Let’s move on to two passages difficult to interpret. They are difficult because they contain vice lists – general lists of sinful activity. They provide little context within which to examine phraseology, which is useful in properly interpreting a passage. Still, this would not be a major problem, except for the fact that the Greek words commonly translated ar interpreted as referring to homosexuality are actually not referring to it at all.
(Excerpts from: Homosexianity by R. D. Weekly – For the sake of familiarity, scripture quotations appearing in the book were replaced with the New World Translation) http://www.amazon.com/Homosexianity-Letting-Devastating-Scripture-Orientation/dp/1442163062/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356175321&sr=1-1&keywords=homosexianity
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What! Do YOU not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men, 10 nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And yet that is what some of YOU were. But YOU have been washed clean, but YOU have been sanctified, but YOU have been declared righteous in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9,10
In the knowledge of this fact, that law is promulgated, not for a righteous man, but for persons lawless and unruly, ungodly and sinners, lacking loving-kindness, and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, 10 fornicators, men who lie with males, kidnappers, liars, false swearers, and whatever other thing is in opposition to the healthful teaching. – 1 Timothy 1:9,10
The words and phrases “effeminate”, “abusers of themselves with mankind”, “whoremongers”, and “them that defile themselves with mankind” are often considered references to homosexuals. In fact, some translations actually use the word “homosexual”. With so many translations in apparent agreement, they’re obviously accurate, right? Wrong! Examining the Greek terms often translated “homosexual” (or a synonym thereof) leaves no doubt that the translators were culturally biases in translating these terms. The terms in question are malakoi and arsenokoitai.
Let’s examine the passages again with the Greek terms included.
What! Do YOU not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes [malakoi], nor men who lie with men [arsenokoitai], 10 nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And yet that is what some of YOU were. But YOU have been washed clean, but YOU have been sanctified, but YOU have been declared righteous in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9,10
In the knowledge of this fact, that law is promulgated, not for a righteous man, but for persons lawless and unruly, ungodly and sinners, lacking loving-kindness, and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, 10 fornicators, men who lie with males [arsenokoitai], kidnappers, liars, false swearers, and whatever other thing is in opposition to the healthful teaching. – 1 Timothy 1:9,10
Both of these words present problems for the English translations, as is evidenced by:
1 – their translation into English words that are not related to one another from version to version.
2 – the lack of translational consistency between these two passages in the selfsame version.
Let’s begin by examining the first problem. Malakoi is translated differently from version to version, indicating that the translators weren’t as sure about the proper translation as we think.
These translations indicate very different understandings of what malakoi actually means in ancient (Koine) Greek, and indicate that the translators had no uniform view of it’s proper translation. “Male prostitute”, “homosexual”, effeminate”, and “pervert” are all very different terms. [There are] effeminate straight, and also masculine homosexuals. So which translation is accurate?
Malakos (the singular form of malakoi) means “soft”. In Mathew 11:8 and Luke 7:25, it described John the Baptist’s clothing, as well as clothing worn by royalty and the wealthy. In modern culture, one might think of silk as malakos. By extension, the word meant something having a feminine quality (like soft clothing).
Moving on to the second translational problem, let’s examine the lack of consistency between how bible versions render the same term in these two passages. Because arsenokoitai is used in both passages, it will be the focus of this consideration.
Unlike with malakoi, all 10 versions fairly consistently translate arsenokoitai as having something to do with homosexual activity. Unfortunately, there is disagreement between the general condemnation of people with a homosexual orientation (same-sex attractions) and people who actually engage in same-sex sexual activity, who can themselves be either gay or straight (as was the case with the idolaters we’ve previously discussed).
Some translations are careful to only call attention to those who “practice” or “participate in” same-sex sexual activity, while others more generally condemn all homosexuals. It’s possible that the translators did not recognize the difference between having a homosexual orientation and engaging in same-sex sexual activity, which is all the more reason for them to be especially careful in translating these words before calling their finished product the word of God.
Another point of inconsistency centers on whether this passage condemns homosexuals specifically, or any type of sexual deviation. The condemnation of “perverts” in the NIV’s rendering of 1 Timothy 1:10 would condemn many straight people as well.
