The Sodom story never tells us that the men of Sodom were homosexuals. Homosexual: a word that’s biblically non-existent The Gibeah episode makes clear that the interest of the mob is not sexual gratification or homosexual behavior their objective is to inflict violence on the aliens in their midst. Second, the men of Sodom and Gibeah use sexual violence-rape-to maltreat the outsiders. Such people were vulnerable to citizens suspicious of outsiders. Lot and the Ephraimite man who lives in Gibeah are “resident aliens”. First, the angels and the Levite are strangers, aliens. The Sodom story and the Gibeah story mutually interpret one another. The men of Gibeah rape her and abuse her all night long. When the mob refuses to accept this offer, the Levite throws his poor concubine out the door anyway. He offers to send out his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine. Soon “the men of the city, a perverse lot” surround the house and demand that the owner send out the Levite “so that we may know him.” Like Lot, the owner tries to dissuade the mob. He warns them that they are not safe in the open and takes the three to his home. A little later, a man living in Gibeah, but described as from the country of Ephraim, comes upon them. They arrive in the town of Gibeah and plan to spend the night in the town square. An unnamed man from the tribe of Levi is traveling with his servant and his concubine. Judges 19 provides a chillingly similar story to the Sodom story in Genesis. Context determines what Ezekiel meant by “abomination”: Sodom’s “abomination” was that she did not aid the poor and needy. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, “Common to all these usages is the notion of irregularity, that which offends the accepted order, ritual, or moral.” Ezekiel 16 says nothing about same sex behavior. Sometimes this term is used with reference to sexual offenses (as in Leviticus 18:22), but this term has a broad range of meanings.
The Hebrew word translated “abominable things” is to’evah. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me therefore I removed them when I saw it” (16:49-50). While several other biblical texts refer to Sodom (and sometimes Gomorrah), the only one that comments on Sodom’s sinfulness is the sixth century BCE prophet Ezekiel: “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. Then God pours down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying its inhabitants (v. The next morning, the angels lead Lot’s family out of the city. The two angels pull him back inside the house to safety, and then they strike the men outside with blindness (v. 8) but the crowd dismisses Lot as an “alien” and tries to seize him. Before they all go to bed “the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house” (19:4) and demand that Lot send out his two guests so that “we may know them.” Lot tries to dissuade the mob from its course, even offering his two daughters to them (v. 2), but Lot is able to persuade them to come inside his home (presumably where it is safer). At first, the two angels say they prefer to spend the night in the town square (v. Lot invites them to spend the night in his home. Two angels in the guise of men come to Lot’s home in Sodom. Here’s the story: Abraham’s nephew, Lot, lives in Sodom. So readers must infer the nature of their sinfulness from the story told in Genesis 19. However, neither text explains what makes these cities sinful. In Genesis 13:12-13, the text says that the people of Sodom were “wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” Also, in 18:16-21 God informs Abraham: “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!” (v. However, two earlier passages are prelude to this. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the favorite passages of persons who oppose same-sex behavior. God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of homosexuality.” Graham concluded his post by quoting Romans 1:24-27. Jesus didn’t come to promote sin, He came to save us from sin. He is absolutely wrong when he said Jesus would approve of gay marriage. And I don’t see that gay marriage damages anyone else.”īreitbart dug up the comment recently, and Graham responded, “I have to respectfully disagree with former President Jimmy Carter on this one. Carter said, “Jesus would promote any love affair if it was honest or sincere and was not damaging to anyone else. Recently, Franklin Graham reacted to a comment made by former President Jimmy Carter to the Huffington Post several years ago.
Sodom and Gomorrah How the “classical” interpretation gets it wrong By Perry Kea | 9/19/18