The Most Accurate Translation of 1 Cor. 6:9 and why I believe it so
"Or know ye not that unrighteous men will not inherit [the] kingdom of God? Be not led astray; not fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor voluptuous persons nor sodomites..." 1 Cor. 6:9
(Literal English translation by Rev. Alford Marshall, used with both RSV and NIV Interlinear NT's)
Malakos as used in the Septuagint:
(40:22) "Will he address thee with a petition? softly/
malakos, with the voice of a suppliant?" (Job 41:3, LXXE) *The Greek here replaces the Hebrew H7390, "tender" or "weak".
"In long-suffering is prosperity to kings, and a soft/
malakos tongue breaks the bones." (Prov 25:15, LXXE) *The Greek
malakos here again replaces the Hebrew H7390, "tender" or "weak".
"The words of cunning knaves are soft/
malakos; but they smite even to the inmost parts of the bowels." (Prov 26:22, LXXE) *The Greek here replaces H3859 meaning "to burn in" or "to rankle" translated in the KJV as "wounds" see -
same verse are translated in the KJV
"The words of a talebearer
are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." (Prov 26:22, KJV)
Malakos as used in the NT apart from 1 Cor. 6:9:
"But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft/
malakos raiment? behold, they that wear soft/
malakos clothing are in kings' houses." (Matt 11:8, KJV)
"But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft/
malakos raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts." (Luke 7:25, KJV)
* Here
malakos is associated with gorgeous
apparel and living delicately.
See "effeminate" as defined in the 1828 Webster's:
"EFFEM'INATE, a. 1. Having the qualities of the female sex; soft or delicate to an unmanly degree; tender; womanish; voluptuous.
The king, by his voluptuous life and mean marriage, became effeminate, and less sensible of honor."
Meyer's Critical & Exegetical Comm. on the NT, Heinrich A. W. Meyer (1800-1873):
"μαλακοί ] effeminates , commonly understood as qui muliebria patiuntur , but with no sufficient evidence from the usage of the language (the passages in Wetstein and Kypke, even Dion. Hal. vii. 2, do not prove the point); moreover, such catamites ( molles ) were called πόρνοι or κίναιδοι . One does not see, moreover, why precisely this sin should be mentioned twice over in different aspects. Rather therefore: effeminate luxurious livers . Comp Aristotle, Eth. vii. 7 : μαλακὸς καὶ τρυφῶν , Xen. Mem. ii. 1, 20, also μαλακῶς , iii. 11. 10 : τρυφὴ δὲ καὶ μαλθακία , Plato, Rep. p. 590 B."
The Expositor's Greek Testament; Sir William Robertson Nicoll (1851-1923), Scottish Free Church:
"μαλακοί , soft, voluptuous , appears in this connexion to signify general addiction to sins of the flesh; lexical ground is wanting for the sense of pathici , suggested to some interpreters by the following word and by the use of molles in Latin."
The Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon of Classical Greek under μᾰλᾰκός/
malakos gives no meaning resembling a catamite:
μαλακός - Ancient Greek (LSJ)
The LSJ gives the exact Greek word for a "catamite" and it is not
malakos:
lsj.gr
Arsenokoites is found only twice in the NT, both in Paul's epistles, 1 Cor. 6:9 & 1 Tim. 1:10. It seems to be a word coined by Paul for it is found nowhere else earlier and it is about 100 years after Paul before the word occurs again and then in a list of economic injustices. The compound word is said by some to be based on Lev. 18:22 in the LXX. Here is the literal Greek of Lev. 18:22 -
"And with a man(αρσενος) you shall not go to bed in a marriage-bed(κοιτην) in the feminine way; for it is an abomination." (Lev 18:22, ABPen)
Arsenokoites in 1 Cor. 6:9 seems clear it is a sexual sin between two males and the same is true in Lev. 18:22 so I'm not sure what the connection is meant to convey to our understanding of the word.
Paul quotes verses out of Leviticus five times, six times if he wrote Hebrews; but he does not quote Lev. 18:22. Yet Paul does use the Greek
koites in ways we get an idea of his meaning: if he wrote Hebrews in 13:4 the word represents
the marriage bed, and in Romans 9:10 for
conception. A third time he uses
koites in a vice list:
"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering(
koites) and wantonness, not in strife and envying." (Rom 13:13, KJV)
From the 1828 Webster's:
CHAMBERING, n. Wanton, lewd, immodest behavior. Rom 13.
LEWD, a.
1. Given to the unlawful indulgence of lust; addicted to fornication or adultery; dissolute; lustful; libidinous.
That gives an idea of the meaning of
koites when used in a vice list referring to opposite sex sinful conduct. Paul used the word
arsenokoites in 1 Tim 1:9, 10 where there is a structure or categorical listing of vices:
"Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for
arsenokoites, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;" (1Tim 1:9-10, KJV)
There
arsenokoites is between "whoremongers" and "menstealers", so an abusive element is introduced to the word along with the chambering, the lewdness.
The KJV uses a key word "abusers" in 1 Cor. 6:9 and "defile" in 1 Tim. 1:10 in reference to arsenokoites and the 1828 Webster's defines those two words as follows:
"DEFILE, v.t. 5. To corrupt chastity; to debauch; to violate; to tarnish the purity of character by lewdness.
Schechem defiled Dinah. Gen 34."
"ABU'SER, n. One who abuses, in speech or behavior; one that deceives; a ravisher; a sodomite. 1 Cor 6."
The ONLY variation in manuscripts is where a few read "God's kingdom" and most "the kingdom of God".
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