How does the Old Testament treat homosexuality?
The discussion of homosexuality in the Old Testament touches many passages, canonical and noncanonical. Beginning with the account of Creation and ending with reference to pagan law codes, I have sought to demonstrate that the Old Testament does indeed condemn homosexuality.
It is contrary to the pattern established at Creation for humankind as male and female.
It is the sin for which Sodom gains its reputation as ungodly, wicked, and deserving of divine judgment (Genesis 18–19). Terms used in the Hebrew (yādaʿ) and the Greek (synginomai) meaning “to know” (Genesis 19:5) must have a sexual connotation and are among several euphemisms for sexual intercourse used in the Old Testament.
It is contrary to the pattern established at Creation for humankind as male and female.
It is the sin for which Sodom gains its reputation as ungodly, wicked, and deserving of divine judgment (Genesis 18–19). Terms used in the Hebrew (yādaʿ) and the Greek (synginomai) meaning “to know” (Genesis 19:5) must have a sexual connotation and are among several euphemisms for sexual intercourse used in the Old Testament.
Homosexuality is the sin or crime that the Benjaminites committed at Gibeah (Judges 19–20), which so enraged the rest of Israel that they almost eradicated the Benjaminites. None of the passages will sustain the view that the sin involved at Sodom or Gibeah was merely inhospitality or violence; none of the texts cites inhospitality. Revisionist attempts to use patristic interpretations fail. The church fathers simply do not support these arguments.
The references in Deuteronomy and Kings refer mainly to male prostitutes used in religious settings. This must include homosexual unions in light of the culture of the day. All the Greek terms the LXX uses in these passages have a sexual meaning or connotation, often with religious overtones. References to homosexuality in the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha, discussed in detail in chapter 2, follow Old Testament usage.
In Ezekiel 16:50, the word abominations (toʿeba, Gk. anomos) refers to homosexuality as the sin of Sodom. Other references to Sodom in the Old Testament implicitly support the homosexual nature of the sin of Sodom.
Leviticus 18 and 20, the section that most clearly describes and condemns homosexuality for Israel, is universal rather than cultic in scope. There is evidence of universality within the larger context of the book. Specific to this section is its personal rather than cultic content, its covenantal literary form, its six uses of toʿeba (Gk. bdelygma), and its prescribed punishment of death for violators. Quotations of chapters 18–20 by Christ, Paul, James, and Peter in the New Testament, are meaningless outside of a strong assumption that the texts remain normative.
The references in Deuteronomy and Kings refer mainly to male prostitutes used in religious settings. This must include homosexual unions in light of the culture of the day. All the Greek terms the LXX uses in these passages have a sexual meaning or connotation, often with religious overtones. References to homosexuality in the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha, discussed in detail in chapter 2, follow Old Testament usage.
In Ezekiel 16:50, the word abominations (toʿeba, Gk. anomos) refers to homosexuality as the sin of Sodom. Other references to Sodom in the Old Testament implicitly support the homosexual nature of the sin of Sodom.
Leviticus 18 and 20, the section that most clearly describes and condemns homosexuality for Israel, is universal rather than cultic in scope. There is evidence of universality within the larger context of the book. Specific to this section is its personal rather than cultic content, its covenantal literary form, its six uses of toʿeba (Gk. bdelygma), and its prescribed punishment of death for violators. Quotations of chapters 18–20 by Christ, Paul, James, and Peter in the New Testament, are meaningless outside of a strong assumption that the texts remain normative.
That necessarily includes prohibitions of homosexual behavior. In addition, Jewish tradition (the Mishnah) basically repeats or affirms the Old Testament estimation of homosexuality. Finally, the biblical teaching is in sharp contrast to the looser morality of the surrounding pagan nations. None of them prohibited all expressions of homosexual activity, including pederasty.
When one considers all of the foregoing witnesses, the inescapable conclusion is that the Old Testament teaches that homosexuality is sin and brings God’s judgment. Equally important is the conclusion that the Old Testament view is universally normative and true. It is a valid standard for all societies for all time.
De Young, J. B. (2000). Homosexuality: Contemporary Claims Examined in Light of the Bible and Other Ancient Literature and Law (pp. 59–60). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
When one considers all of the foregoing witnesses, the inescapable conclusion is that the Old Testament teaches that homosexuality is sin and brings God’s judgment. Equally important is the conclusion that the Old Testament view is universally normative and true. It is a valid standard for all societies for all time.
De Young, J. B. (2000). Homosexuality: Contemporary Claims Examined in Light of the Bible and Other Ancient Literature and Law (pp. 59–60). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
