HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE
BIBLE STUDY
12
It is a generally accepted theory today that approximately one person in every ten is homosexual. If that is the case, then we can assume that of the people of the Bible, one in ten also shares this orientation. The first question that comes to mind, I’m sure, is: are they evident, or are they all hiding in the closet? The answer may surprise you. Needless to say, homophobic clerics and churches have denied the evidence, but I will lay it out for you to judge for yourself. We will begin with the story of Jonathan and David.
After Moses, arguably the greatest patriarch of the Hebrew Scriptures was King David. It is well to note that David’s name means beloved of God. When you read his story, which you will find in 1 and 2 Samuel, you will witness both wonderful things David did, as well as evil. Keep in mind that David, whatever he did or did not do, his name remained beloved of God, as did David himself remain a beloved of God.
Names had a very special significance during the times of the Hebrew Scriptures. A name became a substitution for the thing itself. For example, during those days, if you were to write someone’s name in the dust of the ground and then stomp on it, it was just as though you had stomped on the person yourself. Names also were considered to carry a kind of power, such that the power could be conveyed to that which took on the name. Scripture abounds with many such examples.
To best understand David’s story, we must put it into the context of the story of the Israelites. In answer to the Israelites repeated requests to be ruled by a king like the rest of the surrounding nations, God had appointed Saul as their first king. But Saul left a lot to be desired (remember that God never takes away a person’s free will, and Saul misused his), so God ultimately rejected Saul as king over Israel and instructed the Prophet, Samuel, to anoint David in Saul’s place. Note that the anointing preceded by several years David’s ascension to the throne.
David’s first appearance on the scene is in 1 Samuel 16:12. He is the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a man from Bethlehem, and he cares for his father’s sheep. It is not often that scripture goes into detail about the physical appearance of biblical characters, and it is interesting to note that David is described here as ruddy with a beautiful face, and entirely handsome to look at.
King Saul might today be described as being manic-depressive–up one day, down the next. Scripture tells us that the Spirit of God would depart him and an evil spirit would come to "trouble" him, and he would have fits of depression. Saul’s servants tell him of a wonderful harp player (David), whose music might be "just the thing" to calm Saul. Saul sends for David and David plays his harp, and Saul is comforted by the music.
One of the reasons Saul might have been depressed, besides the fact that he knows that God has rejected him (though he apparently doesn’t know for whom), is that his troops had been waging war with the Philistines for years, and it seemed like the fighting would never end. One day after David had returned home to Bethlehem he was sent to the front to bring food to his brothers who were fighting for Saul. He arrived at the front just in time to hear the giant, Goliath, challenge the Israelites to send one of their own to duel with him, saying that the outcome of the duel would determine which army would become the servant of the other. Saul posted a reward of riches, freedom for the family of the champion of Israel, and Saul’s own daughter for Goliath’s head. David took up the challenge and killed Goliath, using only his slingshot and five stones. (We read in 2 Samuel 21:19 that it was Elhanan who killed Goliath, but that’s another story for another time.)
Erotic friendship and love between hero warriors was a rather common theme in antiquity, including Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Achilles and Patroclus, Alexander the Great and Hephaestion, just to name a few. David now is a hero of the Israelites, and it is at this time that he catches the eye of King Saul’s son, Jonathan, a hero in his own right.
We read: And it came to pass, when David
finished speaking with Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of
David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took David in that day, and
wouldn’t let him go back home. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because
Jonathan loved David as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe
that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword,
and to his bow, and to his girdle. (1 Samuel 18:1-4).
Note the specific language here. The books of Samuel are not generally
poetic in nature, yet note the beauty in the words: the soul of Jonathan
was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
It is interesting to note that the NIV reads: Jonathan became one in
spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. These words signify much
more than just a friendship, even a close friendship. Today many religious
marriage ceremonies use the words become one in spirit to signify its
spiritual bond.
Homophobic clerics and churches contend that David was just using Jonathan as a stepping-stone to power. Yet we see that according to the verses, it is Saul who makes David a part of his own household, and it is Jonathan who seeks out David, strips himself of his symbols of power and appears to submit himself to David. Even though David was a hero and welcomed into the royal court, he was still subject to the prince and could never have been the aggressor.
It isn’t too long before the love-hate attitude of Saul towards David becomes evident. Saul gave David command of troops, and he begins to make a name for himself. When Saul is confronted with David’s popularity with the people he feels threatened and attacks David with a javelin, but is unsuccessful. Saul had promised the killer of Goliath his daughter’s hand and has to make good, but he decides to demand a dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins (read penises) for her, thinking that David will be killed. Instead, David presents Saul with 200 foreskins, so Saul is forced to give David his daughter, Michal, for a wife. Saul is beginning to realize that David is God’s choice to replace him.
Saul tells Jonathan that he should kill David, but Jonathan comes to David’s defense, telling his father all the wonderful deeds David has performed in Saul’s service, so Saul relents. But again, Saul turns and attempts to attack David with another javelin, but David escapes to hide at Samuel‘s home, where Jonathan joins him.
