Sex is mentioned repeatedly in the Hebrew Bible. Some references provide unambiguous ethical regulations, such as the laws given in Leviticus or Deuteronomy. Others are more ambivalent, most famously the potentially homosexual actions of Ham with his father, Noah. Its depictions of homosexuality, rape, prostitution and incest have spurred considerable academic and theological attention.
The Hebrew Bible possibly refers to homosexuality three times, though the word itself does not occur in many English translations. These passages are interpreted differently. Leviticus 18 says:<blockquote>"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination."</blockquote>Leviticus 20 says: <blockquote>"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them."</blockquote>Ham's actions in Genesis possibly refer to homosexual behavior with his father Noah, while the latter was passed out drunk in his tent.
Although the Hebrew Bible contains numerous references to rape, this was mostly unrecognized by commentators until the 20th century. It was not until the late 1970s, with the emergence of the anti-rape movement due to second-wave feminism, that feminist scholars reanalyzed Biblical scenarios in terms of sexual violence. Hebrew contains several verbs that can refer to rape, making interpretation difficult. A commonly-cited example of Biblical rape is the Levite's concubine found in Judges.
Lot's daughters had sex with him after they got him drunk for the purpose of becoming pregnant.
Two different words for prostitute occur in the Hebrew Bible, zonah (ÃÂÃÂàÃÂ) and kedeshah (çÃÂéÃÂ). This led to the belief that kedeshah were not ordinary prostitutes, but sacred harlots who worked in fertility temples.
Exodus , as the seventh commandment, prohibits adultery. Second Samuel describes King David's act of adultery with Bathsheba: