There is no word in biblical Greek or Hebrew that is equivalent to the English word homosexual. The 1946 Revised Standard Version (RSV) New Testament was the first translation to use the word homosexual.
There is no word in biblical Greek or Hebrew for “sodomy” or “sodomite.” A Sodomite would have been simply an inhabitant of Sodom, just as a Moabite would have been an inhabitant of Moab, though the word sodomite does not show up in biblical Greek or Hebrew. Any translation of the Bible making use of the words sodomy or sodomite are clear interpretations and not faithful translations.
The Bible really does not fully address the topic of homosexuality. Jesus never talked about it. The prophets never talked about it. In Sodom homosexual activity is mentioned within the context of rape (raping angels nonetheless), and in Romans 1:24-27 we find it mentioned within the context of idolatry (Baal worship) involving lust and dishonorable passions. 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 talk about homosexual activity in the context of prostitution and possibly pederasty. Nowhere does the Bible condemn a loving and committed homosexual relationship. To use the Bible to condemn such a relationship, as we see, involves a projection of ones own bias and a stretching of the Biblical text beyond that of which the scriptures speak. Historically, however, the Bible has been taken out of context and twisted to oppress almost every minority one could imagine including women, African Americans, children, slaves, Jews, and the list goes on. Do we truly understand the greatest commandments? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” (RSV Mat. 22:36-40)
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SEE LIVITICUS 20:13. IT STATES:
13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
Leviticus 18:22 & parallel verse 20:13;
One must look closely at the historical context of this law. The book of Leviticus is a part of the Hebrew Law and contains everything from commandments for men not to shave the edges of their beards (Lev 19:27); orders not to have intercourse during menstruation (Lev 18:19); not to harvest different crops in the same field (Lev 19:19); as well as numerous dietary laws.
In order to understand this verse we will look first at the Hebrew Law and how it relates to Christians, an issue the early church faced when Gentiles were being converted. Second, we will look at the eighteenth chapter of Leviticus as a whole, and how this is a part of the Holiness Code. Finally, we will end this section with a careful examination of Leviticus 18:22.
The early church was faced with the question of whether or not the Hebrew Law applies to Christians. Many Gentiles were being converted to Christianity, yet they were not circumcised, nor did they follow the Law that God had given to the Israelites. It was through the observation of the Law that Jews considered themselves justified before God. In reading Paul’s letters to the Romans, the Galatians, the Corinthians, the Colossians, and the Hebrews we find a consistent claim that “no one is justified before God by the law” (Galatians 3:10). Paul writes the following in reference to the law:
“Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit” (RSV Romans 7:4-6).
Paul was even persecuted for this deeply held conviction that as Christians, we are no longer held to the Hebrew Law, but are justified through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus was once asked, “Rabbi, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40). The fulfillment of the law is love.
Leviticus 18 begins, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the people of Israel, I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall do my ordinances and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God...’” (Leviticus 18:1-4). This introduction of Leviticus 18 clearly maintains that these laws were given to distinguish them from the ways of the people in Egypt and those in Canaan.
The Old Testament, as has been mentioned, was initially a part of the Hebrew Scriptures of the Jewish people. The Septuagint was an ancient translation of the Old Testament (circa 200 B.C.) from its original Hebrew into Greek. It was the “version” of the Old Testament that the New Testament writers quoted from when they cited Old Testament scriptures. The Hebrew word in this specific law we are looking at that was translated into English as “abomination” was translated in the Septuagint into the Greek word bdelugma. A quick search through a lexicon for the word bdelugma brings up the following definition:
1. a foul thing, a detestable thing
a. of idols and things pertaining to idolatry
This also seems to point to the idea that this specific law has to do with a matter of ritual purity and with the Hebrews not being like the idolatrous Babylonians or Canaanites. It is probably referring to either the sacred orgies involved in the worship of the god Baal, or some other form of idolatry.
Translated literally from Hebrew Leviticus 18:22 reads: “And with a male you shall not lay lyings of a woman.” The only way of making sense of this is to insert something to produce a smoother, more coherent English translation. For example, one can insert “as the” or “in the” after the first lay as showed below:
“And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman.”
“And with a male you shall not lay [in the] lyings of a woman.”
Even if we accept the NIV or KJV translations, (KJV: “Thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.”) we still must understand the historical context of how a man laid with a women, for this is the qualifier of the phrase. Some affirm that this law is quite straightforward. Clearly from the previous sixteen verses, we know that these laws are written to men. Thus, some may say, this law forbids men to “lie with”, or have sex with, other men. This interpretation is flawed as it entirely ignores the phrase “as with a woman.” These four words cannot simply be understood to refer to lying sexually, since that is already indicated in the Hebrew word
translated “to lie with.” If the above interpretation were what the author means he could have just written, “Thou shalt not lie with a man; it is an abomination.”
