Scientists Believe A Meteor May Be Responsible For The Biblical Tale Of Sodom

One of the key tales in the bible is of the destruction of Sodom. A new study has proposed that the basis for that biblical tale was an airburst meteorite that exploded over the ancient city over 3.5 centuries ago. The team found evidence of sudden destruction in the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam including collapsed buildings, melted pottery, and more.

Theory suggests the airburst meteorite explosion was larger than the similar event that occurred in Russia in 1908. In that event, the meteorite exploded with over 1000 times the energy of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Project researchers also believe their theory explains how a land could have been fertile enough to support large populations for 3000 years and then suddenly became barren for hundreds of years.

The most interesting aspect in the study is that the scientists believe the meteor could be the basis of the story of the destruction of Sodom by God as told in Genesis 19:24-25. The story tells of the destruction of the people, the city, and the lands because of wickedness.

However, the researchers do admit there is debate on if Tell el-Hammam is the biblical city of Sodom. The team says that whether or not the city they investigated in their study is Sodom is outside the scope of their research. The study notes that the description in the bible is consistent with eye witness accounts of a cosmic airburst.

Investigation findings matched the descriptions of events in the biblical story including descriptions of stones falling from the sky, smoke, and fire. The explosion could have left the ground unable to grow crops as well. The study points to no less than 14 major pieces of evidence supporting the city was destroyed by an airburst meteorite.