Biblical Language Is Graphic
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WARNING – this article examines explicitly graphic language of the Bible, and is ONLY written to the warrior priests amongst us – the sensitive and easily offended can choose to stop reading NOW to avoid being shocked or offended.
Why – Why – Why
Ecclesiastes 1:9 – “What has been is what will be, what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes warns us not to be surprised – ain’t nuthin new under the sun! It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the Bible is loaded with language that today would be considered questionable, off color, vulgar, or downright sexually graphic language – language that one normally only hears coming out of the mouth of a construction worker or longshoreman – words which can be easily located in many passages and verses, words that are still used today, using modern equivalents for the ancient Hebrew words. Are you shocked? Oh grow up.
The Bible is not for sissies, pantywaists, snowflakes, milksops, the easily offended, cowards, or those who can’t handle the explicit, graphic language – it is for those who are courageous, warrior priests – language that depicts the sexual mores, habits, and activities of its peoples. It is a gross misperception that the Bible does not describe these goings-on in all their facets. It uses that language to wake you up, to force you to grow up, to act as a mirror to look into your own behavior to see if your thinking, speaking, and acting is likewise – and as stern warnings to future generations that punishment will be meted out. But is that all? Let’s take a look:
Part I
Biblical language even describes the place of whorehouses, what today we call the Red Light District – Does this shock you? If it does, then it is time for you to Grow Up!
The Sexual Habits of Biblical People
The sexual habits of biblical people is well documented in scripture, some of it very graphically illustrated:
The Naked Amongst Us
• We don’t get very far into scripture when we find out that two people, Adam and Eve, are walking around butt naked in a garden, but are not ashamed – something that today is thought to be inexcusable (Genesis 2:25).
• Shortly thereafter a son, Ham, sees his father Noah naked, and brags about it to his brothers (Genesis 9:18-22).
Let’s Sleep Around
• One of the first persons to sleep with someone other than his wife is Abraham. He sleeps with his maid, Hagar, albeit at the request of his wife, Sarah, who gets upset when the maid starts to treat her with contempt. Ishmael is the result of that sexual encounter, and we all know how well that has turned out for the human race, especially the Jews and Arabs. (Genesis 16:1-5).
• Having sex with a slave girl was common. Even if the girl or woman had been designated for another man but had not yet been ransomed or granted freedom, just ante up a few coins for the guilt offering and the sin will be forgiven (Leviticus 19:20-22).
• King David, despite already having multiple wives, spies a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing on the roof of a house located below his palace, sends for her, sleeps with her, gets her pregnant, then sends her husband off to war and has him killed so he can marry her (2 Samuel 11:1-14). Yahweh’s assessment: What David had done was evil (2 Samuel 11:27).
• Sleeping around is not confined to the Older Covenant Peoples. Oh, no. In Corinth there is a man who has been having sex with his stepmother – a sexual sin that is even condemned by pagans (1 Corinthians 5:1)! – Does this shock you? If it does, then it is time for you to Grow Up!
Let’s Have More Incest
• Dad Lot is drunk as a skunk thanks to his daughters plying him with wine, and the daughters think it a great idea to take turns having sex with him since they have no boyfriends of their own. Both end up pregnant, giving birth to sons who become the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites, again to the detriment of the Jews (Genesis 19:32-38). Yahweh declares he will eventually destroy both Moabites and Ammonites. So much for incest being approved (Zephaniah 2:8-9).
• Sending his daughter-in-law away does not work out well for Judah. We later read that Tamar pretends to be a prostitute, Judah has sex with her, and gets her pregnant. Again, incest does not benefit those who commit it (Genesis 38:11-26).
• Incest makes another grand entrance as David’s son, Amnon, rapes his brother Absalom’s sister, Tamar, with whom he is madly in love. This does not go well, either, as Amnon’s love turns to bitter hatred as soon as the dark deed is done. Absalom eventually kills Amnon for raping Tamar. (2 Samuel 13:1-15). – Does this shock you? If it does, then it is time for you to Grow Up!