The Amplified Bible does something weird. It translates arsenokoitai as “practicing homosexuals” in 1 Corinthians 6:9, but as the ambiguous “people who abuse themselves with men” in 1 Timothy 1:10, which could be interpreted as homosexuals, or even a heterosexual female prostitutes. Why the Amplified Bible and NIV translators chose not to be consistent in translating a word that appears in only the two places in the entire bible is [strange].
Given these inconsistencies, it’s obvious the translators were not as sure about the translation as we would like to believe. We cannot afford to assume that what we are reading in our English translations are accurate renderings of this obscure term.
Arsenokoitai is one of the most difficult words to translate into English. In the bible, it’s only used in these two vice lists, so the context provides little to no clues as to its proper translation. In addition, Paul’s usage of the word in these two seems to be the first time it was used in ancient writings. Some go as far as to conclude that Paul actually coined the term. In subsequent historical writings, it seldom appears, and even then, it appears only in more vice lists. This presents a major hurdle for determining the proper meaning of the word.
The word itself is a Greek compound, taking the word for male (arsen) and combining it with the word for beds (koitai). Grammatically speaking, it’s the Greek prefix, arseno, connected to koitai. Literally translated, it means “male beds”; but because koita (bed) was an ancient euphemism for sex (just as the verb form of “bed” is today), arsenokoitai can be better translated as “male bedders”. The question we must ask is: Exactly what kind of “male bedders” is being condemned? Wives are male bedders, and we certainly don’t want to make the mistake of condemning them, too. So it’s important to determine exactly what is being referred to by this term.
Because the term is so rarely used in historical writings, we must rely on its usage in scripture to provide clues for its proper translation.
Lists often group items together. For example a grocery list might group eggs, milk and cheese together. In lists of all kinds, grouping helps people better understand the relationship between the listed terms. When examining 1 Timothy 1:9,10, it becomes apparent that Paul grouped these vices together.
In the knowledge of this fact, that law is promulgated, not for a righteous man, but for persons lawless and unruly, ungodly and sinners, lacking loving-kindness, and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, 10 fornicators, men who lie with males, kidnappers, liars, false swearers, and whatever other thing is in opposition to the healthful teaching. – 1 Timothy 1:9,10
Paul clearly grouped terms in this vice list, and in doing so, provided us with just enough evidence to determine the proper interpretation of “male-bedders”.
The word translated “fornicators” (“whoremongers” – KJV) is the Greek: pornois. As the plural form of pornos, it is derived from the word pernemi, which means “to sell”. Pornos actually means “prostitute”, or specifically, “male prostitute”.
It’s likely that male prostitutes (pornois) and male-bedders (arsenokoites) are likely related in some way, consistent with Paul’s use of grouping; however, not so obvious is the relation that “kidnappers” (“menstealers – KJV) have in this group.
The word translated “kidnappers” is andrapodistais, and it means “enslaver”. This explains the type of kidnapper that we’re dealing with. It’s referring to a slave trader – one who enslaves others and, by implication, profits from their servitude.
So then, in this obviously sexual group of terms, we have the pornois (male prostitutes) and the andrapodistais (slave traders). We have men who are choosing to become the sexual objects of others (pornois), and we also have those profiting from their exploitation (andrapodistais). But, where do arsenkoitais fit in?
Consider a modern-day prostitution ring. Just as in this biblical group, three players are involved. There’s the pimp or madam (the person profiting off of the exploitation of others), the prostitute or gigolo (the person selling his body for the sexual pleasure of others), and the client (the person having sex with the prostitute/gigolo.) Comparing this to the biblical group in 1 Timothy 1:10, we have the andrapodistais (analogous to pimps or madams), the pornois (analogous to prostitutes, or more specifically, gigolos), and the arsenokoitais (analogous to the clients who have sex with – who bed – the male prostitutes; male-bedders, indeed).
We finally know the meaning of arsenokoitais. They are “male-bedders” – those who have sex with male prostitutes (the pornois). Considering the culture Paul was addressing in these passages, the arsenokoitais of the ancient Greco-Roman culture were almost always older men, and the pornois were younger boys who prostituted themselves to survive in a culture with very wide socio-economic class gaps. This translation of arsenokoitais, which much better fits the contextual evidence, is in perfect harmony with the context of the other passage in question, 1 Corinthians 6:9.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes [malakoi], nor men who lie with men [arsenokoitai] – 1 Corinthians 6:9
To be continued…