Sexuality & Gender

זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם

zāḵār û-nəqēḇāh bārāʾ ʾōṯām

L2 — Text is L1 (documented); its theological significance for sexual differentiation is L2 (derived, though virtually universal in the patristic tradition).

עַל-כֵּן יַעֲזָב-אִישׁ אֶת-אָבִיו וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהָיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד

ʿal-kēn yaʿăzāḇ-ʾîš ʾeṯ-ʾāḇîw wə-dāḇaq bə-ʾiš·tô wə-hāyû lə-ḇāśār ʾeḥāḏ

L2 — Text L1; the creational-norm theological derivation is L2, though confirmed by Jesus's own citation in Matthew 19.

וְאֶת-זָכָר לֹא תִשְׁכַּב מִשְׁכְּבֵי אִשָּׁה — תּוֹעֵבָה הִוא

wə-ʾeṯ-zāḵār lōʾ ṯiš·kəḇ miš·kə·ḇê ʾiš·šāh — tōʿēḇāh hiʾ

L2 — Lexical content L1; scope of application to Gentile Christians is the contested hermeneutical question. Romans 1 provides the independent Gentile-applicable ground for most traditional exegetes.

ὁ κτίσας ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς

ho ktísas apʼ archēs ársen kaì thēly epoíēsen autoús

L1 — Direct citation of Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 by Jesus himself. Highest evidential weight for the creational norm: the Son of God grounds marriage in creation, citing both gender-differentiation and one-flesh union as jointly constitutive.

παρὰ φύσιν

para physin

L2 — NT Koine Greek (L1-legible); interpretation of para physin is the scholarly dispute — but lexical evidence from Rom 11:24 strongly favors objective natural-order reading over subjective-orientation reading.

ἀρσενοκοῖται · μαλακοί

arsenokoitai · malakoi

L2 — Greek terms documented; their referent is the scholarly dispute. Current consensus — including Loader (pro-revisionist) — accepts arsenokoitai means same-sex male intercourse, not male prostitution.