The Red Light District
Soldiers on leave are well known for asking about available girls as soon as they come into town. Think not? Guess you’ve never run into sailors and soldiers during Fleet Week in San Francisco. You’ve probably heard of the houses of prostitution referred to as the Red Light District and wondered how that expression got started. Guess where –the Bible:
• You ask: Where was the first “Red Light” district? (Hint: two famous soldiers stopped there!) It was located at Rahab’s house in the wall at Jericho, though perhaps the “Red Cord” district would be more accurate. Rahab was told to place a red cord in her window so that when the Jews came to conquer, she and her family would be saved. Who says good can’t come out of a house of ill repute? (Joshua 2:1-21).
• Speaking of Rahab, her adherence to the instruction to put that red cord in the window allowed her to become the great-grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:18-22; Matthew 1:5)! – Does this shock you? If it does, then it is time for you to Grow Up!
Biblical STDs
• Rampant sex can be deadly. It was for the people who had yoked themselves to the worship of Baal. Baal worship frequently involved sexual encounters between priestesses and worshippers. Yahweh’s assessment: 24,000 died by the plague. Today people still die of sexually transmitted diseases, what the Bible calls plague! (Numbers 25:1-8).
Suppose We Just Abstain
• Joseph refused the propositions of Pharaoh’s wife (Genesis 39:1-20)
• Are husbands and wives supposed to have sex, or should they abstain? Yes, and Yes. But abstinence is only to be by mutual consent for a short time (1 Corinthians 7:1-5).
• Is everybody sexual, or are some made not to be sexual at all? Not all are made to be sexual, some eunuchs are reserved for ministry (Matthew 19:10-12).
Conclusions, Part I
Ecclesiastes 1:9 – “What has been is what will be, what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
The Bible is loaded with graphic language that depicts the sexual mores, habits, and activities of its peoples, which can be easily located in many passages and verses, much to the surprise and shock of today’s sensitive and easily offended pantywaists, milksops, or cowards. It uses that language to wake you up, to force you to grow up.
Ecclesiastes warns us not to be surprised – ain’t nuthin new under the sun! It should come as no surprise, therefore, that some of those mores, habits and activities are still being displayed today – even more so as we approach the imminent return of Yeshua for his bride. Are you still shocked? Oh grow up. Biblical language is not for sissies, it is for those who are courageous, warrior priests.
Part II
It is a gross misperception that the Bible does not use what many today consider to be questionable, off color, vulgar, or downright sexually graphic language – language that one normally only hears coming out of the mouth of a construction worker or longshoreman. Not so fast – Biblical language contains all of the above, and even numerous sexual innuendos – Does this shock you? If it does, then it is time for you to Grow Up!
Strong and Graphic Language About The Bride
The Bible uses some pretty strong language referring to Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem – the Wife (or Bride) of Yahweh / Yeshua. Below are a few examples from both Older and Newer Covenant scriptures.
The Older Covenant Scripture calls her:
• a thief [H1589 גָּנַב ganab] who joins with the adulterer [H5003 נָאַף na’aph] (Psalm 50:18)
• a mouthy person who deceives [H4820 מִרמָה mirmah] and slanders [H1848 דָּפִי dophiy] (Psalm 50:19)
• a rebellious [H6588 פֶּשַׁע pesha] child and brood of liars [H8267 שֶׁקֶר sheqer] (Isaiah 57:4)
• a murderer, or assassin [H7523 רָצחַ ratsach] (Isaiah 1:21; Ezekiel 23:45)
• an unfaithful sister [H4604 מַעַל ma`al; H898 בָּגַד bagad ] (1 Chronicles 9:1; Psalms 78:8; 37; Jeremiah 3:8-11)
• a bride who says she has done nothing wrong (Proverbs 30:20; Jeremiah 2:35)
• a whore, whoremonger, prostitute, or harlot [H2181 זָנָה zanah] (Isaiah 1:21; Psalm 106:39; Hosea 4:12, 9:1; etc.)
• an adulterer [H5003 נָאַף na’aph] (Psalm 50:18; Jeremiah 9:2, 23:10; Malachi 3:4-5; etc.)
