Homosexuality in the Bible

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them. Lev. 20:13

I must admit that I have never really paid attention to this verse. However, there are some out there that are teaching that the Hebrew is about pedophilia. Having heard this idea of pedophilia I just couldn’t let it go. 

I was expecting it to say that “an ish should not lie with an ish”. However, the Hebrew says an ish is not to lie with a zakar. As in our paper, Three Kinds of Men explains ish is translated man or husband, zakar is male and an is most commonly paired with neqevah which is female they are used of both people and animals.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27 

And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Gen. 6:19 

Other Hebrew Words

If pedophilia were meant than one of these words would have been used.

The Hebrew for boy is na’ar, na’arah is a girl. There is also yelad which is young man or youth, often means one not old enough to grow a beard, paired with yalada which is girl, damsel, or marriageable girl.

If pedophilia were meant than one of these words would have been used.