Genesis 19:25
ESV
And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
NIV
Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.
NASB
and He overthrew those cities, and all the surrounding area, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
CSB
He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.
NLT
He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.
KJV
And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
NKJV
So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
What does Genesis 19:25 mean?
The Lord's rain of sulfur and fire wasn't limited to the city limits of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sins of the people were not a matter of geography, but of culture. God's intent here is not to merely condemn some specific city, but a specific approach to God's revealed truth. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah completely rejected God's character in their sin. So, He overthrew those cities, as well as the surrounding valley. He destroyed all the people in that region, along with all of the vegetation.Today, the Dead Sea plain continues to be barren and desolate. It wasn't always that way. When Lot chose to settle there, the "Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord…this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah" (Genesis 13:10).
God's judgment for the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah was complete and lasting, a reminder for generations to come that God will hold humans accountable for their sinful choices.
