It is true that when the Bible describes homosexuality, the authors of Scripture didn\u2019t have in mind a \u201chomosexual\u201d as an identity based on a person\u2019s sexual orientation. What did the writers have in mind for passages such as 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10?<\/p>\n
\n
What did the writers have in mind for passages such as 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10?<\/em><\/h3>\n
\nThe Greek term arsenokoitai<\/em> was the word Paul used in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 to describe men who have sex with men. Arsenokoitai<\/em> is a combination of two Greek terms found elsewhere in the New Testament: ars\u0113n<\/em> (meaning \u201cmale\u201d) and koit\u0113<\/em> (meaning \u201ccouch\u201d or \u201cbed\u201d with a sexual connotation). For example, Paul used koit\u0113<\/em> in Romans 13:13 when he warned against fornication by saying, \u201cLet us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality (koit\u0113<\/em>) and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.\u201d The author of Hebrews used the term in a similar though more positive way when he wrote, \u201cMarriage is honorable among all, and the bed (koit\u0113<\/em>) undefiled\u201d (Hebrews 13:4a, NKJV).<\/p>\nPaul\u2019s meaning, therefore, is evident when he uses the word arsenokoitai<\/em>. Moreover, the likely context for Paul bringing ars\u0113n<\/em> and koite<\/em> together is how the Septuagint (ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) translates Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Both verses refer to the act of homosexual sex, both call it an abomination, and in the Septuagint translation (which Paul would have used in his day), both verses use the words ars\u0113n<\/em> and koit\u0113<\/em>. In bringing them together to form the word arsenokoitai<\/em>, Paul is not being ambiguous about what he\u2019s referencing.\u00a0 ![\"Following](\"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/COVER-FJ-2024.10.29-FNL-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRegarding the Bible addressing sexual orientation, the biblical approach is more about the action itself than slapping a label on the person who does it. The Bible doesn\u2019t even use nouns for homosexual people; it uses descriptions of behavior, which is why it makes sense that the term \u201chomosexual\u201d would not be found in the Bible.<\/p>\n
No such thing as a speeder<\/h2>\n
Behaviors are often prohibited in the Bible without labels being slapped on those who commit the behavior. More simply, in North America, no law on the books says it is illegal to be a speeder. What the law does say is that going over seventy miles an hour on the freeway is illegal. No word has been created for those who go over the speed limit, but the behavior is condemned. I couldn\u2019t stand before a judge and say, \u201cYour Honor, there is nowhere in the law that says I can\u2019t be a speeder.\u201d The judge would immediately respond, \u201cWell, Mr. Hammond, there is something in the law that says you cannot go over seventy miles an hour; therefore, you are guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is it good logic to say that the behavior of homosexuality is permitted because an identity label for the behavior does not appear in the Bible? No, arguing for the ability to do homosexual acts because Paul wasn\u2019t describing a homosexual identity is a misguided attempt to ignore what the Bible uniformly says about homosexual behavior.<\/p>\n
\n“Behaviors are often prohibited in the Bible without labels being slapped on those who commit the behavior.”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\nWhat \u201cwoke\u201d means<\/h2>\n
The truth is the meaning of arsenokoitai<\/em> has remained clear throughout the years, whether it\u2019s been translated as \u201chomosexual\u201d or something else. Before the word \u201chomosexual\u201d was used in the Bible, the KJV Bible translated the behavior of homosexuality as \u201cabusers of themselves with mankind.\u201d Other translations used the word \u201ceffeminate.\u201d<\/p>\nIn Romans 1, we have the closest thing to the Bible discussing orientation when the apostle Paul talks about men being \u201cinflamed with lust for one another\u201d (Romans 1:27a). But a part of the focus is on the act itself\u2014they \u201ccommitted shameful acts with other men\u201d (Romans 1:27b). It\u2019s worth noting that this verse negatively describes both the lustful desires and the acts themselves. If the acts themselves are shameful, then they are just as wrong whether one is a homosexual in their orientation or a straight person experimenting, to whom homosexual behavior does not come naturally. Add to this the other biblical passages that address homosexual behavior, and we find no contingency in Scripture for homosexual sex under any circumstance.<\/p>\n
\n“If the acts themselves are shameful, then they are just as wrong whether one is a homosexual in their orientation or a straight person experimenting.”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\nBesides that, languages evolve and change. The word \u201chomosexual\u201d came into the English language in the late 1800s. But that hardly means there was no such thing as homosexuality before the 1890s! Men having sex with men or women having sex with women\u2014phrases, not single words\u2014still connote what is meant by the modern phrase \u201chomosexuality,\u201d even if there is no exact biblical equivalent of the English word as used today.<\/p>\n
If I told you I was woke, that would mean one thing today. Yet only five years ago, it would mean I had just gotten out of bed. Languages evolve.<\/p>\n
