Inordinate
What Does "Inordinate" Mean in the Bible?
The English word "inordinate" comes from the Latin inordinatus, meaning "not ordered" or "disordered." In its biblical usage, it describes desires, loves, or affections that are excessive, immoderate, and ill-regulated. These are not merely strong feelings, but passions that have broken free from their proper boundaries and purposes, becoming destructive forces in human life. The concept points to a heart and will that are misaligned with God's created order.
Key Biblical Appearances and Translation
The term "inordinate" appears only twice in the King James Version (KJV) of 1611, and in both instances, it represents a significant interpretive choice by the translators. In Ezekiel 23:11, the KJV describes Oholibah (representing the kingdom of Judah) as having "an inordinate love" for the Assyrians. The Hebrew noun here is 'aghāḇâ, which typically denotes "lust" or "uncontrolled desire." The translators added "inordinate" to capture the excessive, idolatrous nature of this political and spiritual infatuation. Modern translations like the ESV and NIV render this more directly as "lust" or "doting."
In Colossians 3:5, the KJV instructs believers to "mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Here, "inordinate affection" translates the Greek word pathos. In classical Greek, pathos could refer to any strong emotion, but in the New Testament, it consistently carries a negative connotation of a debased or sinful passion. The ESV translates it simply as "passion," and the NIV as "evil desires." The KJV's addition of "inordinate" emphasizes that these are not natural feelings but disordered ones that have become idolatrous.
The Theological Problem of Disordered Desire
Biblically, inordinate desire is not about the existence of human passions, but about their direction and intensity. God created humans with capacity for love, desire, and affection—all good in their proper context (Song of Solomon, Genesis 2:24-25). The problem arises when these God-given capacities are turned toward wrong objects or pursued without restraint, displacing God from the center of one's life. This is the essence of idolatry, as explicitly stated in Colossians 3:5, where covetousness (an inordinate desire for possessions) is equated with idolatry.
The narrative of the Fall in Genesis 3 illustrates this dynamic. Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was "good for food," "pleasing to the eye," and "desirable for gaining wisdom" (Genesis 3:6). These were not evil categories in themselves, but the desire became inordinate when it led to disobedience against God's clear command. The object of the desire (the fruit) became more compelling than faithfulness to God.
The Call to Order Our Affections
The biblical response to inordinate desire is not the elimination of all desire, but its redemption and reordering. The New Testament consistently calls believers to put to death the "earthly" or disordered aspects of their nature (Colossians 3:5) and to be transformed by the renewal of their minds (Romans 12:2). This involves cultivating rightly ordered loves: loving God supremely (Matthew 22:37-38) and loving others appropriately.
The fruit of the Spirit—"love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23)—stands in direct contrast to the works of the flesh, which include various forms of inordinate passion (Galatians 5:19-21). Self-control (enkrateia) is particularly key; it is the Spirit-empowered ability to master one's desires rather than be mastered by them.
Relevance for Modern Readers
For contemporary believers, the concept of inordinate desire remains profoundly relevant. It provides a framework for diagnosing the spiritual root of many modern struggles—not just with obvious sins, but with the excessive pursuit of good things like success, comfort, relationships, or approval, when they become ultimate things. It challenges the cultural assumption that all intense desire is authentic and should be fulfilled. Instead, the biblical vision invites us to examine what our strongest desires are oriented toward and to seek God's grace to reorder our loves according to His design, finding true fulfillment in Him.
Biblical Context
The concept appears indirectly through specific terminology in two key passages. In Ezekiel 23:11, it describes the kingdom of Judah's (Oholibah's) idolatrous and politically destructive "lust" or "doting" for foreign powers, using the Hebrew 'aghāḇâ. In the New Testament, Colossians 3:5 lists "passion" (Greek pathos) among the earthly vices that Christians must put to death, explicitly linking covetousness—a form of inordinate desire—to idolatry. The theme of disordered desire is foundational to the Fall narrative (Genesis 3) and is addressed throughout wisdom literature (e.g., Proverbs on craving) and apostolic teachings on sanctification (Romans 6-8, Galatians 5).
Theological Significance
The concept of inordinate desire is central to the biblical understanding of sin, idolatry, and human nature. It teaches that sin is often not the creation of a new evil desire, but the distortion and misdirection of a good, God-given capacity. This highlights the pervasive nature of human fallenness, affecting even our affections. Theologically, it underscores humanity's need for redemption that goes beyond external behavior to the transformation of the heart (Ezekiel 36:26). It also clarifies the goal of sanctification: not passionless stoicism, but rightly ordered loves where God is the supreme object of worship and desire, and all other loves are held in proper relation to Him.
Historical Background
The KJV translators' use of "inordinate" reflects 17th-century English and theological concerns. Their choice aligns with Reformation and Puritan emphases on the corruption of human nature and the need for grace to subdue sinful passions. The Greek word pathos had a nuanced history. In Stoic philosophy, pathē were generally negative, irrational emotions to be eradicated. The New Testament usage is distinct, acknowledging the reality of strong emotions but condemning those that are debased and lead away from God. The Hebrew concept in Ezekiel connects to ancient Near Eastern treaty-covenant language, where Israel's political and religious alliances with foreign nations were viewed as spiritual adultery—a betrayal of their exclusive covenant relationship with Yahweh.