Of all the clobber passages, one of the most famous is 1 Corinthians 6.
In fact, this passage might be considered the “root of all misunderstanding,” the source of fundamentalist condemnation of homosexuality and eventually, being transgender.
It was during the creation of the Bible’s Revised Standard Version (RSV) in 1946 that I Corinthians 6 grabbed the spotlight. You may have heard of the documentary “1946: A Mistranslation that Shaped a Culture.”
If you haven’t seen this documentary, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. It lends insight into how Bible translations are made and highlights one of the most important factors in the creation of those translations: human failure.
Yes, we are only human, and humans make mistakes. And that’s how the very first translation of the RSV came to condemn homosexuality.
The documentary “1946:The Mistranslation That Shaped a Culture,” is available on most streaming services and elaborates on the topics in this column.
The RSV, in that first edition from 1946, was the first-ever Biblical translation to use the word “homosexuality.” It was a mistranslation that was corrected in the second edition to “sexual perverts.”
But before the mistake was caught and dealt with, the damage was already done.
The next edition of the RSV, and multiple translations, continued to refer to the old RSV translation. These included the New International Version (NIV), the English Standard Version (ESV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), and The Living Bible (TLB). All referenced the flawed 1946 version of the RSV Bible.
Because of this mistake repeated over and over, many fundamenalist Christians still believe, mistakenly, that they have solid evidence the Bible condemns homosexuality.
Core of mistranslation lies in two Greek words
The mistranslation comes down to two Greek words, Malakoi and Arsenokoitai.
Malakoi is used commonly throughout the New Testament, often in reference to clothing, and usually means “soft.” You’ll find it in Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25.
It can also mean someone who is “morally soft” or weak-willed, and it has been used in reference to men who enjoyed a life of luxury and decadence.
Some try to say Malakoi is a modern-day equivalent of “metrosexual,” and some even try to equate it with a man who has been penetrated. Neither of these interpretations suit the full passage when we look at the next word, Arsenkoital.
This word is found less often in the Bible. Its first half, arsen, means “male.” Its second half, koite, means “bed.”
Some have tried to infer this to mean the word is referencing sexual intercourse between men. But when you see the word arsenkoital used elsewhere in the Bible, it only appears in the context of economic exploitation.
This helps us understand that this passage is actually referring to “pimping,” or selling another for sex.
Now, accurately applying context above, we see I Corinthians is condemning decadence (malakoi) and sexual exploitation (arsenkoital). This fits right into the list of vices mentioned elsewhere by the author, Paul.
The big message has nothing to do with homosexuality and everything to do with placing one’s own selfish desires ahead of God’s relationship with humanity.
Personal bias always affects translation
This mistranslation from 1946 is not the sole cause of Christian homophobia. As we’ve already covered in previous editions of this column, many other passages have been misinterpreted, misused, and misapplied.
As always, remember: whatever the reader brings to the text will influence how they interpret it.Your own personal context, history and experiences influence how you interpet something. If a homophobic or transphobic person reads one of these texts, they’ll still interpret it to reinforce their homophobia or transphobia. Same goes for all the ‘isms and phobias.
We cannot take the Bible word-for-word, verbatim. We CAN apply context that involves usage of words elsewhere, words used in combination with other words, or original exact meanings of Biblical words, as we have above.
I hope during this Pride season, this column helps you remind your homophobic aunts, uncles, and loved ones — and yourselves – that you are ALL beloved children of God, fearfully and wonderfully made.