• a lustful neighing female camel sniffing the wind in her lust [H4684 מַצְהָלָה matshalah] (Jeremiah 2:23-24. 13:27)
• a chaser after well endowed men (Ezekiel 23:20)
The Newer Covenant Scripture calls her:
• a betrayer [G4273 προδότης prodotes] and a murderer [G5406 φονεύς phoneus] (Acts 7:52)
• a quarreling strife ridden people [G2054 ἔρις eris] (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:3)
• a people that allows sexual sin [G4202 πορνεία porneia] that is condemned even by pagans (1 Corinthians 5:1)
• a people that brings lawsuits [G2917 κρίμα krima] against fellow members (1 Corinthians 6:7)
• a lukewarm [G5513 χλιαρός chliaros] people that Yeshua wants to projectile vomit out of his mouth (Revelation 3:16)
And those strong or graphic words are the gentler language used in the scriptures! Are you shocked?
Strong Language About The Religious Leadership
Matthew 23:27 – “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and Pharisees! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of rottenness.”
Calling someone a hypocrite, viper, or whitewashed tomb in Yeshua’s time was not polite language. Hypocrite in the Greek has the definition of feigning moral character, deceit. Today it would be equivalent to calling someone a prideful, arrogant, immoral, lying, two-faced butthead full of brown fecal matter! I’m being polite, but surely you get the picture. Out of the mouths of construction workers, carpenters, stonemasons, or longshoremen. Are you shocked?
You may wish to scroll back up to the Why – Why – Why is the Bible so Explicit and Graphic? section before continuing to read.
Blatant Sexual Language
• Mamzer [H4464 מַמזֵר], yeled [H3206 יֶלֶד], zuwr [H2114 זוּר], and nothosis [G3541 νόθος] are terms used interchangeably in scripture translated as bastard, as illegitimate child, or as illegitimate offspring (Deuteronomy 23:2; Hosea 1:2, 5:7).
• Zera [H2233 זֶרַע], zowb [H2101 זוֹב], zuwb [H2100 זוּב], and shkabah [H7902 שְׁכָבָה] are used interchangeably in scripture translated as seed, semen, discharge, menstruation, or seminal emission (Genesis 38:9, Leviticus 15:2-5, 15:16, 15:19, 15:25).
• Basar [H1320 בָּשָׂר] is normally translated as flesh, but is also a euphemism for male or female genitals (Leviticus 15:2-5, 15:19).
• Yada [H3045 יָדַע] means to know: a euphemism for have sex with. Yada’s association with the town of Sodom is where we get the modern term sodomy which means anal sex (Genesis 19:4-5).
And you thought the Bible had no sexually blatant language. Are you shocked, yet?
Middle School Topics Found in Scripture – Who Knew?
Middle school boys are a fun bunch to mentor. Little do they know, however, that two of their favorite summer camp late night cabin topics are spoken of in the Bible – one in fairly mild language, and another in very graphic language.
Their Favorite 6th Grade Topic:
Isaiah 26:17-18a puts it this way: “Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Yahweh; We were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind.”
Today we would not say we gave birth to wind, but would say “We farted.” Oh, grow up. The fart jokes are endemic to 6th grade boys at summer camp. I’ve heard them all a dozen times. The middle school munchkins are amazed to learn that their Bibles actually address this topic. Perhaps you are amazed, too.
Their Favorite 7th Grade Topic:
Ezekiel 23:19-20 puts it this way: “She played the whore in the land of Egypt and lusted after her paramours, whose members are like those of donkeys.” Penis jokes are endemic to 7th grade boys at summer camp, who all try to outdo each other and tell the “biggest penis” joke. Oh, grow up. I’ve heard all the pecker jokes a dozen times over as well. Again, the middle school munchkins are amazed to learn that their Bibles actually address this topic. Perhaps you are amazed, too.
You’ve Got To Be Kidding – That’s Just Gross
We’ve all heard someone exclaim one vulgar expression or another. But who would even think that these vulgar expressions come straight out of the Bible. You are about to be shocked. For instance, the saying “He’s hung like a horse and can shoot a big load” comes from the same Favorite 7th Grade Topic scripture listed above, “whose members are like those of donkeys” but also includes the final words: “and whose emission is like that of stallions” (Ezekiel 23:19-20). Who knew?
