Jude 1:7

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Even as {G5613} Sodom {G4670} and {G2532} Gomorrha {G1116}, and {G2532} the cities {G4172} about {G4012} them {G846} in like {G3664}{G5125} manner {G5158}, giving themselves over to fornication {G1608}, and {G2532} going {G565} after {G3694} strange {G2087} flesh {G4561}, are set forth for {G4295} an example {G1164}, suffering {G5254} the vengeance {G1349} of eternal {G166} fire {G4442}.

And S’dom, ‘Amora and the surrounding cities, following a pattern like theirs, committing sexual sins and perversions, lie exposed as a warning of the everlasting fire awaiting those who must undergo punishment.

In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.

Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.

Context

Jude's epistle is a concise yet powerful warning against apostasy and false teachers who had infiltrated the early Christian communities. To underscore the severity of God's judgment against such rebellion and immorality, Jude provides a series of historical examples. Verse 7 follows the examples of God's judgment on unbelieving Israel in the wilderness (Jude 1:5) and the angels who rebelled against God's order (Jude 1:6). Sodom and Gomorrah serve as the third and most vivid illustration of divine wrath against specific and egregious sin, particularly sexual perversion.

Key Themes

  • Severe Divine Judgment: The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, along with "the cities about them," is presented as a historical and undeniable act of God's justice. Their complete annihilation (Genesis 19:24-25) demonstrates that God will not tolerate flagrant sin and rebellion.
  • Sexual Immorality and Perversion: The verse explicitly states their sin as "giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh." "Fornication" (porneia) is a broad term for illicit sexual activity, but "strange flesh" (heteros sarx) points to a distinct and unnatural form of sexual desire and practice, specifically homosexual acts as depicted in the Genesis account of their attempted assault on Lot's angelic visitors. This highlights the particular perversity that marked these cities.
  • An Enduring Example: The phrase "are set forth for an example" (Greek: deigma) signifies that their fate is a public display, a permanent warning. Their destruction serves as a prototype or precedent for future judgment against similar sins, reminding humanity that God's moral standards are unchanging.
  • Eternal Consequences: "Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" is a profound and terrifying statement. It suggests that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was not merely a temporal, physical event, but also a foreshadowing of the ultimate, everlasting punishment awaiting those who persist in such ungodliness. This points to the final judgment and eternal damnation for the unrepentant.

Linguistic Insights

  • The Greek phrase translated "strange flesh" is heteros sarx (ἕτερος σάρξ). Heteros means "other of a different kind" or "another of a dissimilar sort," emphasizing that the sexual desire and acts described were not merely illicit (like typical fornication) but profoundly unnatural and contrary to God's created order, distinguishing them from ordinary sexual sins.
  • "Eternal fire" translates pur aionios (πῦρ αἰώνιος). The adjective aionios signifies a quality of endless duration or belonging to the age to come. This emphasizes that the "vengeance" or punishment is not temporary but everlasting, confirming the severity and finality of God's judgment against persistent ungodliness.

Practical Application

Jude 1:7 serves as a powerful and sobering warning for all generations. It underscores the unwavering reality of God's judgment against sin, particularly egregious sexual immorality and rebellion against His natural order. For believers, it is a call to holiness and purity, reminding us to pursue righteousness and avoid the moral decay prevalent in the world. It also reinforces the urgency of sharing the Gospel, as the "vengeance of eternal fire" is a real and terrifying prospect for those who do not turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. The example of Sodom and Gomorrah stands as a timeless testament to God's justice and His demand for moral purity.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Deuteronomy 29:23

    [And that] the whole land thereof [is] brimstone, and salt, [and] burning, [that] it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

  • Romans 1:26

    For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

  • Romans 1:27

    And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

  • 2 Peter 2:6

    And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

  • Genesis 19:24

    ¶ Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

  • Genesis 19:26

    ¶ But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

  • Genesis 18:20

    And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
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