/lit/ - Literature

>While Jacob Milgrom’s work may offer some doubt about our current interpretations, K. Renato Lings’ understanding of Leviticus 18:22 gives us a better idea about the meaning of the original Hebrew.
>First, Lings notes that the word used for “man” is not the typical noun used for “man.” Instead, a word which translates to male occurs here. This noun for “male” includes both young and adult males. Therefore, Lings translates the text of Lev. 18:22 as “And with a male you shall not lie.”
>However, difficulties with translation start as one turns to the next phrase, “As with a woman” (NRSV). Lings contends that translators have taken liberties here by including the word “as”. Many translations also include particles “with” or “like.” According to Ling, these words are not part of the original Hebrew text. Thus, he translates the verse so far as “And with a male you shall lie down the lyings of a woman.”
>According to Ling the reference in Genesis 49:4 depicts “lyings” as incest.
>Furthermore, Lings considers the context in which Lev. 18:22 is written ... Most of Leviticus 18 deals directly with incest. Notably, the list of laws from Leviticus 18 is reordered in Leviticus 20. In Leviticus 18 the order of the topics is ambiguous, but in chapter 20 the so-called homosexual law appears within a list referring to incest. Lings’ linguistic study leads him to conclude that Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 continue the theme of incestuous relationships.
>Thus, the passage should be paraphrased: “Sexual intercourse with a close male relative should be just as abominable to you as incestuous relationships with female relatives.”
Well /lit/? Is God okay with homosexuality after all? What do our resident Hebrew scholars think of this interpretation?
https://blog.smu.edu/ot8317/2016/05/11/leviticus-1822/