King David, in Psalm 58:7 says: “May they vanish like urine that drains away.” Today we’d say, in the immortal words of Ron Weasley to Harry Potter: “I wish you’d just ‘P*ss off’.” And who hasn’t heard the angry retort: “Why don’t you just go eat yer sh*t and drink yer p*ss!” This expression isn’t just found once in the Bible, but twice. What in the world?
For you KJV lovers, here’s how the KJV puts 2 Kings 18:27: “But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? [Hath he] not [sent me] to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?” And then repeats it again in Isaiah 36:12! Other translations use the words waste or excrement, water or urine. Heaven forbid we should actually use the modern word “shit”! What in the world?
And now you know where these vulgar sayings come from: The Bible. Now, Are you totally shocked? Oh grow up. Biblical language is not for sissies.
Sexual Innuendos – The Song of Songs (Song of Solomon)
Sexual innuendos can be found throughout the scriptures, especially in the Song of Songs:
Songs 1:13-14 “the man I love is a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts;”
• resting between my breasts means: “to spend the night, to stay overnight”
Songs 2:3 “Like an apple tree among the other trees in the forest is my darling among the other men. I love to sit in his shadow; my darling’s fruit is sweet to my taste.”
• Tasting his fruit means: “kissing”
• The apple tree motif is used as a symbol sexual desire (also used in Songs 2:5, 7, 9).
Songs 4:6 “I will get myself to the mountain of myrrh, to the hill of frankincense.”
Songs 5:1 “I am eating my honeycomb along with my honey.”
• Both innuendos for engaging in sex
Songs 5:4-5 “My beloved put in his hand by the hole, and my bowels were moved for him. My hands were dripping with myrrh; pure myrrh ran off my fingers onto the handle of the bolt. Eat, friends, and drink! Drink freely, O lovers!”
• Hole and Handle of the bolt are euphemisms for vagina and penis. Bowels is a euphemism for the organs of procreation, i.e. the womb. The term drink freely compares becoming drunk on wine with enjoying the physical love of one’s spouse. I’ll leave the hands dripping with myrrh to your imagination.
Songs 8:2 “I would give you spiced wine to drink, fresh juice from my pomegranates.”
• The Beloved expresses her desire for her lover to kiss and suckle her breasts when they are in the privacy of her home indoors.
And you thought the Bible was just a dull set of stories without even a hint of innuendo. Are you shocked?Every section above and its scriptures given, with only one exception, are given as strong examples of how NOT to think, speak, and act – as a mirror to look into your own behavior to see if your thinking, speaking, and acting is likewise – and as stern warnings to future generations that punishment will be meted out for engaging in the same behaviors. Similar examples can also be found in Deuteronomy 29:23; Isaiah13:19; and Jeremiah 50:40. Further study of those scriptures also frequently details the punishment Yahweh will mete out for those who do act in such vile manners. That punishment is to be thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire – the second death.
The one exception is the section above on the Song of Songs – the Song of Solomon, which, if taken as a sexually expicit writing, details how thoroughly a husband and wife are to enjoy each other’s touch, taste, and smell – how to thoroughly enjoy each other’s bodies and love.
Conclusions Part II
Why – Why – Why is the Bible so Explicit and Graphic?
2 Peter 2:6 – “Yahweh condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes and ruin, as a warning to those in the future who would live ungodly lives.”
Jude 1:7 – “Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, following a pattern like theirs, committing sexual sins and perversions, lie exposed as a warning of the everlasting fire awaiting those who must undergo punishment.”
Why would the Bible include all that graphic, vulgar, often sexually explicit language? It does not use such language just to shock your socks off, but to shock you out of complacency – to wake you up, to force you to grow up.
Part III
Being the Apostle Paul
1 Corinthians 9:22 – “With all kinds of people I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them.”
The Apostle Paul appears to have spoken and acted in many different manners in order to save at least some of them (1 Corinthians 9:22). Bible translators know that it is impossible to bring an understanding of Yahweh’s word to indigenous people until one first understands their culture. The culture determines what words and concepts one uses in their translation to properly convey the message. A hard lesson to learn for many.
