If you have heard the phrase “sodomizing a woman” and wondered what it w is simple: the Bible does not use that phrase.
The word sodomy developed long after the books of the Bible were written. Its name comes from Sodom, the ancient city described most famously in Genesis 18–19. The English word came to be used for certain sexual acts, especially anal intercourse, though its meaning has varied across history, dictionaries, churches, and legal systems. Etymological evidence traces the English term back to around the early 1300s through Old French and medieval Latin expressions connected with Sodom.
So, when someone asks, “What does sodomizing a woman mean in the Bible?”, they are really mixing two different things:
- A modern or historical English sexual term.
- The biblical account of the city of Sodom.
Those two things are related historically, but they are not identical.
The Bible gives important teaching about sexual conduct, faithfulness, exploitation, violence, lust, marriage, and holiness. But we should be careful not to place a later English word into Scripture as though biblical writers themselves used it.
Understanding that difference helps us read difficult passages with greater accuracy, compassion, and respect.
What Does Sodomizing a Woman Mean in the Bible Literally?
In modern usage, to sodomize generally refers to engaging in a sexual act commonly associated with the word sodomy, most often anal intercourse. The term has also been used more broadly at different periods of history.
When the phrase refers specifically to a woman, it normally means that such an act is performed with a female partner.
That, however, is a modern definition. It is not a definition supplied by a Bible verse.
You will not find a biblical passage saying:
“Sodomizing a woman means…”
Nor will you find the modern English verb sodomize in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament or the Greek text of the New Testament.
This distinction matters.
Sometimes people hear the word sodomy and assume that everything included under that modern word must be directly described in Genesis 19. That is not what the chapter says.
Genesis 19 describes a frightening event involving Lot, his visitors, and the men of Sodom. The sexual threat in that story is directed toward Lot’s male visitors, not toward a woman. Genesis 19:5 records the men of Sodom demanding that Lot bring his visitors outside so they could have sexual relations with them.
So Genesis 19 cannot accurately be described as a biblical story about a woman being sodomized.
Does Sodomy Always Mean the Same Thing?
No.
The meaning of sodomy has changed across different periods and legal systems. Historically, the word could cover several acts that societies considered sexually unlawful or unnatural. Modern usage often focuses on anal sex, while older legal definitions could be broader.
That is why context matters.
A Bible teacher may use the term one way. An old legal document may use it another way. A modern speaker may mean something more specific.
Whenever you encounter the word, ask what the speaker or writer actually means rather than assuming every use has the same definition.
What If the Act Is Forced?
This is another important distinction.
There is a major difference between consensual sexual behavior and sexual violence.
The events surrounding Lot’s house in Genesis 19 involve a threatening crowd attempting to gain sexual access to people against Lot’s resistance. The account therefore includes themes of sexual aggression, violence, domination, and grave mistreatment of outsiders.
When sexual activity is forced upon someone, questions of rape or sexual assault arise. Modern legal terminology differs between jurisdictions, so an old word such as sodomy should not be treated as a complete legal description of a forced act.
This is also why understanding what the Bible says about rape is a separate question from simply defining the word sodomy.
Why Is It Called Sodomy?
The word is called sodomy because its history is connected with Sodom.
Sodom was one of the cities of the plain described in Genesis. By Genesis 13, Scripture already describes the people of Sodom as deeply sinful. Genesis 18 then presents an outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah as very serious. Genesis 19 tells of Lot receiving two visitors before the city’s destruction.
Centuries later, European religious and legal language connected certain sexual behavior with the reputation of Sodom. From that connection came words related to Sodom, including sodomy. Etymological records place English sodomy around the early fourteenth century, derived through French and Latin forms referring back to the biblical city.
That means the historical path looks roughly like this:
Sodom, the biblical city → later interpretations of Sodom’s sin → medieval terminology → the English word sodomy.
The word came after the biblical story.
That is a small detail, but it prevents a major misunderstanding.
What Actually Happened at Sodom?
Genesis 19 begins with two angels arriving in Sodom. Lot welcomes them into his home and gives them hospitality.
Later, men from the city surround the house. They demand that Lot bring his visitors outside so they can have sexual relations with them. The situation becomes threatening. When the crowd presses forward, the visitors pull Lot back inside and strike the attackers with blindness.
