This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. Eastons Bible Dictionary generally refers to the Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, by Matthew George Easton M.A., D.D. ( 1823- 1894), published three years after Eastons death in 1897 by Thomas Nelson. ...
Abomination in the Biblical sense of the word refers to: The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ...
Every shepherd was "an abomination" unto the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34). This aversion to shepherds, such as the Hebrews, arose probably from the fact that Upper and Lower Egypt had formerly been held in oppressive subjection by the Hyksos (a tribe of nomad shepherds), who had only recently been expelled, and partly also perhaps from this other fact that the people of Egypt detested the nomadic habits of these wandering shepherds.
Pharaoh was so moved by the fourth plague, that while he refused the demand of Moses, he offered a compromise, granting to the Israelites permission to hold their festival and offer their sacrifices in Egypt. This permission could not be accepted, because Moses said they would have to sacrifice "the abomination of the Egyptians" (Exodus 8:26); i.e., the cow or ox, which all the Egyptians held as sacred, and which they regarded it as sacrilegious to kill.
In Daniel's prophecies in Daniel 11:31, it is generally interpreted as referring to the fearful calamities that were to fall on the Jews in the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, says, "And they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate."
In his campaign of Hellenization, Antiochus caused an altar to be erected on the altar of burnt-offering of the Second Temple, on which sacrifices were offered to JupiterOlympus. (Comp. 1 Maccabees1:57). Following the wording of Daniel 9:27, this was the abomination of desolation of Jerusalem. In Matthew 24:15, the reference is probably to the image-crowned standards which the Romans set up at the east gate of the temple (A.D. 70), and to which they paid idolatrous honours. "Almost the entire religion of the Roman camp consisted in worshipping the ensign, swearing by the ensign, and in preferring the ensign before all other gods." These ensigns were an "abomination" to the Jews, the "abomination of desolation."
This word is also used symbolically of sin in general (Isaiah 66:3); also an idol (Isaiah 44:19); a detestable act (Ezekiel 22:11).
Some of the Catholic Traditionalists who have broken away from the mainstream church have also been known to refer to the post-Vatican II mass and other ceremonies as "abominations".
The word "abomination" is also used to refer to homosexual activity (Leviticus 18:22), (Leviticus 20:13).
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