I was always taught from a small child by my Christian parents, not to say bad words; yet, I noticed in I Samuel 25:22,34; I Kings 14:10; 16:11; 21:21; and II Kings 9:8 that the writer used these types of words.\u00a0 Could you tell me what this means?<\/p>\n\t
Terms that are concerned polite or acceptable change between cultures and between time periods. The words used just a hundred years ago to refer to people with dark skin coloration are now considered so derogatory today that a politician using such words would be marched out of office. I’m sure some American expressions, such as “kicking a dead horse,” might sound offensive if literally translated into another language and culture.<\/p>\n
The phrase used in the verses you listed is\u00a0mashtin beqir<\/em> in the Hebrew. It literally means “one urinating on a wall.” It is an idiom for a male because males are able to do this while females cannot. In particular, it is a trait of male dogs as well as human males. The King James translators wrote the idiom as worded into English, but you will find that almost all modern versions will translate it as “man” or “male.”<\/p>\n When David said, “So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall<\/em>” (I Samuel 25:22 – KJV), the phrasing is not profanity. He is saying that he will not leave one male, even down to the dogs, alive by morning. Some translators suggested saying “if I leave him even one dog by dawn,” but this doesn’t capture what is being said very well since dogs can be male and female and the focus is actually on humans and not animals. Some others suggest “if I leave him one man by dawn,” but this could be seen as leaving out the animals and the boys. Most say something like, “if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light<\/em>.” This captures the broadness of the phrase without sounding offensive in modern-day English. You might miss the completeness of what David is saying, that is that he won’t even leave one male dog alive, but it retains the focus on the humans with whom he is angry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: I was always taught from a small child by my Christian parents, not to say bad words; yet, I noticed in I Samuel 25:22,34; I Kings 14:10; 16:11; 21:21; and II Kings 9:8 that the writer used these types of words.\u00a0 Could you tell me what this means? Answer: Terms that are concerned polite…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[219,968,76],"class_list":["post-22119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-bible","tag-languages","tag-terminology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2478,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-kinds-of-homosexuality-does-the-bible-mention\/","url_meta":{"origin":22119,"position":0},"title":"What kinds of homosexuality does the Bible mention?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 7, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What kinds of homosexuality does the Bible mention? Answer: \"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor\u00a0homosexuals, nor\u00a0sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20593,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/arent-curse-words-of-human-origin\/","url_meta":{"origin":22119,"position":1},"title":"Aren’t curse words of human origin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 22, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I understand the Bible commands us to\u00a0\"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers\"\u00a0(Ephesians 4:29). I understand the Bible says, \"bless and do not curse\"\u00a0(Romans\u00a012:14). I understand the passage of James 3:1-12. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36572,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-the-sky-referred-to-as-heavens-in-genesis-16-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":22119,"position":2},"title":"Why is the sky referred to as “heavens” in Genesis 1:6-8?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I am currently bust with a Bible study of Genesis and I am confused about something. In Genesis God said: \"Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth\". If the first heaven is the atmosphere\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18974,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-are-the-definitions-of-foolish-talk-and-coarse-jesting\/","url_meta":{"origin":22119,"position":3},"title":"What are the definitions of “foolish talk” and “coarse jesting?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Ephesians 5:4 says that \"neither ... foolish talking nor jesting\" ought to be found among the saints.\u00a0 However, I have had difficulty coming to the precise meanings of these words, or maybe I am afraid to.\u00a0 I see\u00a0on your web site\u00a0that you, and most others, define \"foolish talking\" as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40582,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-difference-between-sin-iniquity-and-abomination\/","url_meta":{"origin":22119,"position":4},"title":"What is the difference between sin, iniquity, and abomination?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is there any difference between sin and iniquity, and is there any difference between sin and abomination? Answer: \"Sin\" generally translates the Greek word\u00a0harmartia. It means to err, to miss the mark or the goal.\u00a0Harmartia\u00a0and its related forms are the most general word describing that which is sin. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18450,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-people-post-deuteronomy-1118-21-on-their-walls\/","url_meta":{"origin":22119,"position":5},"title":"Why do people post Deuteronomy 11:18-21 on their walls?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question regarding Deuteronomy 11:18-21. I am sure this is an easy question to answer but for some reason, I cannot get my mind around it. I have seen many people place the passage in their homes. I am not really sure what this verse is fully\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}