The chapter later tells of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed.
This is a disturbing passage, and readers sometimes focus on only one part of it.
The story contains several moral issues at once:
- violent sexual intent
- abuse of strangers
- attempted domination
- extreme wickedness
- rejection of hospitality
- disregard for human dignity
It is therefore too simple to read Genesis 19 and say, “This entire chapter is merely a dictionary definition of sodomy.”
Scripture itself gives us a broader picture.
Was Sexual Sin the Only Sin of Sodom?
No. Other biblical passages speak about Sodom’s wrongdoing in broader terms.
One of the clearest examples is Ezekiel 16:49–50.
Ezekiel describes Sodom as proud, prosperous, and unconcerned about the poor and needy. The passage also says the people were haughty and committed what God regarded as an abomination.
This does not erase the sexual violence described in Genesis 19. It shows that Sodom’s corruption was not limited to one behavior.
Scripture’s portrait includes pride, injustice, selfish abundance, failure to care for vulnerable people, arrogance, and serious moral wrongdoing. Jude 7 and 2 Peter 2 also look back on Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of grave sin and divine judgment.
This fuller picture matters because Christians sometimes turn “Sodom” into a label used only for sexual wrongdoing.
The Bible does not allow us to ignore Sodom’s pride or its neglect of people in need.
A person can loudly condemn someone else’s sexual sin while overlooking pride, cruelty, exploitation, greed, or indifference in his or her own heart. Ezekiel reminds us that God cares about all of these things.
Is Sodomy a Sin in the Bible?
This question needs a careful answer because “sodomy” is not an original biblical category with one universally agreed modern definition.
Instead of asking only whether a later English word is sinful, it is better to ask what Scripture teaches about the particular behavior involved.
The Bible places sexual behavior within a larger moral framework that includes marriage, faithfulness, purity, self-control, respect for others, and rejection of sexual exploitation.
Passages commonly discussed in Christian teaching about sexual morality include Leviticus 18, Matthew 19:4–6, Romans 1:24–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, and Hebrews 13:4. Romans 1 discusses same-sex sexual relations within Paul’s wider argument about humanity turning away from God, while 1 Corinthians 6 includes sexual wrongdoing among several sins from which believers are called to turn.
Christian traditions sometimes differ in how individual passages are interpreted or applied. Still, historic Christian teaching broadly understands sexual morality as more than simply asking whether two people desire an act.
Biblical ethics asks deeper questions:
Is the relationship faithful?
Is another person being used?
Is there coercion?
Is the behavior consistent with biblical teaching about marriage?
Does it honor another person’s dignity?
Does it reflect self-control rather than uncontrolled desire?
These questions lead naturally into the broader subject of what is sexual immorality in the Bible.
Sexual Immorality Is Broader Than One Sexual Act
The Bible speaks about sexual wrongdoing in many settings.
It addresses adultery, prostitution, lust, incest, marital unfaithfulness, sexual exploitation, and other forms of sexual immorality. So Christian sexual teaching should never be reduced to one controversial word.
For example, adultery receives repeated condemnation in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus also teaches that sinful desire can begin in the heart, not merely in an outward act.
This is why understanding what is adultery in the Bible can help readers see the broader biblical picture.
Scripture is concerned not only with bodies but also with loyalty, motives, promises, self-control, love, and faithfulness.
Consent Matters, but It Is Not the Only Biblical Question
Modern discussions about sexuality often focus heavily on consent.
Consent is extremely important because it helps distinguish voluntary behavior from coercion, exploitation, rape, and sexual assault.
But biblical sexual ethics asks more than whether two people agreed.
For Christians, questions about sexuality also involve God’s purposes for marriage, faithfulness, purity, responsibility, and care for another person’s well-being.
That does not mean Christians should speak harshly about people.
Jesus repeatedly calls His followers to truth without self-righteousness. Christian teaching about sexual behavior should therefore be joined with humility, compassion, and awareness of our own need for grace.
What Does the Bible Say About Anal Sex?
The Bible does not contain the modern phrase “anal sex.”
That is important to say plainly.
There is no verse that directly says, “Anal sex is…” followed by a modern definition or rule.
