The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is told in two verses. If verse 23 opens this brief account, we may make verse 23 the introductory time clause for verse 24; for example, “When the sun was rising and Lot had reached Zoar, the LORD….” If this structure is not satisfactory, verse 23 can be kept as a separate sentence.

The LORD rained means the LORD caused it to rain or “made brimstone fall on….” Brimstone is translated by Good News Translation as “burning sulfur.” Sulfur is a yellow substance that burns with a high heat and produces a suffocating odor.

Fire and burning sulfur are used to describe the destruction sent down from heaven by God in Ezek 38.22. Brimstone is also mentioned in Rev 14.10; 19.20; 20.10; 21.8. “Fire and brimstone” is the traditional rendering suggesting two separate elements, but in the context they are to be understood as one and the same. Brimstone and fire may be rendered, for example, “heat and fire that suffocate people” or “hot burning coals.”

From the LORD out of heaven: this emphasizes that the source of the destruction is from the LORD above. New English Bible, Revised English Bible say “from the skies.”

In translation the picture of the destruction falling like rain can often be used. Two translations that keep this figure of speech are “The LORD sent rain like sulfur with fire from the sky” and “The LORD sent burning sulfur, which fell like rain on those two towns.” Examples of translations that do not use the picture of rain are “Straight away the LORD sent hot stones with fire falling on top of Sodom and Gomorrah” and “Straight away the LORD spilled out from the sky very hot stones with fire on top of the two towns.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .