Masturbation is certainly a sticky subject for many (sorry for the pun). Western culture says it is ok to do and there is no harm that comes from it. But what does the Bible say?
Christians should not masturbate. Although the Bible does not explicitly mention masturbation, it does give four principles that suggest Christians should not masturbate: one’s conscience, avoidance of lust, avoidance of selfishness, and spouses are to pleasure each other.
Let’s first look at what the Bible says in connection to masturbation before looking at the biblical principles that suggest masturbation is wrong.
The Bible and Masturbation
Scripture hints at male masturbation a number of times, but never female masturbation. The reason for this is most likely because emitting semen causes a man to become cultically unclean and in need of purification. The passages we’ll look at are Leviticus 15:16–18 and Deuteronomy 23:9–14. I also want to briefly touch upon Onan wasting his semen on the ground in Genesis 38:6–11 because it has wrongly been used to condemn masturbation.
Purification Rites for Emitting Semen: Leviticus 15:16–18
Throughout the Bible, God is presented as a holy God. Because God is holy, his people must continually be holy. As such, God’s people must be cultically clean/pure.[1] If God’s people are not clean/pure, then God will either not dwell with his people or God will lash out and kill his people (see Lev 15:31). Thus, in Leviticus 11:1–15:33, Moses presents Israel with instructions about purity for God’s people. Specifically, God’s people are told what makes a person cultically unclean and how to become clean/pure if one is unclean.
In Leviticus 15:16–18, we discover that emitting semen makes a man cultically unclean:
“If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water and be unclean until the evening. If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening.”
LEVITICUS 15:16–18
Leviticus 15:16–18 treats two different circumstances of semen emission. The second circumstance is when a man has sex with a woman and emits semen (Lev 15:18). If a man and woman have sex and the man emits semen, then both the man and the woman become unclean. To become clean again, both the man and the woman must bathe themselves in water and be unclean until evening.
The first circumstance of a man emitting semen is any time a man has an emission of semen that is not related to sex (Lev 15:16–17). Because the text does not state a more specific situation or circumstance like verse 18 does, it would include emission for any reason, such as a nocturnal emission (a wet dream), leakage, or masturbation. Thus, Leviticus 15:16–17 states that masturbation makes a person cultically unclean. The man then needs to wash himself and whatever items the semen touches and be unclean until evening.
Because Leviticus 15:16–17 claims that masturbation for a male makes him cultically unclean (specifically the emission of semen), does that mean that Christians should not masturbate? The short answer is ‘no.’ Leviticus 15:16–17 does not claim or suggest masturbation is wrong and that Christians should not do it for the following reasons. First, Leviticus 15:16–17 is not about masturbation, but seminal emission. According to the passage, it is the semen that makes one cultically unclean, not the act of masturbating.
Second, Leviticus 15:16–17 is not about the morality of masturbation or even the morality of emitting semen. Verse 18 makes this very clear. Verse 18 is about sex, which is good and godly (when done in marriage, see my article here). God is not saying that sex is sinful or wrong, just that the semen makes both partners unclean. Thus, because verse 18 touches on a clearly moral good, we know that the issue is not about morality, but simply that which makes a person cultically unclean.
Third, and related to the previous point, Leviticus 11:1–15:33 speaks of many things that make a person unclean that are not morally compromising, but are either morally neutral or morally good, such as childbirth (Lev 12), getting leprosy (Lev 13–14), and menstruation (Lev 15:19–30). Thus, not everything that makes a person unclean is sinful.
Fourth, Leviticus 15:16–17 is part of the Sinai Covenant. Christians are not under the Sinai Covenant, but under the New Covenant (Luke 22:19–20; Heb 8:1–13). Thus, the laws of the Sinai Covenant, including Leviticus 15:16–17 do not apply to Christians. We see this clearly in churches around the world. Churches and Christians around the world rightlydo not adhere to the purification laws of Leviticus 11:1–15:33. As Christians, we eat what we want and we don’t cleanse ourselves after touching something unclean or after an emission of fluid (semen or otherwise).