Instead, Christians who ask what does the Bible say about anal sex usually reach their conclusions by applying broader biblical teachings about sexuality, marriage, sexual relations, holiness, and the treatment of another person’s body.
Because Christian traditions sometimes differ in how those principles are applied within marriage, it is better not to pretend that Scripture contains a sentence it does not contain.
That principle is useful in Bible study generally:
Say what the text says. Do not make the text say more than it says.
If a sexual practice involves force, humiliation, injury, or lack of consent, additional serious moral questions arise. If the question concerns voluntary behavior within marriage, readers should study the broader biblical teaching on marriage and sexual faithfulness rather than relying only on the later word sodomy.
What Does Sodomy Mean in Law?
The legal meaning of sodomy is separate from its biblical history.
Historically, laws using the word sodomy criminalized particular sexual acts. Definitions varied by time and jurisdiction. In American legal history, sodomy statutes often covered particular forms of intimate sexual conduct, and some were written more broadly than laws dealing only with homosexual conduct.
That means you should not assume:
biblical Sodom = medieval definition of sodomy = modern criminal-law definition.
Those are connected historically, but they belong to different settings.
Law also changes.
A definition in an old criminal statute may no longer describe current law. Different countries may use different terminology, and many modern criminal codes use more precise terms when dealing with sexual assault, rape, consent, or specific prohibited conduct.
So if someone asks, “What is sodomy in law?”, the safest general answer is:
It is a historical legal term used for certain sexual acts, but its exact meaning and legal status depend on the jurisdiction and period being discussed.
For an actual legal case, a qualified lawyer or current official legal source should be consulted.
Was Sodomy Only a Same-Sex Legal Term?
Not always.
Some historical sodomy laws were written broadly enough to regulate sexual conduct beyond same-sex relationships. That is another reason the word can be confusing today.
The biblical question and the legal question therefore need to stay separate.
A Christian may be asking:
“Does the Bible call this behavior sinful?”
A lawyer may be asking:
“Does this statute define this behavior as an offense?”
Those are not the same question.
One concerns biblical morality. The other concerns civil law.
When Was Sodomy Legalized?
There is no single date when sodomy was legalized everywhere.
Different countries changed their laws at different times, and even within countries, legal changes happened in stages.
Two examples show why a universal date would be misleading.
The United States and Lawrence v. Texas
On June 26, 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Lawrence v. Texas.
The case involved two adult men convicted under a Texas law prohibiting certain same-sex intimate sexual conduct. The Supreme Court held that the Texas statute violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling protected private consensual sexual conduct between adults in the circumstances addressed by the case and overturned the Court’s earlier approach in Bowers v. Hardwick.
That does not mean every act historically placed under the broad label sodomy became lawful. Laws concerning minors, nonconsensual conduct, sexual assault, and other prohibited conduct involve different legal questions.
So saying simply, “Sodomy was legalized in America in 2003,” can be too broad.
A more accurate statement is that Lawrence v. Texas struck down the Texas law criminalizing the private consensual same-sex sexual conduct at issue and established constitutional protection for such adult private conduct.
England and Wales in 1967
England and Wales followed a different path.
The Sexual Offences Act 1967 changed the law regarding certain homosexual acts conducted privately between consenting adult men. The legislation applied specific conditions and did not create complete equality in sexual law at one stroke.
So 1967 was an important legal change, but it was not a worldwide legalization date and did not even settle every related legal issue within the United Kingdom.
Different jurisdictions have their own history.
That is why the question “When was sodomy legalized?” always needs another question:
Where?
Sodomy in a Sentence
If you need a neutral example of sodomy in a sentence, you could say:
The old statute used the word sodomy to describe sexual conduct that was prohibited under the law at that time.
This example works because it does not assume that every historical, religious, or legal use of the word has exactly the same meaning.
Today, more precise words are often clearer because sodomy can carry different historical, legal, and religious meanings.
What Does Sodomizing a Woman Mean in the Bible for Christians Today?
We can now return to the original question.
What does sodomizing a woman mean in the Bible?
The clearest answer is:
It is not a biblical phrase.
If someone uses it today, they are normally referring to a modern sexual meaning of sodomize, a word whose history developed from the name of the biblical city Sodom.
But Genesis 19 itself does not describe a woman being sodomized. The sexual threat in the story is directed toward Lot’s male visitors.
