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Homosexuality and biblical interpretation (view source)
Revision as of 15:42, April 10, 2009
, 15:42, April 10, 2009→Daniel and Ashpenaz
"Now God had brought Daniel into favour[H2617] and tender love[H7356] with the prince of the eunuchs." (Dan 1:9)
"Now God had brought Daniel into favour[H2617] and tender love[H7356] with the prince of the eunuchs." (Dan 1:9)
A far less popular attempt by a popular pro-homosex web writer,<ref>B.A. Robinson, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, same-sex relationships in the Bible</ref> is one which argues that the Hebrew words for ''favour'' and ''tender love'', ''chesed'' ''v'rachamim'', is more reasonably translated "mercy" and "physical love", rendering it that the eunuch "Ashpenaz showed mercy and engaged in physical love" with Daniel the eunuch. He deals with the problem of eunuchs engaging in sex by assuming that they were both castrated after puberty and also retained their sex drive.
A far less popular attempt by a popular pro-homosex web writer,<ref>B.A. Robinson, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, same-sex relationships in the Bible</ref> is one which argues that the Hebrew words for ''favour'' and ''tender love'', ''chesed'' ''v'rachamim'', is more reasonably translated "mercy" and "physical love", rendering it that the eunuch "Ashpenaz showed mercy and engaged in physical love" with Daniel the eunuch. He deals with the problem of presumed<ref>The Hebrew word for "eunuch" can also refer to such men as the officer of Pharaoh who was married, or an officer over men of war: Gn. 39:1ff; 2King. 25:19</ref> eunuchs engaging in sex by assuming that they were both castrated after puberty and also retained their sex drive.
However, grammatically the combination of the two Hebrews words used for favor and tender love is not exclusive to here, but are used many times elsewhere to describe the lovingkindness (KJV) of the LORD, as in Psa 25:6: “Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies[7356] and thy lovingkindnesses[2617],” or Psa 103:4: “....who crowneth thee with lovingkindness[2617] and tender mercies[7356].” (cf. Ps. 40:11; 51:1; 69:16; Ps. 103:4; Is. 63:7; Jer. 16:5; Lam. 3:22; Hos. 2:19; Zec. 7:9)
However, grammatically the combination of the two Hebrews words used for ''favor'' and ''tender love'' is not exclusive to here, but are used many times elsewhere to describe the lovingkindness (KJV) of the LORD, as in Psa 25:6: “Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies[7356] and thy lovingkindnesses[2617],” or Psa 103:4: “....who crowneth thee with lovingkindness[2617] and tender mercies[7356].” (cf. Ps. 40:11; 51:1; 69:16; Ps. 103:4; Is. 63:7; Jer. 16:5; Lam. 3:22; Hos. 2:19; Zec. 7:9)
Moreover, in it's 42 occurrences the word for "tender love" almost always means mercies in the general sense, and is never used to describe strictly physical love, let alone in the erotic sense. Nor is the it used as part of a reciprocal action, as between two persons engaging in such. The idea that it describes physical love seems to be derived from the fact that in a minority of times it denotes the womb, (Gen. 49:25, Prov. 30:16, Isa. 46:3, Eze. 20:26) yet the subject in such cases is not being physically loved. The context of Daniel 1:9 is that of other texts in which kindness and mercy is shown, and fits perfectly with the usual combination of chesed with v'rachamim, that of non erotic lovingkindness and mercies.
Moreover, in it's 42 occurrences the word for "tender love" almost always means mercies in the general sense, and is never used to describe strictly physical love, let alone in the erotic sense. Nor is it used as part of a reciprocal action, as between two persons engaging in such. The idea that it describes physical love might be derived from the fact that in a minority of times it denotes the womb, (Gen. 49:25, Prov. 30:16, Isa. 46:3, Eze. 20:26) yet the subject in such cases is not being physically loved. The context of Daniel 1:9 is that of other texts in which kindness and mercy is shown, and fits perfectly with the usual combination of chesed with v'rachamim, that of non erotic lovingkindness and mercies.
In addition, studies show that castration after the onset of puberty typically reduces sex drive considerably or altogether eliminate it.<ref>The case for castration, part 2, Washington Monthly , May, 1994 by Fred S. Berlin</ref><ref>The Unkindest Cut: A Czech Solution for Sex Offenders, Timemagazine, By Leo Cendrowicz / Brussels Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009</ref>
In addition, studies show that castration after the onset of puberty typically reduces sex drive considerably or altogether eliminates it.<ref>The case for castration, part 2, Washington Monthly , May, 1994 by Fred S. Berlin</ref><ref>The Unkindest Cut: A Czech Solution for Sex Offenders, Timemagazine, By Leo Cendrowicz / Brussels Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009</ref>
Thus the assertion that Daniel 1:9 is more reasonably rendered as “mercy and engaged in physical love” is not reasonable, and is unwarranted, and demonstrates for traditionalists the extremes pro-homosex polemicists can go to in attempting to force text into passages it does not belong in.
Finally, the pro-homosex polemic here is one which again not only requires reading oblique sexual meanings into words which do not warrant such, and in a Book which evidences no real problem conveying when sexual activity took place (with one exception: Gn. 9:20-24), but it imagines that a most righteous man would not only engage in homoeroticism which is explicitly condemned, but also do so in an unmarried state, which is always condemned.
Thus the assertion that Daniel 1:9 is more reasonably rendered as “mercy and engaged in physical love” is not reasonable, and is unwarranted, and demonstrates for traditionalists the extremes which pro-homosex polemicists can go to in attempting to force text into passages it does not belong in.
== See also ==
== See also ==