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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.
The area around Sodom as it looks today. Paleobotanists (plant historians who study ancient seeds, plants and plant fossils) tell us that 3700 years ago, the area around Sodom was well-watered, fertile and grew abundant crops. Because the men of that city tried to gang rape male angels, it is assumed that sod@mites must be homosexuals. Does the Bible support the belief that all the men of Sodom were homosexuals?To discover the answer to that question, we must see how the word is used in the Bible. Let's forget, for a moment, what your church taught you and what you personally believe on this issue. The Hebrew word for sodomites is qadesh. What does the Bible say about this important word?
Bas relief of an ancient qadesh or shrine prostitute Shrine prostitutes or qadesh were common in the ancient near east of Bible times. God insisted Israel must not engage in sexual worship of false gods because that is the kind of false worship the qadesh used. "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 The meaning of Qadesh in Hebrew. This Link will open in a new page.Notice that nothing in the context of these verses deals with a committed, faithful, noncultic relationship between two men or two women. 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.” The meaning of Sodom in Hebrew. This Link will open in a new page.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, noncultic relationships between two men or two women when in actual fact, the Bible never condemns committed, faithful, noncultic, same sex relationships. Thinking Christians are interested in what the Bible actually says, not merely what it is presumed to teach.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.
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) we must retain the original Hebrew meaning. Because qadesh and qadesha did not refer to gay men or lesbian women in committed, faithful, noncultic relationships in any Biblical reference where those words are used, it is wrong to assert that qadesh and qadesha mean homosexual in the English when they clearly did not mean homosexual in the 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. The important link between the ancient inhabitants of Sodom and ancient "sodomites" is cultic sexual worship of the Canaanite fertility goddess, not committed, faithful, noncultic same sex relationships.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 never mention homosexuality. Every Time Sodom And sodomite(s) Are Mentioned In The BibleEvery Time Sodom is mentioned in the Bible. This Link will open in a new page. It is a simple matter to read the verses and discover for yourself that God never mentions homosexuality in connection with His judgement 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 The Companion Bible Defines SodomiteThe Companion Bible defines a whore as a sodomitess [a shrine prostitute] who was consecrated to heathen worship, I Kings 14:24, 15:12, 22:46, Job 36:14 (from Companion Bible note on Deu 23:17). 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 Companion Bible note on I Ki 14:24). The Companion Bible On Canaanite Fertility Cults
Believe what the Bible says, not what anyone tells you it means. 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. Bullinger associates this phallic symbol with the obscene sexual orgies practiced by pagan worshippers of the fertility goddess in ancient Canaan (The Companion Bible, Appendix 42, p. 36.). As Bullinger's Companion Bible points out, we're talking about ancient shrine prostitutes, not modern homosexuals. The Hebrew words from which we get the word “sodomite,” transliterated into English, are qadesh or qedesh, qadesha or qedesha, qadeshim or qedeshim.
Ashtoreth, the Canaanite fertility goddess. Ashtoreth worshipers engaged in anal sex, men with men and men with women. This pagan worship is what God prohibited, not committed, faithful, noncultic, same sex partnerships. Sodomites were men and women who engaged in sexual acts with pagan worshipers of the Canaanite fertility goddess. Sodomites in the Bible are not homosexuals. The words qadesh, qadesha, qadeshim, translated sodomite in the KJV, never mean homosexual as we understand that word today. Sodomite is wrongly used in the twenty first century, as an epithet to demean male homosexuals.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.
Wildflowers in Galilee.
None of the verses listed on this page deals with a committed, faithful, noncultic relationship between two men or two women. If you don't believe that, you need to read 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 for the truth of scripture. The Bible is friendly and affirming to gay people.Gay people are encouraged to believe on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior just like nongay people. Don't let anyone steal your joy in Jesus or your desire to serve God. If Homosexuality Was Not The Sin of Sodom, Does The Bible Tell Us What Made God So Upset With Sodom?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 This book will be available in May, 2007. You’ve read about sodomites. Click here to return to GayChristian101.com Home Page.
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