Fifth, Jesus’ atoning death and our faith in Jesus cleanses us from all uncleanness (Acts 10:1–11:18; Eph 5:25–27; Tit 2:13–14; 1 John 1:7–9). Jesus’ death not only cleanses a person from sins, but also from anything that makes a person cultically unclean. Thus, those who believe in Jesus do not need to engage in the rights of purification as set forth in Leviticus 15:16–17.
Semen Emission while at War: Deuteronomy 23:9–14
In Deuteronomy 23:9–14, Moses gives God’s instructions about how the men should keep the war camp cultically clean. The instructions are specifically for men, since women did not go to war and were not in the war camp. As will be seen below, the topic of seminal emissions comes up again:
“When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing. If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp. He shall not come inside the camp, but when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water, and as the sun sets, he may come inside the camp. You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside [i.e., “when you poop”], you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement.Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.”
DEUTERONOMY 23:9–14, emphasis added
Deuteronomy 23:9–14 claims that while in the war camp any male who has a seminal emission at night must leave the camp and remain outside the camp until the following evening when he may return and bathe himself in water. As can be seen, the cleansing ritual is the same as when a man has an emission of semen when not in the war camp (Lev 15:16–17), with the exception of him having to immediately leave the war camp for the day.
God, through Moses, gives two reasons that men must leave the war camp if they ejaculate. First, “you shall keep yourself from every evil thing” (Deut 23:9, ESV). The Hebrew adjective translated “evil” by the ESV and many English translations is רַע. The adjective רַע has a wide semantic range as seen in HALOT (The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament) and frequently does not mean “evil” in the sense of deprived of all moral good. HALOT understands the phrase דָּבָר רָע as “a defiling occurrence,” which is most likely correct. The context of Deuteronomy 23:9–14 clearly indicates that ejaculation and pooping make a person cultically unclean, not that they are “evil” practices. Indeed, the fact that pooping is included clearly indicates that “evil” is not what is meant by רַע. God created humans to poop; thus, it is not an evil practice. However, touching poop does make a person cultically unclean. The NET translation does a good job of translating Deuteronomy 23:9:
“When you go out as an army against your enemies, guard yourselves against anything impure.”
DEUTERONOMY 23:9, NET, emphasis added
The second reason that men must leave the war camp if they ejaculate is because “God walks in the midst of your camp” and as a result the “camp must be holy” (Deut 23:14). This reason will not surprise anyone who has just finished reading Exodus–Numbers. God gives many commands based on his holiness. God’s people must be holy at all times in order for God to dwell with his people and not lash out at them, killing them. As such, God tells his people how to remain holy, clean, and pure, but also how to cleanse themselves should they become unclean. The issue of cultic cleanliness becomes extremely important during a war because if the camp becomes defiled, God may abandon his people and give them over to the enemy. In an act of grace, God tells his people what to do in the event they become unclean. This ensures God will remain with his people in war and give them the victory. Note again the beginning of Deuteronomy 23:14:
“Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy.”
DEUTERONOMY 23:14
Like Leviticus 15:16–17, a nocturnal emission could refer to a wet dream, leakage, or masturbation. When one of these occur and semen comes out, the man must leave the camp until the following evening.
So, does Deuteronomy 23:9–14 mean that Christians should not masturbate? Again, the short answer is ‘no.’ Deuteronomy 23:9–14 does not claim or suggest that masturbation is wrong and that Christians should not do it for the following reasons. First, Deuteronomy 23:9–14 is not about masturbation, but seminal emission. According to the passage, it is the semen that makes one cultically unclean, not the act of masturbating.
Second, Deuteronomy 23:9–14 is not about the morality of masturbation or even the morality of emitting semen. The reference to pooping, something God designed all people to do, makes it abundantly clear that the issue is cultic uncleanness, not immoral actions, contra how some translations render Deuteronomy 23:9.
Third, the setting of Deuteronomy 23:9–14 is the war camp for Israel. Since the vast majority of men in the world are not in a war camp, this passage does not apply to them. Further, it is about the war camp of Israel. No country in the West has declared itself a “Christian” country that serves the living and true God. As such, none of these war camps are the type of camp envisioned in Deuteronomy 23:9–14.