Next we read, (1 Samuel 20:30-31): Then
Saul’s anger flared up against Jonathan, and Saul said to him, "You son of a
perverse and rebellious woman, don’t you know that I know that you have chosen
the son of Jesse to your own confusion and unto the confusion of your mother’s
nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse remains alive, you won’t be
established, nor your kingdom. So now, send for him and have him brought here to
me, because he is going to die."
These are very important verses, because they describe how Saul perceives the
relationship between David and Jonathan. However mentally deranged Saul was, it
is evident from these verses that he realized that Jonathan and David were more
than “just friends.” In modern English we might have heard Saul say, "You son of
a bitch. I know darn well what is going on here. You’re sick, boy. You’re
confused. You’re the intimate companion of that son of Jesse, and you are
shaming your mother."
Many scholars take the position–and indeed it is the position expressed in the New Oxford Annotated Bible–that Saul is accusing Jonathan of treason here. We will endeavor to dig a little deeper. Tom Horner, in his Jonathan Loved David writes, "…the (Hebrew) word bocher, represented here as chosen, could also be read as bacher, (remembering that ancient Hebrew had no vowels) which means companion or fellow, and so it is read in the Greek version. The distinguished scholar, S.R. Driver, says that the Greek choice is unquestionably the one to be followed here. But the word the Greek uses here–metochos–as well as meaning companion or partner, more especially means sharing or participating in when followed by the genitive of the person or thing, as is indeed the case here. Thus the entire Greek clause ou gar oida hoti metochos ei su to huio Iessai could be translated, "For, do I not know that you are an intimate companion to the son of Jesse?" Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance tells us that the word translated confusion above was bosheth in the original Hebrew and means shame (the feeling and the condition, as well as its cause); by implication. (spec.) an idol:–ashamed, confusion, +greatly, (put to) shame (-ful thing). The NIV as well as many modern translations use the word shame instead of confusion.
I want to call attention to the phrase an idol in the above definition. In modern-day phraseology, to be obsessed with someone is to idolize them, a statement not outside the scope of this thesis. Note also the use of the word nakedness. The word was a euphemism for sex and sexual relations. In ancient times in polite society, as today, people spoke in euphemisms rather than use "uncomfortable" words. Ever hear of someone saying, "I don’t want that person’s name mentioned in this house?” Spoken in anger, the concept is that by even mentioning the name the speaker would be welcoming an unwelcome guest into the household–note the paragraph on the power of names above. So here we see that Saul, refusing even to mention David’s name, refers to him as the son of Jesse. Further, he refers to Jonathan’s love for David as confusion (or shame) and nakedness to verbalize a sexual component.
Prior to this encounter between Jonathan and Saul, David, who had been in hiding from Saul met with Jonathan, trying to find out the reason for Saul‘s attacks. Jonathan assures David that he is safe, then offers to speak to Saul to determine his intention on David’s behalf. Jonathan comes up with a plan and a signal to let David know if he is welcome to return. When Saul explodes at Jonathan, he realizes that David, in order to save his life, must go away.
We then read (Chapter 20:35, 41, KJV):
And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the
time appointed with David, and a little lad with him…..And as soon as the lad
was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to
the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and
wept one with another, until David exceeded.
The signal Jonathan had given was that Saul did intend to kill David and
he would have to flee or die. Still willing to risk being caught to spend a last
few minutes with Jonathan, David came out of his hiding place and made obeisance
to his prince. Having acknowledged Jonathan’s authority by bowing to him, he
rose and they embraced and wept, knowing that they may never see each other
again. Again, scholars ignore the specific language which says that both men
kissed each other and wept at the knowledge that they might never see each other
again, claiming that desert people are passionate, and these two friends were
just sad that they would have to part. I call your attention to the phrase
David exceeded. The NIV reads: but David wept the most. The
Jerusalem Bible reads: both shed many tears. The New Oxford
Annotated Bible, while it uses the phrase David wept the more, has
the following footnote: Vg: Meaning of the Hebrew uncertain.
According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word translated exceeded in the KJV was gadal, and its meaning includes the following: a prim. root; prop. to twist, i.e. to be (caus. make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor…) It is human nature that when situations of great emotional upheaval occur between people who love each other, sexual passions are ignited. Could this be what the author intended to point out?
The chapter continues in verse 42, reading:
And Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us
in the name of God saying, ’The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed
and thy seed forever.’ And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the
city.
Reported in Chapter 20:14-17, Jonathan and David had mutually pledged to
take care of each other and their families, and Jonathan reminds David of their
covenant. It is interesting to note that while other translations maintain the
sense of the wording of the KJV, the NIV chose the following phraseology:
"Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other….” David
lived up to the covenant. 2 Samuel 9 tells us that he rescued Jonathan’s
crippled son, Mephibosheth, raised him, and restored to him all the land that
had belonged to Saul.
David and Jonathan never see each other again. Jonathan dies at his father’s side while fighting the Philistines. When David learns of Jonathan’s death he is greatly distressed and writes a lament. Recorded in 2 Samuel, part of it (1:25-26) reads: How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. (KJV) Most scholars again ignore the language of the verse, insisting that just because David said that Jonathan’s love for him surpassed the love of women, he didn’t really mean it in that way. One wonders in what way surpassing the love of women could mean other than in that way.
This ends today’s study. Next week: The story of Ruth and Naomi.