We learn from the narrative that the destruc tion was caused by 'brimstone and fire ;' that these were rained down from the sky ; that a dense column of smoke ascended to a great height, like the smoke of a furnace or lime-kiln, and that along with, or immediately after the fire, there was an emission of brine or saline mud, capable of encrusting bodies (as that of Lot's wife) so that they appeared as mounds of salt.
(6) Definition of Word. The only point in the statements in regard to which there can he any doubt is the substance intended by the He brew word translated 'brimstone.' It may mean sulphur, of which there is an abundance in some of the Dead Sea deposits, but there is reason to suspect that, as used here, it may rather denote pitch, since it is derived from the same root with Gopher, the Hebrew name apparently of the cypress and other resinous woods. If, however, this were the intention of the writer, the ques tion arises, why did he use this word gaphrith when the Hebrew possesses other words suitable to designate different forms of petroleum and asphalt ? The writer of the Pentateuch had not studied the chemistry of the Egyptian schools to no purpose, and the most likely reason why he used this term was that he wanted one which his readers would understand as including any kind of mineral pitch or oil, and possibly sulphur as well.
It would have been well if later writers, who have undertaken to describe the fires of Gehenna in terms taken from the destruction of the Cities of the Plain, had been equally cautious. In con nection with this it is interesting to note that in the notice of the pits in the vale of Siddim, the specific word chcmar—asphalt—is used, and it is in this particular form that the bituminous exu dations of the region of the Dead Sea usually appear.
(7) Bituminous Matter. The source of the bituminous filatter is in the great beds of bi tuminous limestone of the Upper Cretaceous age which appear at Neby Mousa, on the Jericho road, and at many other places in the vicinity of the sea, and no doubt underlie its bed and the lower part of the Jordan plain. From these beds bituminous and gaseous matter must have been at all times exuding. Further, the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea basin are on the line of a great fault or fracture traversing these beds, and affording means of escape to their products, es pecially when the districts are shaken by earth quakes.
We have thus only to suppose that at the time in question reservoirs of condensed gas and pe troleum existed under the plain of Siddim, and that these were suddenly discharged, either by their own accumulated pressure or by an earthquake shock ifracturing the overlying beds, when the phenomena described by the writer in Genesis would occur, and after the eruption the site would be covered with a saline and sulphurous deposit, while many of the sources of petroleum previously existing might be permanently dried up.
(8) Subsidence of Ground. In connection with this there might be subsidence of the ground over the now exhausted reservoirs, and this might give rise to the idea of the submergence of the cities.
It is to be observed, however, that the paren thetic statement in Gen. xiv :3, 'which is the Salt Sea,' does not necessarily mean under the sea, and that it relates not to the cities themselves hut to the plain where the battle recorded in the chapter was fought at a time previous to the eruption. It is also to be noted that this partic ular locality is precisely the one which, as pre viously stated, may be supposed to have sub sided, and that this subsidence having occurred subsequently may have rendered the march of the invading army less intelligible to the later reader.
(9) Real Occurrence. It seems difficult to imagine that anything except the real occurrence of such an event could have given origin to the narrative.
No one unacquainted with the structure of the district and the probability of bitumen eruptions in connection with this structure would be likely to imagine the raining of burning pitch from the sky, with the attendant phenomena stated so simply,and without any appearance of exaggera tion, and with the evident intention of dwelling On the spiritual and moral significance of the event, while giving just as much of the physical features as was essential to this purpose.
It may be added here that in Is. xxxiv:9-to, there is a graphic description of a bitumen erup tion which may possibly be based on the history now under consideration, though used figura tively to illustrate the doom of I dumea. In di recting attention to the physical phenomena at tendant on the destruction of the Cities of the Plain, Sir William Dawson does not desire to detract from the providential character of the catastrophe nor from the lesson which it teaches. He merely wishes to show that its author has described, in an intelligent manner, appearances which he must have seen or which were de scribed to him by competent witnesses. Dr. Daw son wishes also to indicate that the statements made are in accordance with the structure and possibilities of the district as now understood after its scientific exploration. From a scientific point of view the narrative is an almost unique description of a natural phenomenon of much interest and of very rare occurrence.
(10) Physical Results. An important note, whit reference to the destruction of these cities, appears in the statement in Gen. xiv that the Vale of Siddim had bitumen pits or wells, and that these were so abundant or important as to furnish a place of retreat to, or impede the flight of, the defeated kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. These bitumen pits have disappeared, unless their remains are represented by the singular pits de scribed by Dr. Merrill as occurring near Wady Nimrim. Their existence in the times of Abra ham would bespeak a much greater abundance of bituminous matter than that now remaining, and it is possible that the eruption which destroyed the Cities of the Plain may have to a great extent exhausted the supply of petroleum.
There is no reason to believe that the destruc tion of Sodom and Gomorrah was connected with any important changes in the limits of the Dead Sea, though it is highly probable that some sub sidence of the valley took place and may have slightly affected its levels relatively to the Jor dan and the sea ; but it would appear from Dent. xxix :23 that the eruption was followed by a per manent deterioration of the district by the saline mud with which it was covered.
It is not likely, however, that this referred to a very extensive area; and the deposit produced would he so like to those of the Dead Sea that it would not be easy to distinguish it unless re mains of man and his works were found under it. Sir William Dawson fully agrees with Dr. Mer rill that these remains are to be sought for on the Plain of Shittim, at the northeast corner of the Dead Sea, where, as lie informs us. there arc still several ancient city sites, some of which may belong to the cities in question, which were, how ever, probably of small size and near to one an other.—Egypt and Syria, by Sir J. William Daw son, C. M. G., LED., F. R. S., pp. 124-t32.