Fourth, Deuteronomy 23:9–14 is part of the Sinai Covenant. Since Christians are not under the Sinai Covenant, but under the New Covenant (Luke 22:19–20; Heb 8:1–13), we do not need to adhere to Deuteronomy 23:9–14 or any command under the Sinai covenant.
Fifth, Jesus’ atoning death and our faith in Jesus cleanses us from all uncleanness (Acts 10:1–11:18; Eph 5:25–27; Tit 2:13–14; 1 John 1:7–9). Jesus’ death not only cleanses a person from sins, but also from anything that makes a person cultically unclean. Thus, those who believe in Jesus do not need to engage in the rights of purification as set forth in Deuteronomy 23:9–14.
Onan’s Seminal Emission in Genesis 38:6–11
The final passage that I want to cover in this section is Genesis 38:6–11. Unfortunately, I have heard this passage used to condemn masturbation. A cursory reading will show that this is false. In Genesis 38:6–7, God kills Judah’s firstborn son, Er, because he was wicked. Er’s wife was Tamar and Er left her without a son before he died. As such, it was the responsibility of Judah’s second oldest son, Onan (Er’s younger brother), to marry Tamar and give her a son, which would be raised as Er’s son and receive the greater portion of the inheritance. This is called Levirate marriage and is expounded upon in Deuteronomy 25:5–10.
According to the law of Levirate marriage, Judah gave Onan to Tamar for the purpose of giving her a son (Gen 38:8). Onan, however, refused to ejaculate inside Tamar and give her a son, but instead “would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother” (38:9). In the following verse, Genesis says that Onan’s behaviour was wicked and God kills him:
“But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also.”
GENESIS 38:9–10, emphasis added
Some teachers and preachers claim that it was Onan’s act of spilling his semen on the ground that was wicked and so masturbation is also a wicked because semen is spilled on the ground. This understanding grossly misses the point of Genesis 38:6–11. The wicked act was Onan intentionally not giving Tamar a child. For example, if Onan decided simply to not have sex with Tamar, God still would have killed him because the purpose of not having sex was to prevent Tamar from having a child, which is the same purpose of Onan spilling his semen on the ground. Thus, Genesis 38:6–11 has nothing to do with masturbation and should not be raised in the discussion.
Biblical Principles that Suggest Christians Should NOT Masturbate
Although the passages above that touch on masturbation do not comment on whether a Christian should masturbate or not, there are a number of New Testament principles that strongly suggest Christians should not masturbate. Let’s look at each of these in turn.
One’s Conscience Witnesses against Masturbation
The reason I think masturbation is such a commonly raised topic by Christians is because most of us know it is wrong. Christians raise the question because our conscience bears witness against the act.
God has given all people, not just Christians, a conscience to help guide us in right and wrong. Note what Paul says about Gentiles who do not have the law:
“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”
ROMANS 2:14–16, emphasis added
One’s conscience bears witness against wrong behaviour and of right behaviour. This is evident in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians where he says the following:
“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.”
2 CORINTHIANS 1:12
Paul claims that his conscience bears witness that he behaved appropriately in the world and toward the Corinthians.
For many (if not most) Christians, masturbation is thought of as taboo, something we shouldn’t do, something that must be hidden. This is our conscience telling us that it is wrong.
At the very least, we can take Paul’s words about eating idol meat and apply them to masturbation:
“But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
ROMANS 14:23, emphasis added
If masturbating does not proceed from faith, it is sin for that person and he/she should not do it.
Masturbation is a By-Product of Lust and a Means to Lust
Masturbation is both a by-product of lust and a means to lust. A person usually masturbates because of the lust in their heart and mind. In layman’s terms, the person is horny. A person sees someone or thinks about someone and these sights and thoughts generate sexual desires that feel like they must be released, resulting in masturbation. Thus, masturbation is a by-product of lust. When a person masturbates, however, the person usually gives full vent to these lustful thoughts about other people and, thus, masturbation is a means to lust.
