Much of the gay debate hinges on whether or not homosexual acts are sinful. So often ignorant people cite Leviticus 18:22 for it's usual rendering of,
You shall not lie with man as with woman. It is abomination.
But that's not what it says. What it actually says is this,
“You shall not lie with a male [on] the bedding (or bed) of a woman (or wife), it is a despised thing (or despicable act).”
Modern translations took to using the more familar version for purely political reasons.
"The Bible doesn’t always tell us why something is “despised,” and hence we have to use reason. It is likely that the two men were having sex on the bed of the woman to despise her and rub it in her face that she wasn’t woman enough. Reuben slept with his father’s wife on his dad’s bed to despise his father Jacob. Also, according to the book “How the People Lived in the Bible [HPLB], on pg. 117, it states: “The women’s portion of the tent was separated by a curtain from the men’s half, and it was strictly off limits. A male stranger who entered a woman’s quarters could be punished with death. Sisera hid in Jael’s tent, but paid for it with his life (Judg. 4:18-21).”"
Leviticus 18 22
Modern translations for political reasons?
The King James Version was written in 1611
LEVITICUS 18 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind it is abomination.
Thou shalt not lie with mankinde, as with womankinde: it is abomination.
- King James Version (1611)
You are the one who is using the modern translation.
Peach----I began to learn a bit of Hebrew in my mid teens----
I very quickly realized that the popular translations of the bible are a bit misleading. Of course there are problems with all translations. --------the KJV is really -----sorta ok----but -------well-----misleading and clearly influenced by the biases of the day. Attempts to precisely interpret the intent of the writers based on the KJV and "religion today"------
does not work. Persons who say------"this is what the bible means TO ME"--------are missing lots. Of course they have a right to "FREEDOM OF THOUGHT"------idiotic though it may be
From the writings of the Torah by Rabbi Ishmael who explains the verse very well.
The person who writes this blog has studied from the Rabbi who was -
Rabbi Ishmael (
Hebrew: ישמעאל), who lived between 90-135 A.C.E was a Tanna (a rabbinic sage whose views are recorded in the
Mishnah).
Rabbi Ishmael was a prominent and excellent sage among the fathers of the Talmudical literature. Ishmael's teachings were calculated to promote peace and goodwill among all, as written in Avot 3:15-
Leviticus 18 22 according to Rabbi Ishmael SOB s Grins Grumps
וְאֶת זָכָר לֹא תִשְׁכַּב מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תּוֹעֵבָה הִוא
“A male do not lie the lyings of a woman; it is an abomination.”
Kelal (general):
Leviticus 18:6 says אִישׁ אִישׁ אֶל-כָּל-שְׁאֵר בְּשָׂרוֹ לֹא תִקְרְבוּ לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָה — “None of you shall come near anyone of his own flesh to uncover nakedness.”
Perat (specific): Verses 18:7-20 list a series of specific sexual prohibitions, all referring to relations between a man and a woman. A man may not have sex with any of his close female relatives by blood or by marriage, or with another man’s wife.
Kelal (general): Leviticus 18:22 says וְאֶת זָכָר לֹא תִשְׁכַּב מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תּוֹעֵבָה הִוא — “A male do not lie the lyings of a woman.”
According to the principle of kelal ufrat uchlal, the general terms (“kol she’eir besaro / anyone of his own flesh” and “mishkevei ishah / the lyings of a woman”) only apply to items that are similar to the specific items on the list, viz. incestuous and adulterous relationships. However, the general terms extend the reach of the specific list so that it includes some additional prohibited relationships in the same general category. Leviticus 18:22 says that the male addressee should not lie these mishkevei ishah with a male. Therefore, just as a man is forbidden from having sex with his mother, his sister, or a married woman, he is also forbidden from having sex with his father, his brother, or a married man. Likewise, since all of these commandments apply to women as well, we can derive an equivalent category of forbidden relationships between two women.
The other verse to address is
Leviticus 20:13:
וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכַּב אֶת-זָכָר מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תּוֹעֵבָה עָשׂוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם מוֹת יוּמָתוּ דְּמֵיהֶם בָּם
A man who lies a man the lyings of a woman, they have committed an abomination. Both of them shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Rabbi Ishmael’s 3rd principle is binyan av (constructing a prototype). In particular, we’ll use binyan av mikatuv echad, constructing a prototype from one verse. A classic example is
Deuteronomy 22:11, which forbids clothing of sha’atnez, a combination of wool and linen. This verse constructs the prototype that sha’atnez refers specifically to wool and linen, so that
Leviticus 19:19 (which also refers to sha’atnez, with no further details) is also understood to refer only to wool and linen, rather than any arbitrary mixture of fabrics.
Likewise, Leviticus 18:22 (by way of the kelal ufrat uchlal that we have explained above) constructs the prototype that mishkevei ishah refers specifically to the incestuous and adulterous relationships of the sort listed in Leviticus 18, so that Leviticus 20:13 can also be understood to refer only to these categories of same-sex relationships.
Recall an article from NYC about problems rising fromt his separation when services let out and men and women being in too-close a proximity outside on the sidewalk. Took to staggering the sexes departure, men then women.
