You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman. That is detestable.
- KJV Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
- NKJV You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.
- NASB You shall not sleep with a male as one sleeps with a female; it is an abomination.
- NLT “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Homosexual relations between men are forbidden and called detestable.
Overview
This verse, restated in Leviticus 20, prohibits male same-sex relations as contrary to God's created order for human sexuality. The New Testament affirms the moral principle behind it while calling all sinners to repentance and offering grace in Christ. Like all of Scripture's sexual ethics, it directs people toward the goodness of God's design and the hope of forgiveness and transformation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Lev 20:13If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
- Rom 1:26–27For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
- 1 Cor 6:9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,
- 1 Tim 1:10for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching
- Jude 1:7In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.
- 1 Kgs 14:24There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
- Deut 23:18You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.
- Judg 19:22While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with him!”
- Gen 19:5They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 18:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.