What Does Abomination Mean? An Abomination, as mentioned in the Bible, is a violation of God’s law and the tenets of Christianity. If you regularly read your Bible, chances are high that you’ve come across the word “abomination.” You may have as well heard the word used in sermons. Thus, it should come as no surprise that an abomination has a negative connotation in the Christian milieu. On no occasion does the Bible speaks favorably of anything with the label of abomination. As we proceed with this piece of writing, we’ll explore the definition of abomination, what the Bible labels as an abomination, and what Christians should know about abominations.
An abomination is something that causes hate or disgust. Biblically, an abomination is something that God hates because it is offensive to Him and His character. The Hebrew words translated as “abomination” are often used in association with things like idolatry and false gods (Deuteronomy 17:2–5; 27:15; 29:17; Isaiah 66:3; Jeremiah 32:34; Ezekiel 5:9; 11:18; Hosea 9:10). In 1 Kings 11:5 (ESV), the god Molech is referred to as “the abomination of the Ammonites.” The NIV translates it as “the detestable god of the Ammonites.” The point here is that God hates the falsehood, wickedness, and impurity of these pagan gods.
What Does Abomination Mean?
Definition And Meaning Of Abomination
Abomination is defined as anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred. It points to an intense aversion or loathing as well as a vile, detestable, or shameful action, condition, and/or habit. The meaning of abomination in the Bible can be better understood as an expression of the idea that the Egyptians considered themselves as defiled when they ate with strangers (Genesis 43:32). The Jews subsequently followed the same practice, holding it unlawful to eat and/or drink with strangers/foreigners (John 18:28; Acts 10:28; 11:3). Unto the Egyptians, every shepherd was “an abomination” (Genesis 46:34). This dislike to shepherds, such as the Hebrews, arose probably from the fact that Lower and Middle Egypt had formerly been held in oppressive subjection by a tribe of nomad shepherds (the Hyksos), who had only been recently expelled. Also, the Egyptians detested the lawless habits of these wandering shepherds.
What The Scriptures Say
Abomination is used symbolically of sin in general (Isaiah 66:3); an idol (Isaiah 44:19); the ceremonies of the apostate church of Rome (Revelation 17:4); and a detestable act (Ezekiel 22:11). Occult practices are also called an abomination in Scripture, as is child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:9–12; 20:18; 2 Chronicles 28:3). The Scriptures reveal other abominations in God’s sight to be ungodly sexual relationships like homosexuality and adultery (Leviticus 18:22–29; 20:13; Deuteronomy 24:4), imperfect sacrifices (Deuteronomy 17:1), cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5), wickedness (Proverbs 15:9, 26), dishonest business dealings (Deuteronomy 25:13–16; Proverbs 11:1; 20:10, 23), turning deaf ear to God’s instructions (Proverbs 28:9), hypocritical offerings from the unrepentant (Proverbs 15:8; Isaiah 1:13), and partaking in injustice (Proverbs 17:15).
Most of the Biblical references to that which is abominable or detestable come in God’s Law in the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, in prophecies declaring God’s judgment against Israel, and in Proverbs. Proverbs 6 reveals a list of seven things that God calls an abomination: “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16–19). Likewise, Jesus tells the Pharisees in Luke 16:15 – “What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” The context of this statement is a rebuke of the Pharisees’ love of money.
More on what the Scriptures say about Abomination
Titus 1:16 tells us that false teachers may “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Daniel and Jesus both predicted the abomination of desolation that would corrupt the holy place of the temple (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27). Likewise related to the end times, the whore of Babylon is pictured as holding “a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries” (Revelation 17:4). She is regarded as the mother of all the abominations on Earth (Revelation 17:5) and identified as “the great city that rules over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18). And it is without a single doubt that this city with all of its loathsome acts will be destroyed (Revelation 17: 16-17).
Moving from idolatry to ungodly sexual relationships to unfair scales to wickedness of various kinds, abominations separate people from God. In fact, we can say that all sin (missing the mark of God’s perfection) can be considered an abomination. Behold, all sin separates us from God and is detestable to Him (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Proverbs 15:9). God’s hatred of sin makes Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary all the more remarkable. The Bible makes us understand that it was at the Cross that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). By suffering and dying for our sins, Jesus Christ identified Himself with the Psalmist: “I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people” (Psalm 22:6).
What Does Abomination Mean?
Leviticus 18:22 – “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”
Deuteronomy 22:5 – “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.“
Leviticus 20:13 – “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.”
Proverbs 12:22 – “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.”
Proverbs 17:15 – “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.”
Daniel 11:31 – “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.”
Proverbs 16:5 – “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.“
Group 1 – What Does Abomination Mean
Proverbs 15:8 – “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.”
Daniel 9:27 – “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
Proverbs 11:1 – “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”
Proverbs 20:10 – “Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 23:18 – “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.”
