In the Bible, particularly in the King James Version (KJV), “abomination” refers to something that is detestable or abhorrent to God, often related to practices or behaviors that violate His commandments (e.g., Proverbs 6:16-19, Deuteronomy 7:25). It is commonly used to describe idolatry, immoral actions, and other sins that provoke divine wrath.
Scripture
22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
23 And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.
24 “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean,
25 And the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean),
28 so that the land will not vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29 For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 So you shall keep my charge by not doing any of the abominable customs that were done before you, and by not defiling yourselves with them: I am the Lord your God.”
Abomination Meaning in the Bible (KJV)
In the Bible, the term “abomination” signifies acts, behaviors, or practices that are fundamentally repugnant to God, embodying a violation of His divine laws and moral order. The King James Version (KJV) exemplifies its usage through a series of verses that outline specific actions considered detestable. For instance, Proverbs 6:16-19 enumerates seven things that the Lord hates, culminating in a portrayal of pride, deceit, and strife as abominations. This highlights a broader theme that transgressions against divine morality are not just frowned upon, but are seen as revolting to the very nature of God, indicating an emotional and spiritual repulsion.
Moreover, the concept of abomination encompasses idolatry, as seen in Deuteronomy 7:25, which warns the Israelites against the detestable practices of the nations they were to dispossess, emphasizing that such acts provoke God’s wrath. This theme is consistent in works such as Ezekiel 8:9-10, where the prophet details visions of abominations in the temple, signifying a breach of covenant between God and His people. Thus, in the scriptural context, “abomination” portrays a profound moral and spiritual consequence, suggesting that such actions not only distance individuals from God but also invite judgment and calamity, emphasizing the critical importance of adhering to God’s commandments. This understanding urges believers to contemplate the weight of their actions in relation to divine standards, advocating for a life that aligns with God’s will rather than being led astray by practices deemed abhorrent.
The theme of “abomination” in the Bible extends into various aspects of worship and societal conduct, reflecting both personal morality and communal integrity. In the context of worship, the concept is notably evident in Leviticus, where the Lord outlines practices that defile the sanctity of His worship. The prohibition against mixing different kinds of materials, such as in clothing or agriculture (Leviticus 19:19), can be viewed through the lens of abomination, suggesting that God desires not only purity of action but also a distinctiveness in the lives of His followers. This notion underscores a divine preference for things that align with His character, setting a standard for what is holy and acceptable.
Furthermore, the theme resonates deeply within the prophetic literature, where abominations serve as a recurring motif to highlight Israel’s unfaithfulness and moral decay. The prophet Jeremiah, for instance, condemns the people for their idolatrous practices and the sacrifices made to “strange gods,” asserting that such actions are not merely wrong but are profoundly detestable to the Lord (Jeremiah 44:4-5). This depicts a direct connection between a society’s actions and its collective standing before God. Such depictions of abominations throughout the prophetic writings emphasize that these practices lead to a severing of the relationship between God and His people, invoking a broader call to repentance and a return to righteousness. Thus, the use of “abomination” serves as a stern reminder of the dire consequences that arise from straying away from the path set forth by divine decree, urging believers to maintain fidelity to God’s will.
Moral Repugnance
In the Bible, the term “abomination” often signifies actions or behaviors that are morally repugnant to God. This includes practices that violate divine commandments and ethical standards set forth in scripture. Such actions are seen as not only sinful but also as a direct affront to God’s holiness and righteousness. The use of the term emphasizes the severity of these transgressions and the need for repentance and restoration.
Idolatry and False Worship
Another significant meaning of “abomination” in the biblical context relates to idolatry and false worship. The worship of idols or foreign gods is frequently labeled as an abomination, highlighting the seriousness with which God views the loyalty and devotion of His people. This usage underscores the covenant relationship between God and His followers, where fidelity to Him is paramount, and any deviation is met with strong condemnation.
Social Injustice and Oppression
Abomination also extends to social injustices and acts of oppression within society. Practices that exploit the vulnerable, such as corruption, deceit, and exploitation, are considered abominable in the eyes of God. This broader interpretation calls for a moral and ethical responsibility among individuals and communities to uphold justice and righteousness, reflecting God’s character in their interactions with one another.
How to Embrace Righteousness and Reject Sin Effectively
Embracing righteousness and rejecting sin is a journey that requires both intention and grace. Start by immersing yourself in Scripture, allowing the Word of God to illuminate your path and guide your decisions. Reflect on passages like Romans 12:2, which encourages us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This transformation begins with prayer—ask God for the strength to resist temptation and the wisdom to discern right from wrong. Surround yourself with a community of believers who can support and encourage you in your walk of faith. Remember, it’s not about perfection but progress; when you stumble, don’t be discouraged. Instead, lean into God’s mercy, confess your shortcomings, and strive to learn from them. By cultivating a heart that seeks after God and His righteousness, you’ll find that rejecting sin becomes a natural outflow of your love for Him.
Bible References to Abomination in KJV:
Leviticus 20:13-16: 13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
14 If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you.
15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.
16 If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Deuteronomy 7:25-26: 25 The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.
26 And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.
Deuteronomy 12:29-32: 29 “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,”
30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’
31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
Deuteronomy 18:9-14: 9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations.”
10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer.
11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead,
12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.
13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.
14 For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.
Deuteronomy 22:5: 5 “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 23:17-18: 17 “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.”
18 You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 25:13-16: 13 “You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small.”
14 You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small.
15 A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
16 For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.
Proverbs 6:16-19: 16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Proverbs 11:1: 1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but a just weight is his delight.
Proverbs 12:22: 22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Proverbs 15:8-9: 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but he loves him who pursues righteousness.
Proverbs 16:5: 5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 17:15: 15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
Proverbs 20:10: 10 Unequal weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
Proverbs 28:9: 9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
even his prayer is an abomination.
Isaiah 66:3-4: 3 “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig’s blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;”
4 So I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.”
Jeremiah 32:34-35: 34 They set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it.
35 They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
Ezekiel 8:6-18: 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”
7 And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall.
8 Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” And when I dug in the wall, behold, there was a door.
9 And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.”
10 So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel.
11 And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up.
12 Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’”
13 He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”
14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.”
16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.
17 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose.
18 Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.
Ezekiel 16:50-52: 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.
51 Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.
52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
Ezekiel 18:10-13: 10 “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things”
11 “Though he says, ‘The Lord lives,’ yet they swear falsely.”
12 oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination,
13 lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.
Ezekiel 22:11: 11 One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.
Daniel 11:31-32: 31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.
32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Malachi 2:11-12: 11 Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob
any descendant of the man who does this,
who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
Matthew 24:15-16: 15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Mark 13:14-15: 14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out,
Luke 16:14-15: 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Romans 1:24-28: 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Revelation 21:8: 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Reverend Ogunlade is a seasoned Church Minister with over three decades of experience in guiding and nurturing congregations. With profound wisdom and a serene approach, Reverend Ogunlade has carried out various pastoral duties, including delivering uplifting sermons, conducting religious ceremonies, and offering sage counsel to individuals seeking spiritual guidance. Their commitment to fostering harmony and righteousness within their community is exemplified through their compassionate nature, making them a beloved and trusted figure among the congregation.