One of my old MySpace friends insisted on calling gays “sodomites” because, “That’s what the Bible calls them.” No amount of evidence to the contrary would convince him. He also didn’t seem to care that it’s considered a derogatory term in LGBT circles and never quite understood why he couldn’t get gays to listen to him.
He’s not alone. I’ve heard a lot of preachers call gays sodomites.
“Sodomite” is not a scriptural term. At best, it’s a King James term. As far as I know, it’s only used in the King James Version.
It’s also incorrect to use sodomite as a general term for homosexuals. It’s not even used that way in King James.
The word translated sodomite is qadesh and refers to a male temple prostitute, which is the way it’s translated in most modern translations.
Qadesh is just the masculine form of qadeshah, which the KJV reguarly translates as “whore”.
Deuteronomy 23:17 is a good example. As the KJV reads:
There shall be no whore {qadeshah} of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite {qadesh} of the sons of Israel.
He’s not alone. I’ve heard a lot of preachers call gays sodomites.
“Sodomite” is not a scriptural term. At best, it’s a King James term. As far as I know, it’s only used in the King James Version.
It’s also incorrect to use sodomite as a general term for homosexuals. It’s not even used that way in King James.
The word translated sodomite is qadesh and refers to a male temple prostitute, which is the way it’s translated in most modern translations.
Qadesh is just the masculine form of qadeshah, which the KJV reguarly translates as “whore”.
Deuteronomy 23:17 is a good example. As the KJV reads:
There shall be no whore {qadeshah} of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite {qadesh} of the sons of Israel.