The biblical lesson is also broader than the history of one sexual term.
Sodom is presented as a society marked by deep wickedness. Genesis describes sexual aggression and violent behavior. Ezekiel adds pride, abundance without compassion, and neglect of the poor and needy. Jude and 2 Peter remember Sodom as a warning about serious rebellion and judgment.
For Christians, that should produce humility.
The story of Sodom should not become an excuse to insult people.
It should make us ask whether our own lives reflect God’s call to holiness, justice, mercy, faithfulness, hospitality, and love.
What About Defilement and Sexual Sin?
Another related question is what does defile mean in the Bible.
Biblically, defilement can describe becoming ceremonially unclean in certain Old Testament settings, but it can also carry a moral sense. Jesus teaches that sinful attitudes and actions can come from within the human heart.
This matters because biblical sexual morality is not merely a list of forbidden physical acts.
God is also concerned with the heart.
A person may avoid one outward behavior while still being ruled by lust, pride, cruelty, selfishness, or contempt.
That is why Christian teaching should never become an exercise in finding someone else’s sin while ignoring our own.
Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 6 is especially hopeful in this regard. After listing several kinds of wrongdoing, he reminds believers that transformation is possible. The Christian message does not stop with “This is sin.”
It moves toward forgiveness, cleansing, new life, and grace.
Does This Question Relate to Same-Sex Relationships?
Historically, the word sodomy became strongly associated with male same-sex sexual activity, especially because of interpretations of Genesis 19. That historical connection explains why discussions about what the Bible says about same-sex relationships often mention Sodom.
Still, Genesis 19 should not carry the entire discussion.
The chapter describes a threatening crowd seeking sexual access to visitors. A careful Christian study of same-sex relationships normally also examines passages such as Leviticus 18, Romans 1, and 1 Corinthians 6 rather than building an entire theology from Sodom alone.
This protects us from two opposite errors.
One error is pretending Genesis 19 has nothing to do with sexual wrongdoing.
The other is pretending sexual behavior is the only sin Scripture associates with Sodom.
The fuller biblical witness is more careful than either extreme.
Reading Difficult Sexual Passages With Wisdom and Grace
Sexual questions can become emotional very quickly.
Some people have experienced abuse. Some carry shame about past decisions. Some are trying to understand a difficult Bible passage. Others simply encountered an unfamiliar word and searched for its meaning.
That is why Christians should answer these questions carefully.
Truth does not require cruelty.
Grace does not require us to pretend Scripture says something it does not say.
When reading a difficult passage, it helps to ask:
- What does the biblical text actually say?
- What does it not say?
- What did the original setting mean?
- Did a later English word change how people understood the passage?
- Am I separating consensual behavior from abuse or violence?
- Am I applying biblical standards to myself as seriously as I apply them to others?
These questions make Bible study slower, but they also make it more trustworthy.
What This Teaches Us About Truth, Holiness, and Grace
So, what does sodomizing a woman mean in the Bible?
Strictly speaking, it does not have a direct biblical definition because “sodomizing a woman” is not a phrase found in Scripture.
The modern word sodomy developed centuries after Genesis and took its name from the city of Sodom. Genesis 19 describes a sexually threatening and violent crowd seeking access to Lot’s male visitors, while other passages such as Ezekiel 16 show that Sodom’s wickedness also included pride and neglect of people in need.
Modern legal uses of sodomy belong to another context again. Their definitions and legal status have changed across time and place. In the United States, Lawrence v. Texas in 2003 struck down the same-sex sodomy law at issue in that case. England and Wales had already changed parts of their law concerning private consensual homosexual conduct in 1967. Neither event represents one worldwide date when “sodomy became legal.”
For a Christian reader, the best path is not to become trapped by one difficult word.
Read Scripture carefully.
Call sexual violence what it is.
Do not confuse later terminology with the original biblical text.
Take God’s teaching about sexual faithfulness seriously.
And remember that the same Bible that speaks about sin also speaks about repentance, mercy, forgiveness, and transformed lives.
That balance of truth and grace is a much safer guide than using the story of Sodom as a weapon against other people.
Dr. Rachel is very smart and knows a lot about the Bible. He helps us understand the Bible better by talking about the old texts in a simple way.
