{
  "id": "dict_000027",
  "term": "abomination",
  "slug": "abomination",
  "letter": "A",
  "entry_type": "theological_term",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Something especially detestable in God’s sight because it is morally corrupt, idolatrous, or ritually unclean in its biblical setting.",
  "simple_one_line": "In Scripture, an abomination is what God strongly rejects as offensive and unclean.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical term for what is especially detestable to God; context determines whether the focus is moral evil, idolatry, or ceremonial uncleanness.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "idolatry",
    "uncleanness",
    "holiness",
    "impurity",
    "law of Moses",
    "sin",
    "hypocrisy"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "abhor",
    "detestable",
    "idolatry",
    "ceremonial law",
    "clean and unclean",
    "desolation, abomination of"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "In the Bible, an abomination is something regarded as especially detestable to God. The term is used for idolatry, grave moral evil, dishonest practices, and, in some Old Testament settings, ritual uncleanness under Israel’s covenant law.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A strong biblical term for what is hateful or repugnant in God’s sight.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "1) Often used for idolatry and false worship. 2) Can describe serious moral evil such as sexual sin or injustice. 3) In some Old Testament contexts it also marks ceremonial uncleanness under the Mosaic Law. 4) Context must determine the force of the term in each passage."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "In the Bible, abomination refers to things that are offensive before God, often including idolatry, sexual sin, dishonest practices, and certain ritual impurities under the Old Covenant. The term does not describe a single kind of offense in every passage, so context matters. In many texts it signals not merely human disgust but divine judgment on what violates God's holy standards.",
  "description_academic_full": "Abomination is a biblical term for what is especially hateful or detestable in God's sight. Depending on the passage, it can refer to idolatry, occult practices, grave sexual sin, injustice, dishonesty, or forms of ceremonial uncleanness connected to Israel's covenant life under the Law. Because Scripture uses the term in more than one setting, interpreters should not assume every occurrence carries the same moral or covenantal force; some texts address enduring moral evils, while others concern ritual distinctions specific to Old Testament Israel. Even so, the consistent idea is that God is holy and that certain acts, objects, or attitudes are profoundly contrary to His will.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The Old Testament often uses abomination language for what violates covenant holiness, especially idolatry, sexual immorality, dishonest commerce, and practices associated with pagan nations. The term can also be used for foods or ritual conditions that were unclean under the Mosaic covenant. In the New Testament, related language continues to mark idolatry, hypocrisy, and the defiling opposition associated with final judgment.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient Near Eastern world, worship and morality were closely linked. Israel’s law distinguished the Lord’s holy people from the surrounding nations, so terms like abomination functioned as covenant boundary language as well as moral condemnation. Later Jewish and Christian readers often treated the term as a strong marker of divine rejection, though the biblical context still determines whether the issue is ceremonial or enduringly moral.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "The Hebrew term most often rendered \"abomination\" is tied to what is loathsome or detestable, especially in relation to idolatry and impurity. Second Temple Jewish readers commonly heard the word as a strong marker of covenant unfaithfulness and uncleanness. In the Gospels and Revelation, related imagery continues this force, especially in references to idolatrous opposition to God.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Leviticus 18",
    "Deuteronomy 7:25-26",
    "Deuteronomy 14:3",
    "Deuteronomy 25:16",
    "Proverbs 6:16-19",
    "Ezekiel 8",
    "Matthew 24:15",
    "Luke 16:15"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Leviticus 11",
    "Deuteronomy 12:31",
    "Proverbs 11:1",
    "Proverbs 15:8-9",
    "Revelation 17:4-5"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew most often uses תּוֹעֵבָה (toʿevah), \"detestable thing\" or \"abomination.\" The Septuagint and New Testament often use Greek terms such as βδέλυγμα (bdelygma), carrying the sense of something abhorrent or ritually/morally defiling.",
  "theological_significance": "The term underscores God’s holiness and His right to define what is clean, true, and morally acceptable. It also shows that Scripture does not flatten all offenses into one category: some uses are covenant-ceremonial, while others clearly address enduring moral evil. In every case, the language communicates divine displeasure, not merely human preference.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "An abomination is not just something people dislike; it is something objectively contrary to God’s holy character and moral order. The term therefore has a normative force rooted in divine authority. Its use in varying contexts shows that moral judgment in Scripture is not arbitrary, but tied to covenant purpose, holiness, and truth.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not assume every occurrence of \"abomination\" means the same thing. Some passages concern ceremonial uncleanness under the Mosaic Law, while others condemn persistent moral wickedness such as idolatry or injustice. Avoid importing the strongest sense of the word into every text without context. Also avoid using the term loosely for merely offensive cultural habits.",
  "major_views_note": "Most conservative interpreters agree that the term has a broad range of usage and must be read by context. The main interpretive question is not whether abomination is serious, but whether a given passage is addressing ritual uncleanness, covenant violation, or enduring moral evil.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry does not treat all Old Testament purity laws as equally binding on Christians. Ceremonial categories belonged to the Mosaic covenant and are not imposed on the church as such, though they still reveal God's holiness. Moral uses of the term remain instructive because they reflect enduring standards grounded in God's character.",
  "practical_significance": "The term calls believers to reverence for God’s holiness, seriousness about sin, and discernment about what Scripture condemns. It also warns against reducing holiness to external ritual alone; God opposes both idolatry and hypocrisy, and He values righteousness, justice, and truth.",
  "meta_description": "Biblical definition of abomination: what is especially detestable in God’s sight, whether idolatry, grave moral evil, or ceremonial uncleanness in context.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/abomination/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/abomination.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}