Sodomites - What Does
That Word Mean?

Sodomites are frequently alleged to be inhabitants of the ancient Canaanite city which God destroyed. Many Christians assume that when the Bible uses the word, it is referring to the men of Sodom who are thought to be homosexuals. The question is, Does this viewpoint fit the facts of history as given in the Bible?

To discover the answer to that question, we will study how the word sodomites is used in the Bible. Let's put aside for a moment, what your church taught you and what you personally believe on this issue.

God insisted that Israel must not engage in sexual worship of false gods because that is the kind of false worship the qadesh performed. The Hebrew word for sodomites is qadesh. Its a relatively rare word, used only six times in Hebrew scripture.

"There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sod@mite [qadesh] of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 23:17-18.

"And there were also sod@mites [qadesh]in the land: [and] they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel." I Kings 14:24.

"And he took away the sod@mites [qadesh]out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. I Kings 15:12.

"And the remnant of the sod@mites [qadesh], which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land." I Kings 22:46.

"And he brake down the houses of the sod@mites [qadesh], that [were] by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove." II Kings 23:7.

“They die in youth, and their life [is] among the unclean [qadesh].” Job 36:14

Notice that nothing in the context of these verses deals with a committed, faithful, non-cultic partnership between two men or two women. Notice that nothing in these verses deals with the subject of gay marriage. Qadesh is never used in the Bible to mean homosexual.

Wise students of scripture will also note that verses which mention sodomites are not talking about the geographical area called Sodom in the Bible.

Every verse in the Bible which mentions sod@mite or sodomites is referring to shrine prostitutes who worshiped the Canaanite fertility goddess.

The Hebrew word for Sodom is Cedom, an entirely different word than qadesh or qadesha. Cedom is from a Hebrew root meaning “to scorch or burn.”

Many Christians assume the Bible says things it never says. They base their religious beliefs on their false assumptions instead of on what scripture actually says.

False assumptions lead people to believe the Bible condemns committed, faithful, non-cultic relationships between two men or two women when in actual fact, the Bible never condemns committed, faithful, non-cultic, same sex relationships.

55 times our English Bibles use the word Sodom and related English words, sod@mite, sod@mites, Sodoma. Yet strangely enough, in Hebrew, Sodom and sod@mite are not related words. For this reason, its easy to draw the wrong conclusion, that Sodom and sod@mites are related when in fact, they are not etymologically related.

1. Never in any of the Sodom passages does God say that the sin of Sodom was homosexuality.

2. Never in any of the Sodom passages does God or a human author of the Bible link homosexuality with Sodom.

3. Never in any of the sodomite(s) passages does God or a human author of scripture link sodomites(s) with a committed, faithful, non-cultic partnership between two men or two women.

4. Never in any passage that mentions Sodom does God deal with the subject of gay marriage. Isn't that interesting?

On the other hand, whenever the Hebrew words qadesh or qadesha are used in scripture, they refer to a pagan worshiper of the fertility goddess. Therefore when we translate from Hebrew to English (or any other language), if we're honest, we must retain the original Hebrew meaning instead of translating it to mean homosexual.

Because qadesh and qadesha, as used in the Bible, never refer to gay men or lesbian women in committed, faithful, non-cultic partnerships, it is wrong to assert that qadesh and qadesha mean homosexual in English when they clearly did not mean homosexual in Hebrew.

Sodomites, qadesh and qadesha, in the Bible were male and female worshipers of the Canaanite fertility goddess, not homosexuals and not lesbians.

Sodom was an ancient Canaanite city, Genesis 10:15-19, 13:12. The pagan Canaanite religious worship of the people of Sodom included precisely the same cultic, religious, sexual activity which was forbidden by God in Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13 and Deuteronomy 23:17-18.

Almost all the inhabitants of Sodom were destroyed by God, Genesis 19:24. The only people who escaped destruction were Lot and his two daughters.

The people of Sodom were infamous for their pride, greed and inhospitality. Biblical writers, ancient historians and Jesus Himself remark on the inhospitality of the inhabitants of Sodom but they never mention homosexuality. Don't you find that interesting?

