John Gill Commentary Genesis 18:20

"And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;" — Genesis 18:20 (ASV)

And the Lord said The Targum of Jonathan adds, to the ministering angels, the two angels that were with him in the likeness of men; or to Abraham, at least in his hearing, by which he understood that Sodom and other cities were about to be destroyed because of their sins:

because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great ; either of Lot in it, whose righteous soul was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked, and cried to heaven against them; or of the inhabitants that were oppressed by others, either in their bodies, being forced to submit to their unnatural usage of them, or in their estates, of which they wronged them; particularly the cry of the poor among them, whom they suffered to starve, though there were fulness of bread in the midst of them, see (Ezekiel 16:49Ezekiel 16:50) ; the Jews ^F2 say, they appointed false judges, who oppressed all strangers that came to Sodom, and made a law, that whoever relieved a poor person should be burnt with fire:

or the cry of their sins, which were many and great, and openly and impudently committed; the cry of which came into the ears of the Lord of hosts, and called for vengeance. Those two cities, which perhaps were the greatest and the most remarkable for their sins, are put for all the five cities of the plain, called Pentapolis.

And because their sin is very grievous ; attended with very aggravated circumstances, they enjoyed great plenty of good things; and were not to be borne with, being so exceedingly sinful, and so publicly and audaciously committed, especially that sin so frequent among them, which has its name from Sodom, see (Genesis 13:13) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F2: Pirke Eliezer, c. 25.