- I've discussed the events that took place at Sodom and Gomorrah elsewhere. That study should be read before this one, as this study is somewhat based on it.
- The translators of the Authorized King James Version, like the rest of us, had their personal biases. Their biases are not nearly as evident in their biblical works as those of the new paraphrasers are in theirs, but they are still to be found in this grandest of all English Bibles. A case in point is their translation of the Hebrew words Qadeshah and Qadesh. According Strong's this word means female and male temple prostitutes respectively."
- As I have pointed in so many of these studies, temple
prostitution was a grave concern of the biblical authors. Despite this,
notice the following verses in the KJV:
Deut. 23:17: "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel..."
Actually, this reads: "There shall be no Qadeshah of the daughters of Israel, nor a Qadesh of the sons of Israel..."
Which is to say: "There shall be no female temple prostitutes of the daughters of Israel, nor male temple prostitutes of the sons of Israel..."
Likewise:
I Kings:14:24: "And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel."
What do "sodomites" have to do with the 'abominations of the nations'? The word "abomination" or "Tow'ebah" specifically refers to idolatrous activities. When read without bias, this verse makes complete sense:
"And there were also male temple prostitutes in the land: and they [these temple prostitutes] did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel."
Again,
I Kings 15:12: "And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made"
Once again, note the connection between the "sodomites" and idols.
"And he took away the male temple prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made." Much more sense in context.
And again,
- I Kings: 22:46: "And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land."
"And the remnant of the male prostitutes, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land."
We again find the presence of idol worship. As we read at the Wikipedia: "Immediately after his [Asa's] accession to the throne, he deprived his idolatrous grandmother Maachah of the title of Queen Mother (2 Chr. 15:16-18)." Of Queen Maachah we read, "...She is also called "Michaiah". She married king Rehoboam and is mentioned as his most beloved wife. She became the mother of Abijah, the next king. She lived after her grandson Asa became king, and was removed from her titulation of "lady" because she was worshipping idols." As for Jehoshaphat, "He devoted his life to destroying idols and restoring the worship of God." As we read in I Kings, Jehoshaphat still had to deal with the remaining idol worshipping sex cults and this is what's being discussed here.
Also,
- II Kings: 23:7: "And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove"
Once again, these "sodomites" practiced their arts adjacent to the Temple, the House of Lord. Why would homosexuals do this? The Qadesh would do this because they believed their religious practices were the correct way to worship God and wanted their services to be readily available. Note too that where the Qadesh did their working "the women" were weaving hangings for the Grove. That Pagan worshipped in Sacred Graves is obvious. Of this, Strong's informs us:
"asherah (ash-ay-raw');
Word Origin: Hebrew, Proper Name Feminine
from (0833)
Ashera(h) = "groves (for idol worship)"
1. a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images
a. the goddess, goddesses
b. her images
c. sacred trees or poles set up near an altarTherefore: "And he brake down the houses of the male temple prostitutes, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the [Pagan][G]rove".
No friends, the Bible does not condemn committed same gender marriages among Jews or Christians. Don't believe the hate, God loves YOU, just as you are!
What then is a Sodomite? From a strictly biblical sense, Sodomists are people who fail to show hospitality to strangers. All other meanings stem from homophobia! For more on this, refer to my study Return to Sodom
Still have doubts or question? Let me know! I'm here to help.
Who cares, I'm glad YOU'RE here!
AllFaith.com Home Page AllFaith.com Grace Inclusive Sign John of AllFaith's Guestbook John of AllFaith's Blog John Not-the-Apostle's Humor Section Contact John of AllFaith
Visit The Not-so Sacred Book of John Not The Apostle
