Translations of “Malakoi” and “Arsenokoitai” Through History (I Cor 6:9)

by Jeramy Townsley

The purpose of this page is to show the difficulty in translating the words arsenokoitai and malakos – two words used (incorrectly) to condemn gays.

Throughout the history of English translations, there has been little agreement on the meanings of these two Greek words. Most of the English translations describe malakos as “weak” or “effeminate” – neither of which mean gay.

While effeminate could be applied to a stereotyped gay personna, effeminate could be applied equally to a heterosexual, as the word malakos was often used with this meaning in the original Greek.

While arsenokoitai is typically translated as “abusers of themselves” or “sodomites”, both of which are vague, and at the very least do not seem applicable to a long-term, loving gay relationship. (Even the reference to Sodom refers to an aggressive, impersonal sex-act, not one of mutual care, respect and fidelity). Regardless, there has been a great diversity of ideas on the meanings of these two words, none of which allows the broad imposition of all homosexual behavior to be applied to either or both of these words.

Version	Year	Translation
Koine Greek	56 A.D.	malakoi	arsenokoitai
Latin Vulgate	405	molles	masculorum concubitores
Wyclif	1508	lecchouris	synne of Sodom
Tyndale	1525	weaklings	abusers of themselves with mankynde
Great Bible	1539	weaklynges	abusers of themselves with mankynde
Geneva Bible	1560	wantons	bouggerers
Bishops Bible	1568	effeminate	liers with mankinde
Reims-Douai	1609	effeminate	liers with mankind
King James Authorized Version	1611	effeminate	abusers of themselves with mankind
The Revised Version	1811	effeminate	abusers of themselves with men
Darby	1890	those who make women of themselves	abuse themselves with men
Young	1898	effeminate	sodomites
American Standard Version	1901	effeminate	abusers of themselves with men
RVA	1909	los afeminados	los que se echan con varones
Louis Segond	1910	les effimines	les infames
Wesley’s New Testament	1938	guilty of unnatural crime
Goodspeed	1951	sensual	given to unnatural vice
Jerusalem Bible (French)	1955	effeminate	people with infamous habits
Phillips	1958	effeminate	pervert
Interlinear Greek-English New Testament	1958	voluptuous persons	Sodomites
The Amplified Version	1958	those who participate in homosexuality
New English	1961	homosexual perversion
New American Standard Bible	1963	effeminate	homosexuals
Today’s English Version	1966	homosexual perverts
Jerusalem Bible (German)	1968	sissies	child molesters
Jerusalem Bible (English)	1968	Catamites	Sodomites
New American Catholic	1970	homosexual perverts	sodomites
Revised Standard Version	1971	sexual perverts
The Living Bible	1971	homosexuals
New International Version	1978	male prostitutes	homosexual offenders
New King James	1979	homosexuals	sodomites
rev Luther Bibel	1984	lustknaben	knabenschander
Elberfelder Bibel	1985	Wollustlinge	Knabenschander
New Jerusalem Bible	1985	self indulgent	sodomites
New American Catholic	1987	boy prostitutes	practicing homosexuals
Revised English Bible	1989	sexual pervert
New Revised Standard	1989	male prostitutes	sodomites
New Living	1996	male prostitutes	homosexuals
Third Millenium Bible	1998	effeminate	abusers of themselves with mankind

Note from Mary: The information for this page is Used With Permission from its author, Jeramy Townsley.

Please visit Jeramy’s Web Space – an eclectic wealth of links for everything from Church Documents, Ancient Texts, Greek/Hebrew/Latin, Gay & Lesbian Studies, to Fun/Games, Human & Animal Rights, Neurology/Psychiatry and Medical Ethics, Weather/Earthquakes and much, much more.

I highly recommend that you bookmark his website and spend several very long visits. You will learn much!

Email Jeramy at webmail@jeramyt.org