Why do some modern Jewish and Christian scholars emphasize violence and inhospitality in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Modern Jewish and Christian scholars often emphasize violence and inhospitality as the primary sins of Sodom and Gomorrah to contrast the behavior of the city's inhabitants with the gracious hospitality shown by Abraham and Lot toward strangers.1

This interpretation highlights several key points:

• Contrast in Conduct: While Abraham and Lot provided feasts and protection to their angelic guests, the mob in Sodom displayed aggressive, violent intent by demanding to rape the visitors, revealing a profound lack of hospitality.1
• Biblical Context: Scholars point to Ezekiel 16:49, which explicitly identifies the city's sins as pride, gluttony, and a failure to care for the poor and needy, rather than sexual acts.1
• Teachings of Jesus: Some theologians interpret Jesus' words in Matthew 10:14–15—where he compares towns that reject his disciples to Sodom—as a direct reference to the sin of inhospitality.1

By focusing on these themes, these scholars argue that the destruction of the cities was a divine judgment against a society defined by systemic cruelty, violence, and the rejection of the vulnerable, rather than being solely defined by sexual transgression.12