What Does the Torah Say About Homosexuality?

The Torah's direct statements on male same-sex intercourse appear in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 — passages not present in the retrieved set — but the broader halakhic framework they anchor is well attested in rabbinic literature. The Mishnah categorizes same-sex acts under the heading of arayot (forbidden sexual relations), a legal category that carries serious consequences in classical Jewish law Mishnah Yevamot 6:2.

Deuteronomy 23:17 prohibits a qadesh (often translated 'sodomite' in the KJV) among the sons of Israel, though modern scholars like Jacob Milgrom and Phyllis Trible have debated whether this term refers to cultic prostitution rather than homosexuality per se Deuteronomy 23:17. The verse reads:

There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

The Mishnah Yevamot 6:2 is instructive: it treats anal intercourse — regardless of the gender configuration — as legally equivalent to typical intercourse for purposes of disqualification, showing that rabbinic law was precise about the act itself Mishnah Yevamot 6:2. This text doesn't single out same-sex relations exclusively, but it demonstrates the legal seriousness attached to non-normative sexual acts.

Contemporary Jewish denominations diverge sharply. Orthodox authorities like Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (d. 1986) upheld the classical prohibition. Reform and Conservative movements — the latter through the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards' landmark 2006 teshuvot — have moved toward full inclusion of LGBTQ+ Jews, arguing that the Torah's dignity-of-persons principles outweigh a contextually limited prohibition. It's worth being honest: this is a live, contested debate within Judaism, not a settled one.

Christianity receives the Torah as part of its Old Testament canon, so what the Torah says is directly relevant — though Christians have long debated how Mosaic law applies after the New Covenant. The Deuteronomy prohibition on the qadesh was read by early Church Fathers as a condemnation of sexual immorality broadly, and the Levitical texts (not in the retrieved passages but foundational to the conversation) were cited by Paul in Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6 Deuteronomy 23:17.

The prohibition against adultery, repeated in both Exodus and Deuteronomy, frames the Torah's wider concern with sexual fidelity and covenantal integrity Exodus 20:14 Deuteronomy 5:18:

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Christian theologians like Thomas Aquinas (13th c.) classified same-sex acts under 'sins against nature,' drawing on both Torah and natural law reasoning. More recently, scholars like Luke Timothy Johnson (Emory University) and William Loader (Murdoch University) have taken opposing views on whether New Testament texts simply reiterate Torah prohibitions or reframe them entirely.

Mainline Protestant denominations (Episcopal, ELCA, Presbyterian USA) have largely moved toward LGBTQ+ inclusion since the early 2000s, while Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and evangelical traditions maintain that the Torah's prohibition remains morally binding. The disagreement isn't just exegetical — it's about the hermeneutical question of which parts of Torah carry permanent moral weight versus ceremonial or civil applicability.

Islam's position on homosexuality derives primarily from the Qur'an (especially the story of Lot/Lut in Surah 7:80–84 and Surah 26:165–166) and from Hadith literature — not from the Torah directly. Muslims do not regard the Torah as binding scripture in its current form, believing it has been altered over time (tahrif). So while the question 'what does the Torah say' is technically out of scope for Islamic jurisprudence, the Hadith tradition does address sexual morality with considerable force.

Allah's prohibition of 'shameful deeds and sins' — including unlawful sexual intercourse — is grounded in the concept of ghira (divine jealousy or protective honor) Sahih al Bukhari 7403 Sahih al Bukhari 5221:

There is none having a greater sense of Ghira than Allah, and for that reason He has forbidden shameful deeds and sins (illegal sexual intercourse etc.).

Classical Islamic jurisprudence across all four Sunni schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) treats same-sex intercourse as a grave sin (kabira), though the schools differ on evidentiary standards and prescribed penalties. Contemporary Muslim scholars like Khaled Abou El Fadl have called for more nuanced readings, but the mainstream scholarly consensus remains prohibitive. The Islamic position is thus parallel to — but legally independent of — what the Torah says.

Within the Torah as received in Judaism, two repeated pillars of sexual ethics are the prohibitions of adultery in the Decalogue and a ban rendered in English as “sodomite.” These verses are foundational touchpoints in later halakhic and exegetical discussion. Exodus 20:14 Deuteronomy 5:18 Deuteronomy 23:17

Torah texts: the Decalogue commands, “You shall not commit adultery,” a baseline boundary in Israel’s covenantal life. Exodus 20:14 Deuteronomy 5:18 Deuteronomy also states, “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel,” a line that readers and commentators closely parse when mapping Israel’s sexual norms. Deuteronomy 23:17 Interpretations of the term in this verse and how it relates to same-sex acts vary in Jewish discourse; this single verse is nevertheless a recurring locus for that debate. Deuteronomy 23:17

Rabbinic halakha later clarifies that the Torah’s sexual-liability framework doesn’t distinguish between “atypical” (anal) and “typical” intercourse with forbidden partners—both are halakhically consequential—an important legal premise for subsequent rulings. Mishnah Yevamot 6:2

Christians receive the Torah (Pentateuch) as Scripture and read the same sexual-ethics anchors that Judaism does: the Decalogue’s prohibition of adultery and Deuteronomy’s ban that English Bibles render using “sodomite.” These texts form part of Christian moral reflection on sexual conduct. Exodus 20:14 Deuteronomy 5:18 Deuteronomy 23:17

In practice, Christian traditions cite these Torah passages when discussing sexual boundaries and holiness, while interpreting and applying them within broader canonical and pastoral frameworks; but the core Torah wording remains the same in Christian Old Testament usage. Exodus 20:14 Deuteronomy 5:18 Deuteronomy 23:17

Not applicable. Concerns Torah (Pentateuch) specifically; Islamic scripture and jurisprudence aren’t the question’s focus.