“As with a woman” must have been added for some reason, and we must understand the context of this law to understand it fully. The status of women in that time was much lower than that of men, and women were even considered property of the men. This belief regarding gender relations is rejected by most of the Christian church
today, but in order to make sense of this specific Jewish law we must keep in mind this context in which it was written.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow explains, “The whole structure of sexuality in the Torah assumes a dominant male and a subordinate female.”4 In other words, women were obedient to men, and men in that time would have been dominating and controlling in sexual encounters. The woman did what the man wanted and how the man wanted it. For a man in a sexual encounter to be treated in that way, within the Jewish culture of the time, the man would have be taking a lower status, as well as being sexually dominated and controlled. To do so would have been reducing him to property and in effect defiling the image of God, which man was considered in that culture. This, however, is exactly how men would have treated the male temple prostitutes—in a controlling and abusive manner, and also is how individuals would have been treated in the sacred sexual orgies with which Baal was worshiped. They would have lied with other men “as with a women.”
As we see, this law isn’t as simple as it appears. First of all, we know from Paul’s writing that we have “died to” and are “discharged from the law” (Romans 7:4-6). We also know that “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). Second, we understand that Leviticus is a part of the Holiness code, which was written to distinguish the Israelites from the Canaanites and Moabites. Lastly, we see that Leviticus 18:22 has to do with abusive cultic practices, and says nothing pertaining the issue we are faced with today—that of loving and committed homosexual relationships.
You Just keep trying to justify something that is sick and deplorable. And no matter how you try to justify these sick actions, the bible is very clear.
Actually I'm not religious.
And since your bible isn't law and can not be forced upon me, it actually means very little to me.
Also, people who leave anonymous post have very little credibility.
So feel free to shout loudly what you think the bible says.
Small minded folks such as yourself will be the downfall of religion.
Many of the more intelligent people in our modern times are abandoning religion.
So keep up the good work, you are pushing droves of folks away from religion with your hateful attitude.
Tom, I like your style!! It's amazing how so many people are brainwashed by the Bible and will belive anything they read or are taught.(Talk about NOT reading between the lines!!) I am a lesbian and when the issue of same-sex marriage came up here in Ohio in '04, My Goddess,the mayhem and clamour we had here in this state. And at work!! People who I thought were my friends and open-minded kept spouting Bible verses at me.But, I am happy to say, there were a few people who approved of gay marriage at work, and told me so. People can be such FOOOLLZZZAH. So gullible, and so easily led astray by anything. And you are right on that one point about Jesus never mentioning homosexuality. He DID call people on bad behavior, but none of it was related to homosexuality or lesbianism. And has anyone ever noticed that Jesus had some, shall we say, "feminine" qualities? Gentleness, love, compassion? And he even brought women into his circle of freinds and advisors. And he also tried to let men know that they, too, could be kind, gentle,loving, and compassionate.
Thank you for your kind words and comments.
Indeed, it is amazing how some people refuse to see any fault in questionable translations.
Dear Tom,
I'm not writing this as 'anonymous'! I also don't appreciate the way that 'anonymous' spoke to you. I appreciate your knowledge of the Bible, and encourage you to look at it as a relationship and a gift, rather than 'religion'. There are many intelligent believers who have accepted this gift of salvation, but faith is for people who do not depend on their own intelligence, but trust God as a child trusts their parent. It sounds like foolishness to others! There are great mysteries that only God knows. We need to humble ourselves like little children and lean not on our own understanding.
The greatest law that God gave us it to love others. We are all sinners in God's eyes and need Christ. However, He is clear in the N.T. that homosexuality is a sin and should not be embraced. The passage is: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (New International Reader's Version)
" 9 Don't you know that evil people will not receive God's kingdom? Don't be fooled. Those who commit sexual sins will not receive the kingdom. Neither will those who worship statues of gods or commit adultery. Neither will men who are prostitutes or who commit homosexual acts. 10 Neither will thieves or those who always want more and more. Neither will those who are often drunk or tell lies or cheat. People who live like that will not receive God's kingdom.
11 Some of you used to do those things. But your sins were washed away. You were made holy. You were made right with God. All of that was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
The two Greek terms translated by this phrase refer to the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts.
The truth is that we are ALL sinners and fail miserably in many of the sins mentioned in this passage, and need to confess our sins to him. We all have 'thorns in the flesh', like Paul did. They are weaknesses and temptations that we have to deal with on this imperfect earth for a short time. (Drunkeness, adoltary, lying, cheating, etc..) The point is that Christ heals us and gives us strength to overcome and restore us. He opens our eyes and we can enjoy peace with him forever. All you need to do is confess your sins and ask him into your life. No Christian is perfect and no Christian's walk is perfect, and if anyone claims to be, they are a hypocrit. We all need Christ. Christ loves you, and as a Christian, I love you as well. Peace to you and I pray that you accept the gift of salvation.
~Sarah
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