Abomination Pt 2: A word study on one of today's hot-button issues.
- Jane Isley
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 3
Looking at the New Testament.
In part one, which you can read here, I looked at the word abomination starting with Leviticus, and went through definitions, Jewish sources, and cultural background.
For part 2, I am picking up right where I left off with what the New Testament tells us regarding abomination.
Many would like to use a very common comeback to my part 1. Which is: Why didn’t Jesus talk about this topic then?
Actually, He did; people just don’t like to hear His answer. (It’s the whole cherry-picking theme all over again.)
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10: 6–9
What’s unique about this verse is that Jesus’s statement here was a double emphasis that I didn’t even know about till looking into it.
“Jesus’s basic point is simple enough. In marriage, God unites two to become one, and no human should seek to separate what God has joined together. To support his case, he quotes Genesis 2:24, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh’. It’s this concept of the two becoming one flesh that Jesus is drawing on to support his position on divorce.
But Genesis 2:24 isn’t the only part of the creation narratives that Jesus quotes here. He also quotes Genesis 1:27, ‘God made them male and female’. Strictly speaking, as far as I can see, Jesus didn’t need to include that quote. His point about not separating what God has joined is rooted in Genesis 2:24, and Genesis 1:27 has nothing to add on that point. In formal terms, Jesus’s use of Genesis 1:27 in this conversation is redundant.
And yet, for us, the inclusion of this additional Genesis verse is vitally important. By quoting these words, Jesus gives us an insight into his perspective on two of the biggest debates of our day.” (6)
He was very clear when He said, “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife.” (this is recorded twice btw, Matthew 19: 4–5)
You can read the original Greek Mark passage here, and the original Matthew passage here, showing the words “a man” and “wife.”
Jesus has been around since the beginning of creation, and He was born a dude. I am fairly confident that He knew the difference between a man and a woman when he said this. (I’ve run into that flimsy argument before for a few different arguments.)
Some, probably many, will now go the route of saying Jesus accepted all sinners because He sat with them, therefore, this behavior is also accepted.
No, He sat with sinners to show His love for them, no matter their sin, to tell them the truth, to offer open forgiveness, and to bring them to repentance.
“While Jesus sat at supper in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
But when Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.
For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Matthew 9:10–13
Let me end with a Greek translation.
“But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
Abominable | Bdelussomai | βδελύσσομαι
“Definition: To abhor, detest, loathe
Meaning: I abhor, detest, loathe.
Usage: The Greek verb “bdelussomai” conveys a strong sense of disgust or revulsion. It is used to describe an intense aversion or repulsion towards something considered vile or abominable. In the New Testament, it often refers to moral or spiritual abhorrence, particularly in the context of idolatry or practices that are detestable to God.”
Believe what you wish, behave how you want, I am not stopping you. But the Bible is clear on what an abomination is and, more importantly, what it tells you about your relationship with Him.
Do with this information what you choose, but remember we can’t rewrite the Bible or write our feelings and opinions into it.
© Jane Isley
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Sources for part 1 & 2:
(2) Jewish Encyclopedia ABOMINATION By: H. Pereira Mendes M.D., D.D. President of the Union of Orthodox Congregations of the United States and Canada; Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation, New York City.
(3) Biblehub.com Strong’s Lexicon: ’ā·wen (wicked)
(6) Jesus on Same-Sex Marriage By: Andrew Bunt
(7) Biblehub.com Strong’s Lexicon: bdelussomai (having become abominable)
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