Modern dictionaries define words as they are currently used. In
using a modern dictionary to define an old or ancient word can lead to error or
confusion. Examples in the King James Bible. the word amazement meant terror;
bowels meant heart or emotions; and careful meant anxious. Today's meaning is
quite different for those words and many others. The Bible seems to be very
specific in the use of adultery and fornication. I wanted to delve deeper into
the definitions and determine if they are or are not interchangeable.
In the Old Testament, the word "adultery" comes from
the Hebrew word "niaph" and my Bible dictionaries gave several
meanings: a person who had (a) sex with a married woman; (b) a married woman
who had sex with a man other than her husband, (c) idolatrous worship or (d) to
apostatize.
The New
Testament Greek words "pornea"
is often translated "fornication;" and akatharsia is
often translated "uncleanness." According to B. A. Robinson, " By simply
defining the words in a narrow or wide sense, religious liberals and
conservatives can totally change the meaning of the Bible." Whoa!
That's a weighty thought as I want to properly understand the Word of
God without making it too wide or too narrow but accurate.
Although the Victorians told us fornication means premarital
sex, it does NOT specifically or exclusively mean that. According to several
Bible dictionaries, the Greek word,
"pornea" can be translated to mean (a) pornography, (b) fornication, (c)
idolatry, (d) whoredom; (e) harlotry and comes from the root word "pernaō,"
that means to "sell off" something. It can also mean having sex with
a temple prostitute. (1 Cor. 10.8)
Originally, the term fornication
was derived from the Indo-European word gwher. It means "To heat, warm."
Derivatives include brand,
brandy, forceps, furnace and fornicate. I was curious how forceps made it into the
list; the simple answer is forceps were originally used to carry hot coals. In Roman
times, brothels were called "fornices." In 1303 the word came to mean
a person who paid a prostitute for sexual services; the prostitute was not a
fornicator but a prostitute.
Now that we know a bit of the word history, let's dig back
into the Bible and see what it says about sexual immorality. Leviticus 18 gives a long list of what is
considered sexually immoral. Premarital sex is not on the list. That chapter
might be worth reading in case you're curious. The word nakedness comes from
the word "pudendum." The
medical term pudendum is defined as "elating
to, occurring in, or lying in the region of the external genital organ."
In the Old Testament (Leviticus 20:10), adultery (sex between
two people where one or both were married or engaged to another) was treated as
a capital crime - a stoning to death offense. Since God often compares
faithfulness to Him with faithfulness to a mate; and compares loving God with
loving our partner - it's not surprising that adultery is considered a sin with
capital punishment. God's law makes strong boundaries to help people see how
important faithfulness to Him and to a marital partner is.
Pre-marital sex on the other hand, required the male lover to
give the father the "bride price" since he had robbed the father of the
value of a virgin and shamed the family; plus, at the father's choice, was
required to irrevocably marry the girl. (Exodus 22.16-17) While the man in this
situation, could not divorce the woman, the Old Testament law allowed her to divorce
him if he did not provide adequate, pleasurable lovemaking, clothing or food.
(Exodus 21.7-11) Thus, non-marital sex (neither partner was married) was
treated as a civil matter based on devaluing the father's "property",
NOT as a criminal offense.
Thus, am I stating that promiscuity is Biblical? Absolutely not! To follow Jesus's Great Commandment of Loving
God and Loving Others (Matthew 22.36-38); sharing a loving, sexual bond is not
a sin. A Biblical test for a loving relationship
follows 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a: "Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't
jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It
doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of
wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth.
Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping,
never gives up. Love never comes to an end." If an unmarried couple can have an intimate
relationship that is based on that loving scripture, then I don't see it as anti-Biblical.
In summary, Adultery was treated as a "sin"
resulting in death by stoning. The Bible didn't state "Yes, non-marital
sex is okay" but the law treated it as a human situation, not as a crime.
Rather surprising since the law was given about 3,400 years ago! Comments by
other Bible writers about fornication can't change the fact of what God said.
In the Bible, God comes as a fire or is compared to a fire
that burns away the chaff. Since the root word for fornication has many
derivates meaning fire or burn. And since Paul says it is better to marry than
to burn. Could that be interpreted that a couple who has pre-marital or non-marital
sex, rather than just satisfying their sexual desire should marry or at least
live together so their intimate relationship causes them to burn away some of
the chaff in their life and learn to be less egocentric and more giving and
compassionate and to be more like Jesus. That would fit with what my priest
alluded to on the Maundy Thursday sermon.
I interpret the Bible as explaining non-marital sex is
permissible and holy when shared in a loving, committed relationship with the
goal of being more Christlike; however, sex to "scratch an itch"
without love, commitment or a goal for greater holiness could be emotionally or
spiritually damaging to the individuals. Persons who still hold the sex until
marriage is the only Biblical way to enjoy the delights of sexual intimacy,
would do best to follow Paul's teaching in 1 Timothy 1:19 " Cling to your
faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have
deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been
shipwrecked."
