בראשית, פרק י״ט, פסוק כ״ה

The cataclysm that struck the region of Sodom was not merely a targeted punishment for sinners, but the total eradication of an entire ecosystem. The inhabitants of this once fertile and prosperous land had developed an extreme reaction to the generation of the Flood; driven by a desire to protect their wealth, they strictly outlawed hospitality and charity. In a single moment, four cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, were devastated, while a fifth city, Zoar, was spared at the last minute through Lot's prayer [רבנו בחיי, חזקוני, דברי דוד]. The devastation encompassed all levels of existence. God wiped out the inanimate structures, the plant and animal life of the entire plain, and all human inhabitants. They were eradicated completely and treated like a condemned city, ensuring that no one could ever derive benefit from anything that belonged to the locals [אלשיך, מלבי״ם].

The precise nature of the punishment reflected the specific sins of each city. Sodom and Gomorrah, which sinned against both God and their fellow man, were both burned and overturned, whereas Admah and Zeboiim, whose sins were solely against God, were only overturned [חומש קה״ת]. To prevent the inhabitants from fleeing as they might during a natural earthquake, God first rained down sulfur and fire from the heavens before the earth itself was upended [העמק דבר]. The primary approach among commentators is that this upheaval was a literal, physical flipping of the ground. The cities rested upon a single bedrock foundation, and a higher power turned this massive rock upside down, plunging the cities into a newly formed abyss [רש״י, גור אריה, שד״ל, הכתב והקבלה]. Alternatively, this upheaval was not a physical movement of the earth, but rather a fundamental transformation of the land's very nature, instantly turning fertile soil into a wasteland of sulfur, fire, and salt [ספורנו].

The resulting geological collapse permanently altered the landscape. As the ground sank into the newly formed crater, the waters of the Jordan River rushed into the burning valley. These waters extinguished the massive fires and created what is now known as the Dead Sea, a body of water so saturated with tar, salt, and sulfur that no living creature can survive within it [מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר]. The intense heat of the destruction was so absolute that even the air was scorched, making it impossible for birds to fly over the area [רד״ק, מחוקקי יהודה].

The devastation left an eternal curse upon the land itself. While the immediate effect was the complete incineration of all trees and plants [אבן עזרא], the soil absorbed a permanent affliction. Unlike the land of Israel, which retains its potential for growth even when left in ruins, the earth of Sodom was deliberately overturned so that sulfur would penetrate its deepest layers, ensuring it could never again support life [חתם סופר]. This barrenness is absolute, for even if one were to take soil from Sodom and plant it in another location, it would yield absolutely nothing [חזקוני, הכתב והקבלה]. The only vegetation capable of growing in this cursed region is a deceptive fruit that appears like a beautiful apple on the outside, but is filled entirely with rot, ash, and smoke on the inside [הכתב והקבלה, ביאור יש״ר, מחוקקי יהודה].