The bed of Sodom

In The Book of Genesis we can read about the people of Sodom.  The people of Sodom were known for their wickedness, moral decadence and sexual irresponsibility.

Because of their actions, God has decided to obliterate Sodom:

" וַיַּהֲפֹךְ אֶת-הֶעָרִים הָאֵל, וְאֵת כָּל-הַכִּכָּר, וְאֵת כָּל-יֹשְׁבֵי הֶעָרִים, וְצֶמַח הָאֲדָמָה.  וַיַּהֲפֹךְ אֶת-הֶעָרִים הָאֵל, וְאֵת כָּל-הַכִּכָּר, וְאֵת כָּל-יֹשְׁבֵי הֶעָרִים, וְצֶמַח הָאֲדָמָה."

" Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and He overthrow those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground."

Genesis 19:24-25

"The bed of Sodom" is one of the symbols of evil in Hebrew legend.

The Talmud gives us an example of the sins and evilness of the people of Sodom: In Sodom, therewere two beds for visitors: one long and one short. When a stranger came to Sodom, he was put in one of these beds.

If the visitor was short, they would give him the long bed and they would stretch his limbs until he would fit in the bed. If the stranger was tall, he would get the short bed and his feet would stick out of the bed, they would cut his feet short to fit in it .It's important to mention, that there is no reference to the bed of Sodom in the Bible.

In the Greek mythology we can find a similar idea of the bed of Sodom: “The bed of Procrustes”. Procrustes was a rogue smith and an evil bandit from Attica. He had an iron bed which he regarded as the standard of length. Because it just fit him, he concluded that everyone should fit it. He tied his victims to the bed. If the person was too short, Procrustes stretched him until he attained the correct length. If the person was too long, he would cut his feet short to fit in it.

The expression bed of Sodom also describes a situation in which freedom of movement or choice is limited.

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

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