Leviticus 18:22; 20:13
What the Bible says...
Leviticus 18:22
[22] Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
Leviticus 20:13
[13]If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
...and how it can be interpreted
Dr. James B. DeYoung
This passage occurs in a section of Leviticus called the "law of holiness" (chs. 18-20); the emphasis is on moral precepts rather than ceremonial and ritual matters as in the rest of the book. In literary form, chapter 18 resembles the universal texts containing the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5).
The pivotal verse (18:22) says: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable" (or "an abomination"). This prohibition and evaluation is repeated in 20:13, with the addition that the penalty of death is assigned. Not even homosexual apologists deny that homosexual behavior is forbidden here. Yet these interpreters dismiss this text as ritualistic, as limited to Israel's concern for purity and having no universal significance. This misses the mark. Universality is in these chapters, since the second greatest commandment (19:18: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself") is derived from this section of Leviticus and is cited by Jesus (Matthew 22:37-40), James (2:8) and Paul (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14). In addition, Paul cites 18:5 (Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12) and 19:19 (2 Corinthians 6:14ff.); Jesus cites 19:12 (Matthew 5:33); and Peter cites 19:2 (1 Peter 1:14-16). Clearly the New Testament found this section meaningful for Christian morality and behavior. Even within chapters 18 and 20 the Canaanites and Egyptians are indicted for the sins listed and punished for them (18:3, 24-30; 20:23), even though they had not been given Israel's ceremonial and legal statutes. The word "abomination" or "detestable" is from to'eba and covers, in the Old Testament, not only ritual impurity but idolatry and here in chapter 18 homosexuality, incest, child sacrifice, bestiality, etc. (see v. 29). Of all the sins, only homosexuality is twice identified as "detestable." While the prohibition of eating unclean food is also here (20:25), along with other stipulations affecting only Israel, these are not assigned a penalty in chapter 20 and are distinguished from the universal sins (as confirmed by their never being repeated in the New Testament).
Finally, no Israelite man or woman was to serve God in the temple by being a prostitute. Since this usually took the form of men called "dogs" who serviced males in their devotion to pagan female deities, it was especially "abominable" or "detestable" to do this in a religious place, God's temple (see Deuteronomy 23:18; 2 Kings 23:1-7ff.). This suggests that it is particularly detestable to use the cloak of religion to mask homosexual behavior.
Dr. David M. Carr
These texts are the only explicit prohibitions of homosexual acts in the Old Testament. Both focus exclusively on one activity: male-male intercourse where a man "lies with another man the lying down of a woman." Most scholars believe it aims to preserve the purity of Israel through protection of male hierarchy and honor. In honor cultures like ancient Israel it was/is a severe affront for one man to have sex with another man like a woman. This would help explain the exclusive focus here on male-male intercourse.
Meanwhile, the Bible prohibits sex during menstruation in the very same chapters (Lev 18:19; 20:18), but few Christian conservatives have mounted a campaign to expel people who violate that commandment.
Of course, many now live in quite different cultures. But that has not stopped some from selectively using regulations like Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 to support their condemnation of homosexual intimacy. Meanwhile, the Bible prohibits sex during menstruation in the very same chapters (Lev 18:19; 20:18), but few Christian conservatives have mounted a campaign to expel people who violate that commandment.
Readers of the Bible's diverse sexual regulations -- whether liberal or conservative -- are and need be selective. The Old Testament allows married men to have sex with prostitutes, slaves and other unmarried women not under the protection of their fathers. It never condemns female homosexuality, nor does it condemn male-male sex aside from intercourse. The Bible's world of sexual mores is not ours. Anyone claiming to be advocating pure Biblical ethics has not taken a close enough look at them. Prayerfully, Christians must build on and beyond the Bible.