People argue about this constantly. You’ve seen the protests, the heated dinner table debates, and the social media threads that go on forever. But when you ask, "is homosexuality in the bible?" you aren't just asking for a yes or no. You're asking about translation, ancient culture, and how a few specific Greek and Hebrew words changed the world.
It's complicated. Honestly, the word "homosexuality" didn't even appear in an English Bible until 1946. That’s a massive detail most people miss. Before the Revised Standard Version (RSV) hit the shelves that year, the verses people cite today were translated very differently. The concept of sexual orientation—the idea that you are inherently attracted to the same or opposite sex—is a modern psychological framework. The biblical authors didn't have a word for it because they didn't think about identity that way. They thought about actions.
The "Clobber Passages" and Their Context
If you’ve spent any time in this debate, you know the usual suspects. People call them "clobber passages." These are the six or seven snippets of Scripture often used to condemn same-sex relationships.
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Leviticus 18:22 is the big one in the Old Testament. It says, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." Sounds pretty clear, right? But scholars like Dr. Gale Yee and others who specialize in the Hebrew Bible point out that "abomination" (to’evah) often refers to ritual impurity or things associated with foreign idol worship, not necessarily an eternal moral law. It’s the same word used for eating non-kosher food. In the ancient Near East, the concern was often about maintaining the distinct identity of the Israelites against their neighbors.
Then there’s Sodom and Gomorrah. Most people think that story is about being gay. It isn't. For centuries, Jewish and Christian tradition—including the prophet Ezekiel—said the sin of Sodom was pride, greed, and a lack of hospitality. Ezekiel 16:49 literally spells it out: "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." The idea that it was about sexual orientation is a much later interpretation.
The New Testament Greek Mystery
Moving into the New Testament, things get even stickier because of the language. Paul wrote in Greek. He used two specific words in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10: malakoi and arsenokoitai.
Malakoi literally means "soft." In the ancient world, this could mean anything from a man who liked expensive clothes to someone who lacked self-control or was "effeminate" in a way that shamed his family. It wasn't a specific label for a gay man.
Arsenokoitai is even weirder. Paul actually seems to have made the word up. It’s a compound word: arseno (male) and koitai (bed). Because Paul was a Pharisee, he was likely echoing the Greek translation of Leviticus. But here is the catch: what did he mean by it? Some scholars, like Dr. David Gushee, suggest Paul was targeting exploitative practices, like pederasty (men with boys) or sex trafficking, which were common in the Roman Empire. The idea of two consenting adults in a loving, committed same-sex marriage simply wasn't on his radar. It didn't exist in his social reality.
Natural vs. Unnatural in Romans 1
Romans 1 is often the "smoking gun" for those arguing that the Bible condemns homosexuality. Paul talks about people giving up "natural" relations for "unnatural" ones.
Context matters. Paul was writing to a Roman culture where status was everything. In that world, "natural" often meant "what fits your social status." A man taking a "passive" role in sex was seen as unnatural because it lowered his status to that of a woman or a slave.
Also, Paul frames these actions as a result of idolatry—literally turning away from God to worship statues. He’s describing a specific kind of chaotic, lustful excess. Many progressive theologians argue that this is fundamentally different from a person’s innate sexual orientation. If you are a gay person, acting on your attraction feels "natural" to you. Forcing yourself to be straight would be "unnatural." Paul’s use of the word physis (nature) is a philosophical rabbit hole that scholars are still digging through today.
What About the "Positive" Examples?
You rarely hear about the other side of the coin. Some people look at the Bible and see stories that look a lot like same-sex love, even if they aren't labeled that way.
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Take David and Jonathan. The Bible says Jonathan’s soul was "knit to the soul of David" and that he loved him "as his own soul." When Jonathan dies, David laments that Jonathan’s love was "wonderful, passing the love of women." Now, was it a romantic relationship? The text doesn't say. But it’s an intensely intimate, covenantal bond between two men that the Bible honors.
Then there’s the story of the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8. He asks Jesus to heal his pais. While pais can mean "servant" or "son," in a Roman military context, it was frequently used to describe a younger male lover. Jesus doesn't ask questions. He doesn't lecture the man on Roman morality. He just heals the person the Centurion loves and commends his faith.
Translation is a Political Act
We have to talk about 1946 again. When the RSV translators decided to use the word "homosexuals" to translate malakoi and arsenokoitai, they made a massive editorial choice. They lumped two distinct, ambiguous Greek words into one modern clinical term.
Later, researchers looked at the archives of the RSV translation committee. They found that a young seminarian had actually written to them, warning that "homosexuals" was an inaccurate translation of the original Greek. The committee actually agreed! They promised to change it in the next revision. But by then, the word was out. Other translations like the NIV and NASB followed suit, and the idea that "homosexuality is in the Bible" became a fixed point in the American mind.
It’s a reminder that the Bible you hold in your hand is a translation of a translation. Words carry baggage.
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Moving Beyond the Debate
So, where does that leave us?
If you are looking for a verse that says "being gay is fine," you won't find it. If you are looking for a verse that understands "sexual orientation" as we do today, you won't find that either. The Bible is a collection of ancient documents written by people in a patriarchal, agrarian society. They were concerned with lineage, ritual purity, and power dynamics.
But many people of faith look at the "fruit" of the Spirit. They look at the "Great Commandment" to love your neighbor. They see that the trajectory of the Bible often moves toward inclusion—like the Ethiopian Eunuch being welcomed into the church in the book of Acts, despite laws in Deuteronomy that should have kept him out.
Actionable Next Steps for Further Research
To truly understand this, you have to go beyond Sunday school summaries.
- Check the Greek: Use a tool like the Blue Letter Bible to look up 1 Corinthians 6:9. Click on the "Interlinear" tab to see the original words malakoi and arsenokoitai. See how many different ways they’ve been translated over the centuries.
- Read "God and the Gay Christian": Matthew Vines wrote a very accessible book that walks through the linguistic arguments from a place of deep faith. It’s a great starting point for the "pro-inclusion" side.
- Study the 1946 Project: There is a documentary and a whole movement focused on the 1946 translation error. Looking into their research provides a fascinating look at how Bibles are actually made.
- Consult a Commentary: Don't just read the verse. Read a scholarly commentary (like the Word Biblical Commentary or the Anchor Bible) to understand the historical context of Roman and Hebrew sexual ethics.
The question of whether homosexuality is in the Bible isn't just about reading a page. It's about deciding how we interpret ancient texts in a modern world. It requires humility, a bit of Greek, and a lot of grace for the people on the other side of the aisle.