Translators are only human and make mistakes\u2014especially when pressured to agree with others or face public academic shaming. As far as the RSV goes\u2014which is usually an excellent translation\u2014the mistake seems to have been made not in 1946 but in 1971, when \u201chomosexual\u201d was made into the more malleable term \u201csexual pervert.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFor more from Guy Hammond, Following Jesus in an LGBTQ+ World<\/em>, click HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this article, I would like to respond to the argument that the Bible doesn’t actually talk about homosexuality (but that its mention of homosexuality is based on a mistranslation). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1893,"featured_media":97321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[187],"tags":[12912,12911,12910,12913,12909],"topics":[5],"class_list":["post-97304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sexuality","tag-1-corinthians-69-homosexuality","tag-1946-bible-homosexuality-mistranslation","tag-arsenokoitai-meaning","tag-does-the-bible-condemn-homosexuality","tag-homosexuality-in-the-bible","topics-bible","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"contributors":["Guy Hammond"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1893"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97304"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98526,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97304\/revisions\/98526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97304"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=97304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Paul\u2019s meaning, therefore, is evident when he uses the word arsenokoitai<\/em>. Moreover, the likely context for Paul bringing ars\u0113n<\/em> and koite<\/em> together is how the Septuagint (ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) translates Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Both verses refer to the act of homosexual sex, both call it an abomination, and in the Septuagint translation (which Paul would have used in his day), both verses use the words ars\u0113n<\/em> and koit\u0113<\/em>. In bringing them together to form the word arsenokoitai<\/em>, Paul is not being ambiguous about what he\u2019s referencing.\u00a0 Regarding the Bible addressing sexual orientation, the biblical approach is more about the action itself than slapping a label on the person who does it. The Bible doesn\u2019t even use nouns for homosexual people; it uses descriptions of behavior, which is why it makes sense that the term \u201chomosexual\u201d would not be found in the Bible.<\/p>\n Behaviors are often prohibited in the Bible without labels being slapped on those who commit the behavior. More simply, in North America, no law on the books says it is illegal to be a speeder. What the law does say is that going over seventy miles an hour on the freeway is illegal. No word has been created for those who go over the speed limit, but the behavior is condemned. I couldn\u2019t stand before a judge and say, \u201cYour Honor, there is nowhere in the law that says I can\u2019t be a speeder.\u201d The judge would immediately respond, \u201cWell, Mr. Hammond, there is something in the law that says you cannot go over seventy miles an hour; therefore, you are guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n Is it good logic to say that the behavior of homosexuality is permitted because an identity label for the behavior does not appear in the Bible? No, arguing for the ability to do homosexual acts because Paul wasn\u2019t describing a homosexual identity is a misguided attempt to ignore what the Bible uniformly says about homosexual behavior.<\/p>\n The truth is the meaning of arsenokoitai<\/em> has remained clear throughout the years, whether it\u2019s been translated as \u201chomosexual\u201d or something else. Before the word \u201chomosexual\u201d was used in the Bible, the KJV Bible translated the behavior of homosexuality as \u201cabusers of themselves with mankind.\u201d Other translations used the word \u201ceffeminate.\u201d<\/p>\n In Romans 1, we have the closest thing to the Bible discussing orientation when the apostle Paul talks about men being \u201cinflamed with lust for one another\u201d (Romans 1:27a). But a part of the focus is on the act itself\u2014they \u201ccommitted shameful acts with other men\u201d (Romans 1:27b). It\u2019s worth noting that this verse negatively describes both the lustful desires and the acts themselves. If the acts themselves are shameful, then they are just as wrong whether one is a homosexual in their orientation or a straight person experimenting, to whom homosexual behavior does not come naturally. Add to this the other biblical passages that address homosexual behavior, and we find no contingency in Scripture for homosexual sex under any circumstance.<\/p>\n Besides that, languages evolve and change. The word \u201chomosexual\u201d came into the English language in the late 1800s. But that hardly means there was no such thing as homosexuality before the 1890s! Men having sex with men or women having sex with women\u2014phrases, not single words\u2014still connote what is meant by the modern phrase \u201chomosexuality,\u201d even if there is no exact biblical equivalent of the English word as used today.<\/p>\n If I told you I was woke, that would mean one thing today. Yet only five years ago, it would mean I had just gotten out of bed. Languages evolve.<\/p>\n Translators are only human and make mistakes\u2014especially when pressured to agree with others or face public academic shaming. As far as the RSV goes\u2014which is usually an excellent translation\u2014the mistake seems to have been made not in 1946 but in 1971, when \u201chomosexual\u201d was made into the more malleable term \u201csexual pervert.\u201d<\/p>\n In this article, I would like to respond to the argument that the Bible doesn’t actually talk about homosexuality (but that its mention of homosexuality is based on a mistranslation). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1893,"featured_media":97321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[187],"tags":[12912,12911,12910,12913,12909],"topics":[5],"class_list":["post-97304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sexuality","tag-1-corinthians-69-homosexuality","tag-1946-bible-homosexuality-mistranslation","tag-arsenokoitai-meaning","tag-does-the-bible-condemn-homosexuality","tag-homosexuality-in-the-bible","topics-bible","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"contributors":["Guy Hammond"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1893"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97304"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98526,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97304\/revisions\/98526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97304"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renew.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=97304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\nNo such thing as a speeder<\/h2>\n
\n“Behaviors are often prohibited in the Bible without labels being slapped on those who commit the behavior.”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\nWhat \u201cwoke\u201d means<\/h2>\n
\n“If the acts themselves are shameful, then they are just as wrong whether one is a homosexual in their orientation or a straight person experimenting.”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n
\nFor more from Guy Hammond, Following Jesus in an LGBTQ+ World<\/em>, click HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"