ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – LUST – RIGGATHA רגיגתא Resh Gimmel Yod Gimmel Taw Aleph

Romans 1:24: “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:”

“The lust of their own hearts.”  Today I was grocery shopping and I was drawn to the bakery department.  Talk of lust, I am guilty.  I saw a Chocolate cream cake with frosting so thick I could actually taste it.  I swear I gained five pounds just taking in the aroma.  I did not yield to temptation, but I fear I am guilty of lust.  I mean lust of the heart, my heart was screaming in agony just for a taste.  To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, whosoever looketh upon a chocolate cream cake with the special frosting to lust after it has already committed desert with it in his heart (or his glands).  

Will God give me up to the lusts of my own heart to dishonor my body with a blood sugar spike and weight gain? Am I guilty of what Paul is speaking about here?  The word lust in English according to Webster is a very strong sexual desire. The expanded definition is “a psychological force producing an intense desire for an object, or circumstance while already having a significant other or amount of the desired object.”  According to that my visit to the local Jewel did not produce lust as I do not have nearly a significant amount of chocolate cake at home, actually, I have none.   

Many modern translations associate this with sexual uncleanness and actually call it that like the NIV which renders this as the sinful desires of the heart to produce sexual impurity. Culturally, I suppose an argument could be made that Paul is referencing sexual behavior as Roman culture was pretty sexually-oriented, not unlike our Western world today. However, the context suggests this has something to do with idolatry.  Nothing in the Greek or Aramaic suggests this must be a reference to sexual desires. 

In the Greek, the word for lust is epithymiais which means desires built on very strong feelings but is not limited to sexual desires.  The word uncleanness is akatharsian which means impurity which is not limited to sexual impurity.  It is really a word used for ritual impurity such as touching a dead body or not taking proper mikveh. Nor can we imply that this is a reference to sexual sin by the term dishonoring the body.  The word dishonor is atimazesthai which means to insult or disgrace.  Getting a tattoo fits that description of dishonoring the body as tattoos are forbidden by Jews.  Gluttony leading to obesity would be disgracing the body as would living on a junk food diet. 

The word for lust in Aramaic is riggatha which is a desire for pleasure.  This desire for pleasure that God gives them up to is for unclean pleasure.  The word for unclean is tema which is to be ceremonially unclean. Just like the Greek, this means things like touching a dead body or not taking a proper mikveh. The word for dishonoring is tsear which means to belittle, to be considered as unimportant.  I doubt that would refer to committing a sexual sin as that would be considered the body to be very important.  That is the pleasure of the body would be more important than God. 

In the Aramaic, the word used for lust is rigigatha which is a desire or passion for pleasure. A desire or passion for pleasure that is unclean. The word unclean in Aramaic is tema which is a reference to Levitical uncleanness. To be ceremonially unclean.  The word for dishonor is tsear which is to belittle, to treat as unimportant.  That is almost the opposite of sexual sin as one committing a sexual sin is treating his body as most important. 

So, in the Aramaic God gave them up.  The word “gave them up” is shelem which means to surrender, that is to discontinue a fight for something.  God discontinues fighting for them, surrendering them to their passion for pleasure by making themselves ceremonially unclean and thereby disgracing their bodies.  I am sure sexual sins are a part of this but I believe Paul was speaking about more.  The context is speaking of idolatry and God just surrendering them, that is the idol worshippers to their idolatry.  The very next verse talks of worshipping and serving the creature more than the creator.  The word creature in Aramaic really means created things. This would include the animals and birds as listed in the prior verse. It also includes humans.  Anything that God created. I know many people who worship their pastors, the created thing more than the Creator.

Remember Paul said that our bodies are the temple of God, I Corinthians 6:19.  Idol worshippers are seeking the pleasures of the flesh.  Food can be an idol and you can disgrace your body through gluttony.  Sexual misconduct can be an idol and you feed your flesh with that idol.  I remember a movie about stuntmen who literally destroyed their bodies for fame and fortune. They became addicted to painkillers, really disgracing their bodies for that god of fame.  In one scene one of the stuntmen was in the hospital talking to another stunt man and he said: “A priest once told me that our bodies are a temple. Well, this is a fine way to treat a temple, busting it all up.”  

The point is that if God gives us up to our lusts, then that loss, be it an addiction or worship of something other than God, has the potential of destroying us if we do not stop.  If God gives us up to it, we will continue until it destroys us.  Drugs, alcohol, even addiction to work or study can be an idol and really bust-up that temple of God. 

We have a duty to respect this body that God gave us, to treat it properly and as something holy unto God.  To use it to please the desires of the flesh or the lust of the flesh is really what Paul is talking about. It is not limited to sexual sin but an unholy use of this body, even if we think we are doing something holy but with the wrong motives, and God will surrender us to that lust to be destroyed by it.

So, maybe for this body which has a blood sugar problem to lust after Chocolate cream cake to the point of letting it abuse this temple of God would be one thing Paul is referring to.

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