Lev 18:22; 20:13 behind Rom 1:26–27: מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה and תּוֹעֵבָה
Says Lev 18:22 reads וְאֶת־זָכָר לֹא תִשְׁכַּב מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה תּוֹעֵבָה הִוא (ve'et-zakhar lo' tishkav mishkeve ishah to'evah hi', "you must not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abomination"). מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה is the plural construct of the noun for "lying, bed" (H4904; BDB p. 1012, "act of lying") plus "woman": sexual intercourse. Lev 20:13 names both men, תּוֹעֵבָה עָשׂוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם (to'evah 'asu shenehem, "both of them have committed an abomination"), and sets the death penalty. תּוֹעֵבָה (to'evah; BDB p. 1072, "abomination") marks what God finds detestable.
Says The LXX has μετὰ ἄρσενος οὐ κοιμηθήσῃ κοίτην γυναικός (18:22) and ὃς ἂν κοιμηθῇ μετὰ ἄρσενος κοίτην γυναικός, βδέλυγμα ἐποίησαν ἀμφότεροι (20:13): general wording, with no limit of age, status, or cult.
Implies Rom 1:27's ἄρσενες ἐν ἄρσεσιν uses the LXX word for "male," beside Gen 1:27's ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ. Paul reads the men's acts, and by ὁμοίως ("likewise," 1:27) the women's (1:26), as παρὰ φύσιν, against the Creator's design, in line with the Levitical law, which names only males. This is the historic Protestant reading.
A minority historic view, Augustine's (Nupt. 2.20.35), took 1:26 of unnatural acts with men.
Implies Some limit תּוֹעֵבָה to ritual impurity, but it also marks moral wrongs (Deut 25:13–16; Prov 11:1), and for these practices the land vomited out the defiled nations (Lev 18:24–25, 28). The law is not only Israel's ritual code.
Claims
- SaysLev 18:22 and 20:13 forbid a male lying with a male מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה; both are called תּוֹעֵבָה; LXX ἄρσενος κοίτην, βδέλυγμα.
- ImpliesRom 1:26–27 applies this prohibition, with Gen 1:27, as a creation-order moral norm; the women's clause (1:26) is joined to the men's by ὁμοίως (historic Protestant reading).
- Impliesתּוֹעֵבָה is not merely ritual: moral uses and Lev 18:24–28 (the land vomited out the defiled nations, 18:24–25, 28).
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Lev 18:22, 24–28; 20:13; Deut 25:13–16; Prov 11:1
- BDB CC BY 4.0 s.v. mishkav (H4904), p. 1012, entry v.cy.ad; s.v. to'evah (H8441), p. 1072, entry w.bg.ab
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Lev 18:22; 20:13. LXX checked against Swete scan, vol. 1 (1909), pp. 227, 231.
- SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Rom 1:26–27
- NPNF1 5 public domain Book 2, ch. 35 [XX] (Nupt. 2.20.35), on Rom 1:26–27
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-10-28
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