Lust is thinking sexually about a person and sexually desiring a person who is not your spouse. To think sexually about a person who is not one’s spouse is the same as actually engaging in sexual conduct with that person in the eyes of Jesus and is, thus, the equivalent of committing adultery.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
MATTHEW 5:27–28
Because lust is the root cause for masturbation most of the time and masturbation encourages lustful thoughts, Christians should not masturbate. Christians should flee anything that causes them to lust, which is adultery. Thus, Christians should flee masturbation.
Masturbation is Selfish
Christians should not masturbate because it is completely selfish. Scripture calls Christians to selflessness, not selfishness. Scripture calls Christians to consider others and count them as more significant than themselves:
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
PHILIPPIANS 2:1–4, emphasis added
For those who are not married, masturbating while thinking of another person is not putting that person’s interests ahead of your own; it is not considering them more significant than yourself. When we masturbate, we treat the person we are thinking of purely as an object for our own desire and self-fulfilment, which is the exact opposite of counting them more important than ourselves. It is pure selfishness. When we masturbate, we force others into doing things they have not consented, if only in our minds.
The same is true for married couples when they think of someone other than their spouse. But it is doubly heinous because now they are not even considering their spouse, the one they pledged their life to. Further, when a married person masturbates, it takes away the privilege, pleasure, and God-given role (1 Cor 7) of their spouse in pleasing him/her. Masturbation does not put one’s spouse and their interests first.
Spouses are to Sexually Please One Another, Not the Self
For married couples, it is the duty of spouses to pleasure one another, not one’s self (or anyone else, of course!). Paul is very clear on this point:
“The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
1 CORINTHIANS 7:3–5, emphasis added
Paul is clear that a married person should ensure he/she gives his/her spouse their conjugal rights (i.e., sex). If one’s spouse is obedient in this area, then there is no need for masturbation. Further, Paul says that a husband does not have authority over his body, and neither does the wife her body, but the spouse has the authority. At the very least, then, a married person cannot masturbate without the permission of one’s spouse.
Because of the 1 Corinthians 7 command, married couples must ensure that they do not separate for long periods of time because they are not allowed to deprive the other person of sexual gratification. This factors into one’s job, one’s schooling, etc. A spouse can’t leave for a year for work because he/she would be sinning by not sexually gratifying his/her spouse.
Thus, a married person should not masturbate because it is the responsibility of one’ spouse to sexually gratify the other, not one’s self.
Summary and Concluding Thoughts
The Bible does not explicitly mention masturbation or the morality of masturbating. Leviticus 15:16–18 and Deuteronomy 23:9–14 mention how seminal emission makes a person cultically unclean, but these passages do not comment on the morality of masturbating. Further, the purification rites do not apply to Christians because we are not under the Sinai Covenant, but the New Covenant. Genesis 38:6–11 recounts Onan’s sin of spilling his semen on the ground. A cursory reading of Genesis 38 reveals that God did not kill Onan for the act of spilling his semen on the ground, but because he refused to give Tamar a son in the name of his older brother, Er, which was the morally right thing for him to do.
Although the Bible does not comment on masturbation, it does give a number of principles that suggest Christians should not masturbate. First, for many Christians, one’s conscience witnesses against masturbation, suggesting it should not be done (Rom 2:14–16; 14:23). Second, masturbation is both a by-product of lust and a means to lust. Because lust is a clear sin (Matt 5:27–28), Christians should not masturbate. Third, masturbation is selfish and treats the other person as an object for our sexual desire (Phil 2:1–4). Finally, married couples should not masturbate because it is the responsibility of one’s spouse to sexually gratify the other (1 Cor 7:3–5).
I am aware that there may be some exceptions to the above principles. For example, some spouses are ripped apart for various reasons, such as war. Further, there are some who claim they can masturbate without lusting or thinking of anyone. Although I personally don’t think this is possible, it may be an exception for a single person if possible. Overall, however, Christians should not masturbate and should seek control and mastery over their bodies.
[1] I use the term “cultically” clean/unclean to distinguish the cleanliness from physically cleanliness. It is not an offense to God if a person sweats or gets their hands dirty from farm work, etc.