Masterpiece Monday: The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

Author

Alfred Larsen
September 25, 2023

Every Monday, we admire some Biblical artwork. This week, it’s the classic work, The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, by the English painter John Martin. It was painted in 1852.

It depicts the moment that Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt.

Here’s the passage from our translation:

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Well, the sun was already up by the time that Lot arrived in Segor, and that’s when Yahweh poured fire and sulfur from the sky upon Sodom and GomorRah, which destroyed those cities, all the countryside around them and everyone who lived in the cities… Including even the plants that grew on the ground.

However, [Lot’s] wife had turned and looked back, and she then became an upright block of salt.

Well, that morning (as AbraHam arose early to go to the place where he’d stood before the Lord) when he looked towards Sodom, GomorRah, and the surrounding countryside, he saw what looked like the flames and smoke of a furnace arising from that land!

Originally, the painting was designed to go on tour, where viewers would pay to enter a small dark room, where the painting was illuminated with colored lamps to enhance the burning shown in the painting; even sound effects were added, such as the rumble of thunder.

It is currently on display at the Laing Gallery in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, where they have recreated the way it was originally displayed. Sit down and press a button, and the lighting and sound effects will begin.

Learn more about the painting at its Wikipedia page.

Read the Genesis account in Genesis 19.

Warm regards

The 2001 Translation

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