GOMORRA H, in the N. 'I'. GOMORRHA Crinbr; T Sept. N. T. P6kkof3Aa). One of the most ancient towns of Palestine, situated in that part of the once fertile plain of the Jordan which is now covered by thc Dead Sea. Sodom appears to have been the chief city of this region ; hence, ancient geographers call the whole plain the province of Sodom' (ZoSol.to-64, Xthpa); and Euse bins describes Gomorrah as one of the five cities of Sodom' Oata 7revrair6Xecor 1056 ktpw ; Onomast. s.v. ; sec also, Reland, Pal., p. 815). The few allusions made in Scripture to the cities of the plain' appear to indicate that they stood close together (Gen. xiii. ro ; xiv. 8-ii), and that they lay near the southern extremity of the present lake, for Abraham, on going out to the brow of the mountain near Hebron, looked to ward Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the land of the plain,' and this he could not have done had they been situated farther north (Gen. xix. 28). Gomorrah, with the other cities, 'VMS completely destroyed by fire from heaven. It has been ques tioned whether the cities of the plain were en gulphed after their destruction, or whether they stood upon the shore of the present sea. The words of Gen. xiv. 3 appear to favour the former opinion. The battle between the eastern kings and the people of Sodom took place in the vale of Sid dim, which is theSalt Sea.' The phrase, however, is
not quite decisive ; for, as Reland says, it is not affirmed that the five cities stood in the vale pf Siddim ' (Pal. 254). The name Gomorrah would seem to indicate that the popular opinion of the submersion of the cities is correct. The He brew rnny is most probably derived from the Arabic root to cover with water.' For a full account of this matter see SODOM and SALT SEA • Robinson, B. R., ii. 187-192 ; Handbook for S. an' d P., i. 246, sq. ; Stanley, S. and P.,2Si, sq.) M. de Saulcy astonished the world a few years ago by the announcement that he had discovered the sites of the whole Pentapolis, and he gives a minute description of what he calls their ruins (yozirney round the Dead Sea). Gomorrah, he locates at Ain el-Feshkah, on the north-west shore of the lake, where are the ruins of a small tower and some rude walls, apparently field fences. Oriental travellers and geographers place little faith in M. de Saulcy's discoveries ; indeed, they have been shewn by Van de Velde and others to be a senes of delusions (Van de Velde, 15, sq.) There is not a shadow of evidence tending to fix the site of Gomorrah at the place indicated.— J. L. P.