He appeared Part 4 (Gen 19:24)

24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.

Then the Lord rained—Wherever it is said “Then the Lord,” it means he and his celestial court (Bereishit Rabbah 51:2).

Rained on Sodom—When the morning broke, as it is said (v. 15), “As morning dawned,” the time when the moon is in the sky together with the sun. As some of them worshiped the sun and others the moon, the holy One, blessed be he, said, “If I punish them by day, the moon worshipers may say, ‘If it had taken place at night when the moon rules we would not have been destroyed.’ And if I punish them by night the sun worshipers may say, ‘If it had taken place at day time when the sun rules we would not have been destroyed.’ ” For this reason it is written, “As morning dawned”—he punished them at that time when both moon and sun are ruling (Bereishit Rabbah 50:12).

Photo by marco allasio from Pexels

Rained, etc., sulfur and fire—At first it was rain to see whether they would repent and this was then turned into sulfur and fire (Midrash Tanchuma, Beshalach 15).

From the Lord—This is the Scriptural way of speaking, as in (above 4:23): “wives of Lamech” and he did not say “my wives.” Thus, too, did David say (1Ki 1:33), “Take with you the servants of your lord” and he did not say, “my servants” and so, too, did Ahasuerus say (Est 8:8), “in the name of the king” and did not say, “in my name.” So, also, here: “from the Lord” and he did not say, “from him” (Bereishit Rabbah 51:2).

Out of heaven—The text (Job 36:31) refers to this: “For by these he judges peoples” i.e., with the heavens. When God is about to punish mankind he brings upon them fire out of heaven, just as he did to Sodom, and when he caused the manna to fall it was also out of heaven as it is said (Exo 16:4), “Behold, I am raining to you bread from heaven” (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 10).

Photo by Ivan Cujic from Pexels

Sanhedrin 38b:21

The Gemara relates: A certain heretic said to Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei: It is written: “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Gen 19:24). The heretic raised the question: It should have stated: From Him out of heaven. A certain launderer said to Rabbi Yishmael: Leave him be; I will respond to him. This is as it is written: “Lamech said to his wives: ‘Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say’ ” (Gen 4:23). One can raise the question: It should have been written: My wives, and not: “Wives of Lamech.” Rather, it is the style of the verse to speak in this manner. Here too, it is the style of the verse to speak in this manner. Rabbi Yishmael said to the launderer: From where did you hear this interpretation? The launderer said to him: I heard it at the lecture of Rabbi Meir.

Photo by Laureen Raftopulos from Pexels

Sanhedrin 104b:8

With regard to the verse: “It is nothing to you, all you who pass by” (Lam 1:12), Rava says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: From here there is a source from the law for complaint, i.e., it is appropriate for one to make his suffering public so that others will have compassion for him. With regard to the phrase “all you who pass by,” Rav Amram says that Rav says that it is as though Jerusalem said: They have rendered me like a city of those who violate the most fundamental precepts of law and morality, as, with regard to Sodom, it is written: “Then the Lord rained on Sodom sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Gen 19:24), while with regard to Jerusalem, it is written: “From on high he has sent fire; into my bones, and it prevails against them” (Lam 1:13). In both cities, fire rained down out of heaven. And it is written: “For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom” (Lam 4:6).