Proverbs 15:26 – “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure.”
Group 2 – What Does Abomination Mean
Proverbs 28:9 – “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.“
Matthew 24:15 – “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),”
Proverbs 11:20 – “Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.”
Daniel 12:11 – “And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.”
Revelation 21:27 – “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Isaiah 1:13 – “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.”
Proverbs 20:23 – “Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good.“
Group 3 – What Does Abomination Mean
Mark 13:14 – “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.“
Leviticus 7:18 – “If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.”
Proverbs 6:16 – “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:“
Romans 1:26-27 – “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 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.”
Proverbs 3:32 – “For the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence.”
Group 4 – What Does Abomination Mean
Deuteronomy 24:4 – “Then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.”
Proverbs 21:27 – “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.”
Deuteronomy 17:1 – “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.”
Luke 16:15 – 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.”
Proverbs 6:16-19 – “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
Group 5 – What Does Abomination Mean
Deuteronomy 25:16 – “For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.“
Genesis 43:32 – “They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.“
Proverbs 15:9 – “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.”
1 Kings 14:24 – “And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.”
Deuteronomy 27:15 – “‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
Proverbs 8:7 – “For my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.”
Group 6 – What Does Abomination Mean
Isaiah 66:17 – “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 12:31 – “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.”
Deuteronomy 17:4 – “And it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel,”
Proverbs 24:9 – “The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.”
Deuteronomy 13:14 – “Then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you,“
Group 7 – What Does Abomination Mean
Jeremiah 32:35 – “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.”
1 Kings 11:5 – “For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.”
Proverbs 29:27 – “An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.“
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.“
Group 8 – What Does Abomination Mean
Exodus 8:26 – But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?”
Deuteronomy 20:18 – “That they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 11:23 – “But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.“
Genesis 46:34 – “You shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
Deuteronomy 32:16 – “They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger.”
Ezekiel 22:11 – “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.”
Group 9 – What Does Abomination Mean
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.“
Proverbs 26:25 – “When he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart;“
Deuteronomy 29:17 – “And you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them.”
Deuteronomy 7:25 – “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.”
Deuteronomy 18:12 – “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.“
Leviticus 11:20 – “All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you.“
Group 10 – What Does Abomination Mean
Proverbs 13:19 – “A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.“
Jeremiah 7:10 – “And then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?“
Leviticus 18:29 – “For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people.“
Deuteronomy 7:25-26 – “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. 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.”
Isaiah 66:3 – “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; …”
Group 11 – What Does Abomination Mean
2 Kings 23:13 – “And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.”
2 Chronicles 33:2 – “And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.“
Proverbs 6:17 – “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,”
Leviticus 18:1-30 – “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. ...”
Group 12 – What Does Abomination Mean
Galatians 5:19-21 – “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.“
Deuteronomy 18:9 – “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.“
2 Chronicles 36:14 – “All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.”
2 Chronicles 34:33 – “And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.”
Group 13 – What Does Abomination Mean
2 Chronicles 28:3 – “And he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.“
1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,“
Deuteronomy 23:17 – “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.“
Ezra 9:1 – “After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.“
Group 14 – What Does Abomination Mean
Leviticus 18:27 – “(for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean),”
1 Kings 11:7 – “Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem.”
1 Samuel 13:4 – “And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.“
Revelation 21:8 – “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.”
Ezekiel 5:11 – “Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity.”
Group 15 – What Does Abomination Mean
Isaiah 44:19 – No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
Leviticus 7:21 – “And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the Lord’s peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people.”
Ezekiel 20:7-8 – “And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. “Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.“
Group 16 – What Does Abomination Mean
Leviticus 11:10-13 – “But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you. You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is detestable to you. “And these you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,“
Jeremiah 13:27 – “I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your lewd whorings, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?”
Ezekiel 33:26 – “You rely on the sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife; shall you then possess the land?“
Ezekiel 9:4 – And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”
Group 17 – What Does Abomination Mean
Jeremiah 4:1 – “If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver,”
Ezekiel 5:9 – “And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again.“
Ezekiel 16:2 – “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations,“
Proverbs 16:12 – “It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.”
Ezra 9:11 – “Which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness.“
Ezra 9:14 – “Shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?“
Group 18 – What Does Abomination Mean
Jeremiah 6:15 – “Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says the Lord.“
Ezekiel 16:58 – “You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord.”
Ezekiel 8:15 – Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.”
Jeremiah 44:22 – “The Lord could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abominations that you committed. Therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.“
Proverbs 11:1-31 – “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. ...”
Group 19 – What Does Abomination Mean
Daniel 11:1-45 – “And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these. “Then the king of the south shall be strong, …“
Revelation 17:4-5 – “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”“
Ezekiel 16:22 – “And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.“
