Models of the Exodus 14 Sea Crossing, The Geography and Military Strategy of King Uzziah: An Expansionist Policy That Led to His Destruction, The Prophets' Knowledge of Contemporary Idolatry, Digging for Truth Audio Series: Top Ten Discoveries of 2016, Digging for Truth Audio Series: Archaeological Evidence for Daniel, Digging for Truth Audio Series: Archaeological Evidence for King David, Digging for Truth Audio Series: Archaeological Evidence for David, Jerusalem: The Bible and the Book of Mormon, Most Recent Articles Written by Gary Byers, Most Recent Articles Written by Rick Lanser, Most Recent Articles Written by Scott Lanser. #1. Later, Jacob spoke of it as the boundary of Zebulun (Gn 49:13) and Joshua included it as part of the land promised to Israel (Jos 13:6). Yet in hell many Gentiles will look down on those Jews. All nations will then come up to Jerusalem, the "world headquarters" of Christs government, to be taught (Isaiah 2:14). Jeremiah 27:3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. It was built partly on a small island about 70 paces from the shore, and partly on the mainland. In other words, what I am trying to say is this: we must distinguish between God's temporal judgments on whole cities and whole nations, when they refuse to repent as nations, and the Final Judgment, at which people shall be dealt with individually and not as whole nations or whole cities. The biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah is recorded in Genesis. In these striking and sobering contrasts, Jesus makes plain that people who are the most blessed by God will receive the worst punishment if they reject Him. Once seating 20,000 spectators, the course is 480m (525 yds) long. What did Jesus mean when He said, I give you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (Luke 10:19). Why was Lots wife turned into a pillar of salt? Not Israelite by population and pagan by religious practice, God continued to bring to them a witness of His love and power. The words, It shall be easier in the day of judgment, clearly prove that there are divers punishments in hell, as there are divers mansions in the kingdom of heaven. To ask, therefore, 'Why were the people of Tyre and Sidon not given this evidence?' woe unto thee, Bethsaida! In the time of our Saviour it was probably a city of much splendor and extensive commerce. The case of Nineveh shows that the men of Nineveh did have enough evidence to cause them to repent; for when Jonah preached, they did repent. (Isaiah 11:9). It is believed the Castle sits over the site of the Phoenician temple to Melkart. The Sea Castle in the harbor today was originally built as a Crusader fort to protect the harbor. . They are also important cities in the Old and New Testaments. Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state. Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. He became convinced the . Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Princeton: Princeton University Press. The issue at stake will be: did the men of Capernaum and Chorazin have enough evidence to lead them to repentance and faith, if they had been willing to repent? Therefore, says Christ, the men of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba will be summoned as witnesses at the Final Judgment against the people of Capernaum and Chorazin. It was worn also as a sign of mourning. Both are now located in Lebanon, with Tyre 20 mi south of Sidon and only 12 mi north of the Israel-Lebanon border. Finally, it seems to me we must take seriously what our Lord solemnly declares, for he, according to John 5:22, is to be the judge at the great white throne. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. Jidejian, N. 1996 Tyre Through the Ages. Genesis 13:10-12. Of Hebrew origin: Tyrus, a place in Palestine. I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know. Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord. It also appears, during the first millennium BC, that Tyre eclipsed Sidon. They never mocked Him, ridiculed Him, ran Him out of town, or threatened His life. He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.read more.He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people. Answer: God destroyed those cities, making them an example and a warning to "those who afterward would live ungodly" (2 Peter 2:6). NT Gospels: Matthew 11:22 But I tell you it will be (Matt. When Jesus said that the day of judgment would be "more tolerable" for Sodom and Gomorrah, and for Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 10:15; 11:22, 24), He was revealing that the residents of these cities had not yet had their first opportunity to understand His message. They also took Lot, Abrams nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom. Cent. You should not enquire into times when you see the salvation of those that believe. The port of ancient Sidon is believed to have been located in this area. You are also the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children. The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Matthew 11. Those who believe that all who ever lived will be resurrected at the last Day often build on these words of Jesus. Modern Tyrians use the hippodrome today as a jogging course. Tyre and Sidon - These were cities of Phoenicia, formerly very opulent, and distinguished for merchandise. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. Unfortunately for archaeologists, the area of ancient Sidon remains occupied today and only minimal archaeological evidence for New Testament Sidon is available. At that time, Judah was lost in idolatry and rebellion against God. As Britannica notes, the homosexuality interpretation has history on its side, and Biblical verses like Genesis 19:5, which make it clear the men of Sodom wanted to sexually assault the male angels in Lot's house.On the other hand, modern Jewish scholarship suggests . Whole cities with all their inhabitants, men, women, and little children were destroyed because they were sinful communities, and they were destroyed as communities. Still found in the Mediterranean today, the ancients collected thousands of these mollusks to produce just one ounce of purple dye. All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and in His wrath.. As far as is known, the people of Capernaum had no homosexual problem or any other apparent moral deficiency. Thomas Aquinas", Other translations of Matthew 11:24 at BibleHub, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matthew_11:24&oldid=1066286550, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 January 2022, at 17:13. But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him. Early in Jesus' ministry, people from Sidon and Tyre heard about the things He did. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1-28). then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment. Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. Jesus here makes two truths clear: there will be degrees of punishment in hell, and among those given the severest punishment will be those who have received the divine revelation and been the most religious and outwardly upright. The expression of their faces bears witness against them. Billions of people across the millennia of human history will be alive, together, to learn Gods way, and to contrast it to how they had previously lived without God. woe unto thee, Bethsaida"fishing-house," a fishing stationon the western side of the Sea of Galilee, and to the north of Capernaum; the birthplace of three of the apostlesthe brothers Andrew and Peter, and Philip. m r /) were two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Join us in our mission! The next judgment period is the "Millennial Age." Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. Who has delivered your enemies into your hand., The king of Sodom said to Abram, Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself., Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have sworn to the, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, I have made Abram rich., I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share., Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the, I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.. Endor, Saul consulted a witch from here. Sodom and Gomorrah, notoriously sinful cities in the biblical book of Genesis, destroyed by "sulfur and fire" because of their wickedness (Genesis 19:24). Woe to you, Bethsaida! Our visit to Lebanon gave me a new appreciation of many Biblical passages. Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five? And He said, I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there. He spoke to Him yet again and said, Suppose forty are found there? And He said, I will not do it on account of the forty. Then he said, Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there? And He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there. And he said, Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there? And He said, I will not destroy it on account of the twenty. Then he said, Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there? And He said, I will not destroy it on account of the ten., for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.. In other words, they are judged according to their opportunities. by Kevin DeYoung. Those who thought they were eternally safe-because they were Abrahams physical descendants and because they kept the religious traditions of their forefathers-looked with contempt on all Gentiles. Yet their sin was worse than if they had done those things. Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. The perverse judgment of the people concerning the Son. It is quite amazing to hear what He has to say about these other towns, about Tyre and Sidon, about Sodom and Gomorrah, that Sodom would still have been around to that particular day if the works done in Capernaum had been done in Sodom. And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim. His grace never rent their hearts, His truth never changed their minds, His warning about sin never provoked repentance, and His offer of salvation never induced faith. Sidon was included in the inheritance of Asher, on its northern boundary (Jos 19:28), but it was not taken by that tribe in conquest (Jgs 1:31, 3:3). Sidon is believed to have existed prior to 2000 BC, with Tyre being . Tyre was situated about 20 miles south of Sidon. Verses 22-33 record Abraham pleading with the Lord to have mercy . el-Maqatir: A Proposed New Location for Ai and Ephraim, Egyptian War Correspondents and the Biblical Giants, An Important Word from ABR's Director of Research, Dr. Bryant Wood, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?, Working Together for the Kingdom: A Message from ABR - UPDATED, Book Review: Origins of the Hebrews: New Evidence of Israelites in Egypt from Joseph to the Exodus, Why Should I Believe Christianity? And because of their indifferent unbelief, Jesus said to them, I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you. All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).read more.Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. For the respectable and upright unbelievers of Capernaum, Hades will be hotter than for the crude and immoral unbelievers of Sodom. Beyond its prominence in the second millennium BC, Sidon's greatest days did not come until after the days of Nebuchadnezzar. The Sea Castle in the harbor today was originally built as a Crusader fort to protect the harbor. I am, exist. The king of Sodom said to Abram, Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself. Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, I have made Abram rich. I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.. In a similar way, whole cities like Dresden were flattened under the Allied bombing, and thousands of men, women, and innocent children were simultaneously destroyed by the Allies as a result of the unrepentance of their political leaders. But those who survived fled to the hill country. i. p. 164) supposes that the population may now be about 10,000 - about 6,800 Moslems, 850 Greek Catholics, 750 Maronites, 150 Greeks, and 300 Jews. and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after [g]strange flesh, are exhibited as an [h]example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. It was not the Final Judgment. Nevertheless, I say to you, Jesus continued, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. The hippodrome at Tyre is the best preserved in the world. in order that you may bear your humiliation and feel ashamed for all that you have done when you become a consolation to them. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. The Nazareth Inscription: Proof of the Resurrection of Christ? Tyre and Sidon.The two cities are chosen as being, next to Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15, and Matthew 11:24), the great representative instances of the evil of the heathen world, and of the utter overthrow to which that evil was destined (Ezekiel 27, 28). Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the Kings Valley). He was a wealthy man, "very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold" (verse 2). woe unto thee, Bethsaida! Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Today each is just a shadow of their former selves. However, nevertheless, but, except that, yet. Illustrating Ezekiel's description of Tyre's destruction, Jidejian (1996:13-14) noted that over the past three centuries, Tyre has served as a 'quarry' for the whole coast. After his arrest in Jerusalem and imprisonment in Caesarea, Paul was taken as a prisoner to Rome. Beginning with David, the Tyrian connection became prominent. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. . Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.. The hippodrome at Tyre is the best preserved in the world. Both these cities were very ancient. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, For the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Behold, everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, Like mother, like daughter.. -Michael LuddeniSidon, called Saida today (Arabic for 'fishing'), was named after the firstborn son of Canaan (Gn 10:15) and probably settled by his descendants. By virtue of its submission to Alexander, Sidon under the Greeks enjoyed relative freedom and an advanced cultural life. Tyre, spread of the Gospel. Who were the scribes that often argued with Jesus? It was subdued successively by the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Romans, the latter of whom deprived it of its freedom. I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. But it will . 1969a Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, third edition. If you require more immediate assistance please visit our Contact Us page. No matter what your level of interest, from keeping abreast of the fascinating research that comes out of the field work, to actively participating in an archaeological dig, you can become an integral part of our ministry. An east-west colonnaded street, a huge triple-bay triumphal arch and a water aqueduct also extended from this area toward the sea. and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew.