{"id":51578,"date":"2017-10-28T11:11:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-28T16:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=51578"},"modified":"2022-08-12T11:49:46","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T16:49:46","slug":"what-exactly-is-sodomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-exactly-is-sodomy\/","title":{"rendered":"What exactly is sodomy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<h2>Question:<\/h2>\n<p>What exactly is sodomy? My understanding is that it is oral sex with either the same sex or between man and wife, but I have had many arguments with other people who say oral sex is OK between married people. This is such an embarrassing topic, but I really want to hear your opinion.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you so much for being there to answer.<\/p>\n\t<h2>Answer:<\/h2>\n<p>The word &#8220;sodomy&#8221; as currently defined means: &#8220;sexual intercourse involving anal or oral copulation.&#8221; But when you ask whether something is right or wrong, then you are looking for a biblical definition. &#8220;Sodomy&#8221; has not been used to translate any Hebrew or Greek word in the Bible in any of the major translations. According to\u00a0<em>Online Etymology Dictionary<\/em>, the word &#8220;sodomy&#8221; started to be used in the middle ages. &#8220;c.1300, &#8220;unnatural sexual relations,&#8221; such as those imputed to the inhabitants of Biblical Sodom, especially between persons of the same sex but also with beasts, from Old French <em>sodomie<\/em>, from Late Latin\u00a0<em>peccatum Sodomiticum<\/em>\u00a0&#8220;anal sex,&#8221; literally &#8220;the sin of Sodom,&#8221; from Latin\u00a0<em>Sodoma<\/em>. In Middle English also\u00a0<em>synne Sodomyke<\/em>\u00a0(early 14c.).&#8221; Thus, the word developed in the Middle Ages to describe the sin that took place in the city of Sodom, i.e. homosexuality. &#8220;Homosexuality&#8221; was not developed as a word until about 1890, so &#8220;sodomy&#8221; is an older word for the same sin.<\/p>\n<p>In the King James Version, published originally in 1611, &#8220;sodomite&#8221; was used to translate\u00a0<em>qadhesh<\/em>, a Hebrew word for a male prostitute connected with idolatry. &#8220;It is clear from the texts available that the male or female prostitutes were tied closely to pagan concepts of fertility religion, which included imitative or sympathetic magic. Through intercourse with the devotees of the gods, the worshipers believed that they influenced the gods to grant them fertility and increase their families, lands, and crops.&#8221; [<em>The Complete Biblical Library<\/em>]. It is assumed that it is generally males who visited these prostitutes, so male prostitutes were involved in homosexuality. More modern translations translate\u00a0<em>qadhesh<\/em>\u00a0as &#8220;perverted person,&#8221; &#8220;cult prostitute,&#8221; or &#8220;male prostitute.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It is not hard to see how &#8220;sodomy&#8221; took on its modern meaning. Homosexuality involves anal and oral sex; thus, the word was generalized because it isn&#8217;t politically correct these days to point out that homosexuality is sinful.<\/p>\n<p>Homosexuality is clearly condemned in the Bible (see: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/notes-on-homosexuality\/\">Notes on Homosexuality<\/a>). Sex outside of marriage (fornication and adultery) is also condemned (I Corinthians 6:9-10). Anal sex involves the risk of disease, even when practiced by married couples (see:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-anal-or-oral-sex-between-a-married-couple-a-sin\/\">Is anal and oral sex between a married couple a sin?<\/a>). Oral sex could be argued as being allowed if both the husband and the wife accept it (see:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-oral-sex-between-a-married-couple-a-sin\/\">Is oral sex between a married couple a sin?<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Question: What exactly is sodomy? My understanding is that it is oral sex with either the same sex or between man and wife, but I have had many arguments with other people who say oral sex is OK between married people. This is such an embarrassing topic, but I really want to hear your opinion.&hellip;<\/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":[445,35,442,63,76],"class_list":["post-51578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-anal-sex","tag-homosexuality","tag-oral-sex","tag-sex","tag-terminology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51576,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/your-article-answered-my-wifes-question-on-sodomy-so-well\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":0},"title":"Your article answered my wife&#8217;s question on &#8220;Sodomy&#8221; so well","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My wife had a question about 'Sodomy' and your article answered it so well.\u00a0Taking a peek at your other articles and seeing the depth in each one is encouraging me to go deeper into the Word. If I lived closer, I would surely come and\u00a0visit.\u00a0Even though I've been a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90822,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-kinds-of-sex-are-included-in-leviticus-1822\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":1},"title":"What kinds of sex are included in Leviticus 18:22?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: According to Leviticus 18:22, \"Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable\" (NIV). My Question: Is it oral or anal sex, or something else? What if the person is a transgender woman, meaning male to female? Answer: \"You shall not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3680,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-oral-sex-before-marriage-ok\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":2},"title":"Is oral sex before marriage ok?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 10, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is oral sex before marriage ok? Answer: When people want to justify a behavior that deep down inside themselves they know they shouldn't do, they will redefine terms that cast their actions into a better light. I've noticed in recent years that people, young people especially, are making the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1821,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-anal-or-oral-sex-between-a-married-couple-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":3},"title":"Is anal or oral sex between a married couple a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is anal and oral sex between a married couple a sin? And is my desire for it also a sin? Should I be angry at my wife's unwillingness to participate in anal or oral sex? Answer: In describing the decay of the Gentile society, Paul pointed out that it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40003,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-would-god-make-homosexuality-pleasurable-if-it-was-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":4},"title":"Why would God make homosexuality pleasurable if it was wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I have been reading through your site. I really can tell you know what you're talking about. I have a question, but it might seem a little crude. I hope you won't be offended. I have several friends that are gay and they tell me that being gay\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26107,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-included-in-porneia\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":5},"title":"What is included in porneia?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi! I have been studying sex and the Bible. What I am really confused about is that the Bible does not mention oral sex or mutual masturbation. It only mentions anal sex and vaginal sex. Thus, how are oral sex and mutual masturbation a sin? How is it sexual\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","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\/51578","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=51578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51578\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}