Bible 101, Some Examples of the Use of the Word Qahal

[Lang]

Verse 23:1 seems to be an instruction to exclude eunuchs from the congregation, and the NAS and Matthew Henry agree.

Could it possibly mean hermaphrodites? One may think that hermaphrodites are bastards, but trust me I know at least 2 girls 100% german that were born with a penis. I always wondered what God would do of them, and now it came to mind and Joe also said that maybe they are included in the "eunuchs".

[Augustus]

100% German? I don't think so, Lang. Sound like mamzers to me.

[Lang]

100% German? I don't think so, Lang. Sound like mamzers to me.

Only if she had a distant, non-traceable mixture. They were daughters of well-known german families of my area, families which came directly from Germany, lived in german settlmenet areas and for most were all blonde-haired, fair-skinned and blue-eyed. Their families also were hard-working and had nothing which could expose them as mongrels.

[wmfinck]

Wow, maybe I would say that I'd have to see it to believe it, but I surely do not want to see it!

Frankenfood, environmental poisons, pharmaceuticals, I wonder if any of those could have played a role in creating such biologically confused specimens.

But none of this has anything to do with this topic. A bastard is one born of fornication, not one simply born with a birth defect, which can affect sound families as well.

[Lang]

Hey Bill,

But could them possibly fit into the eunuch category?

One of the girls took it off very early and today is a normal girl and no one suspects that. I find this idea very disgusting though.

[MikeTheAdamite]

If the commandment included genetically defective people we would surely see a lot more exlusions.people that would understandably be better off not reproducing and passing on their defects! (down syndrome for example)

[Kentucky]

If the commandment included genetically defective people we would surely see a lot more inclusions.people that would understandably be better off not reproducing and passing on their defects! (down syndrome for example)

Leviticus 21:16-24 has quite an array of defects which are the objects of divine discrimination. Hallelujah.

Mark

[wmfinck]

Hey Bill,

But could them possibly fit into the eunuch category?

One of the girls took it off very early and today is a normal girl and no one suspects that. I find this idea very disgusting though.

Ancient eunuchs are those who made themselves that way or who had been forced in slavery to be that way. These are excluded.

People born with birth defects are not eunuchs in the true sense of the word. However those girls, as MiketheAdamite infers, would be better off not reproducing. And as Kentucky illustrated, men with birth defects or even blemishes on their skin were precluded from approaching the altar of God.

[Fenwick]

And as Kentucky illustrated, men with birth defects or even blemishes on their skin were precluded from approaching the altar of God.

I'd always understood that to be for the purposes of symbolising the importance of physical purity, applying to the temple ordinances but not to the general activity of the population.


It would be hard to imagine many of us would be left if we were to apply the blemish rule to our entire civilisation today.

EDIT: Ah, I looked it up. It does specify "the seed of Aaron" in that chapter.

[Joe]

What is Christ talking about in Matthew 19:12.

For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.