A Hard Earned Lesson
1 Corinthians 14:10-11 – “There are many different languages in the world . . . but if I do not speak the language, I will not understand the speaker and the speaker will not understand me.”
Middle school boys are a fun bunch to mentor, but can be quite the handful. The six to eight boys in the class I taught were the boys that none of the other mentors wanted in their classes. During one particularly challenging evening almost all of the boys had been acting out for many minutes, and I finally had enough of the months of their antics. None of the mild mannered, pedagogically espoused methods to prevent these antics had worked, and I lost it – properly cussing those boys out using language that one normally only hears coming out of the mouth of a construction worker or longshoreman!
The antics immediately stopped and you could’ve heard a pin drop. Suddenly all twelve eyes were riveted upon my face, all twelve ears were wide open, and all six minds were amazingly attentive to what I would say next. So, I asked them, “Why did I have to speak to you in that manner to get your attention?” A chorus of voices replied: “We understand those words; that’s how we talk to each other and how most people speak to us.” And a very quiet voice said: “I didn’t even think you knew those words!” From that point on, the antics never reappeared.
The Assumptions:
Many of the other mentors, and myself included, assumed that these six to eight youth were probably unreachable – but I was determined to set an example. For many months I had assumed that speaking in gentle, pedagogically espoused, pious language would get them to see a better way. My assumption was a false assumption. Until I used the language of their culture, they simply assumed that I had nothing to teach them.
The Results:
Once they discovered that I could speak to them in the same way they spoke to each other, I never had to speak that way again. Not only did the antics never reappear, we began to have some very deep conversations. And to top it off, those same assumed “unreachable” boys became the core leaders of the High School Youth Group. Without their leadership, our Pastor admitted that our church wouldn’t have even had a high school youth ministry.
Don’t Be A Pharisee
Luke 18:10-11 – “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men . . .”
If had continued to stand upon my highly exalted pedestal, using only words that were considered holy, pious, and pure those six to eight youth may have stayed “unreachable”. So, you have a choice, be a Pharisee, or be a Paul. If you choose to be a Pharisee, then you are no more than a self-righteous, hypocritical bigot who needs to hear Yeshua’s condemnation: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted – I tell you, the tax-collector went down to his house justified, rather than the Pharisee.” (Luke 18:14).
Final Conclusions
Ecclesiastes 1:9 – “What has been is what will be, what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes warns us not to be surprised – ain’t nuthin new under the sun!
The Bible is loaded with graphic language that depicts the sexual mores, habits, and activities of its peoples, which can be easily located in many passages and verses, much to the surprise and shock of today’s sensitive and easily offended pantywaists, milksops, or cowards or those who can’t handle the explicit, graphic language. Biblical language is for those who are courageous, warrior priests. Are you still shocked? It uses that language to wake you up, to force you to grow up.
It should come as no surprise, therefore, that some of those mores, habits and activities are still being displayed today – even more so as we approach the imminent return of Yeshua for his bride. Oh grow up.
Language, even graphic explicit language, has it’s place. No, we are not to constantly use this language that one normally only hears coming out of the mouth of a construction worker or longshoreman, but if that language is the only way to reach a particular person or group of people, then by all means, be an Apostle Paul – use whatever methods are necessary so that you might save some. Don’t be a self-righteous Pharisee and reach no one because you think you are not like those you are trying to reach.
Final Thought for 2026
• The season of the birth pains is here – keep maintaining an attitude of gratitude.
• The prophetic signs continue to unfold in an escalating pattern as foretold by the Hebrew prophets.
• History is moving extremely quickly towards the one world government, financial system, and religion.
• Time is incredibly short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon – so be of great cheer and keep looking up.
• Be sure you are believing The Truth, not The Lie – get busy reaching the lost.
• Be sure Yeshua is your Redeemer, King, and High Priest, and your sins are forgiven.
Originally Posted in May/June 2021
Rapture Parallels, Patterns, Pictures, and Types 