Every Time Sodom is mentioned in the Bible. This Link will open in a new page.

Please don't take my word for it. Look up the verses for yourself in your own Bible and discover that God never mentions homosexuality in connection with His judgment on Sodom.

Genesis 10:19, 13:10, 12, 13, 14:2, 8, 10-11, 12, 17, 21-22, 18:16, 20, 22, 26, 19:1, 4, 24, 28

Deuteronomy 23:17 - shrine prostitute

Deuteronomy 29:23, 32:32

Job 36:14 - margin, qadesh, shrine prostitute

Isaiah 1:9-10, 3:9, 13:19

Jeremiah 23:14, 49:18, 50:40

Lamentations 4:6

Ezekiel 16:46, 48-49, 53, 55-56

Hosea 4:14 - harlots, qadeshah, shrine prostitutes

Amos 4:11

Zephaniah 2:9

Matthew 10:15, 11:23-24

Mark 6:11

Luke 10:12, 17:29

Romans 9:29

II Peter 2:6

Jude 7

Revelation 11:8, 22:15 - dogs (compare Deu 23:17-18 - “dog” was a derogatory name for a shrine prostitute).

The Companion Bible defines sodomites [shrine prostitutes] as those who commit the sin of Sodom, male prostitutes who were dedicated to idolatry which involved male-male sexual practice (from The Companion Bible note on I Ki 14:24).

The Companion Bible provides an interesting description of the fertility cult worship of ancient Canaan. This Link will open in a new page.

The Asherah pole was a phallic symbol, set upright in the ground, which represented the male organ of creation. The pole was associated with the fertility goddess.

According to E.W. Bullinger, who wrote the notes for The Companion Bible, the phallic asherah pole was the “remembrance” of Isaiah 57:8 and the “image of the male” of Ezekiel 16:17.

When we talk about sodomites, the qadesh and qadesha, we're talking about ancient shrine prostitutes, not modern homosexuals. The Hebrew words from which we get the word “sodomite,” are qadesh or qedesh, qadesha or qedesha, qadeshim or qedeshim.

Sodomites were men and women who engaged in sexual acts with pagan worshipers of the Canaanite fertility goddess. In the Bible sodomites are not homosexuals - they are pagan worshipers of the fertility goddess who rejected the true God of Israel.

The words qadesh, qadesha, qadeshim, translated sodomite in the KJV, never mean homosexual as we understand that word today.

The term sodomite today could only accurately describe someone, (not necessarily homosexual), who engaged in anal sex in worship of the fertility goddess.

Christians who take their Bible seriously know that when the word sodomite is used in the Bible, it never refers to homosexuals.

Read each reference again and prove to yourself that sodomite(s) as used in Scripture, never refers to homosexuals.

• Deuteronomy 23:17-18

• I Kings 14:24

• I Kings 15:12

• I Kings 22:46

• II Kings 23:7

• Job 36:14

None of the verses listed on this page deals with a committed, faithful, non-cultic relationship between two men or two women. If you don't believe that, prove it to yourself by reading the verses again and carefully note the Biblical context.

When any Christian anywhere uses these verses against homosexuals and lesbians, that Christian has an ulterior motive. Do not be fooled. Stand up against bigotry and for the truth of scripture.

Gay people are encouraged to believe on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior just like non-gay people. Don't let anyone steal your joy in Jesus or your desire to serve God. Trust God, read, study and believe your Bible and grow in the Lord. You'll be glad you did.

What really happened in ancient Sodom?

Inhospitality or Lack of Hospitality was a very serious sin in the ancient near east. The Old Testament has a lot to say about this particular sin.

The New Testament also has a lot to say about Hospitality and Lack of Hospitality. Were these issues important to Jesus?

Portions of this article about sodomites are excerpted from the book Gay Christian 101 - Spiritual Self-Defense For Gay Christians, has been used of God to encourage many struggling gay and lesbian believers.

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