Question:
I have a small question regarding Leviticus 20:13, which came up during a discussion with a friend. By “as one does with a woman,” what explicit sexual acts are condemned here? Was this enforced at the age of accountability at 13?
We know that the sexual acts are of 3-4 possible categories:
- Anal intercourse
- Oral intercourse
- Mutual masturbation
- Comparing each other’s bodies, briefly touching, etc
Now, I never did this. But I briefly went to a Christian private school in middle school, and many boys were curious about each other’s bodies. They would touch and compare each other’s bodies, although mutual masturbation until climax was rare.
Logically, I would assume some Jewish teenagers at age 13 in the Old Testament would also be curious about others’ bodies and go somewhere between categories 3 and 4.
Would these teenagers all be stoned to death? If so, that is a reasonably high probability, and so many teenagers being stoned to death would be unproductive for Jewish society.
Answer:
A common mistake people make is to try to create greater precision than what God said. “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them” (Leviticus 20:13). What is being eliminated is two guys who happen to be sleeping in the same bed. What is under discussion is what you would expect to find happening when a man and a woman are lying in the same bed. Thus, it would include sexual acts and the things that lead up to sex. See “What is included in porneia?” The answer includes various terms related to sexual acts. When a guy treats another guy as if he is a girl, this is forbidden by this law.
Your assumption that a lot of teenage boys would be stoned is invalid. Because everyone knew that these acts were condemned, most people would avoid them, just as they did before the 1970s when there was a concerted effort to make homosexuality acceptable.