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Topical Encyclopedia

Prostitution, often referred to in the Bible as harlotry or whoredom, is the practice of engaging in sexual relations for payment. It is consistently portrayed in Scripture as a sinful act that is contrary to God's design for human sexuality, which is intended to be expressed within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, prostitution is frequently condemned and associated with idolatry and spiritual unfaithfulness. The Hebrew word "zanah" is often used to describe both literal and figurative acts of unfaithfulness. For example, inLeviticus 19:29 , the Israelites are commanded, "Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness." This highlights the societal and moral decay that results from such practices.

The account of Hosea and Gomer serves as a poignant illustration of God's relationship with Israel. Hosea is commanded to marry a prostitute, symbolizing Israel's unfaithfulness to God through idolatry (Hosea 1:2). This narrative underscores the spiritual implications of prostitution, equating it with the betrayal of a covenant relationship.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, prostitution is similarly condemned. The Greek word "porneia" encompasses a range of sexual immorality, including prostitution. In1 Corinthians 6:15-16 , Paul warns believers, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body?" This passage emphasizes the spiritual and physical union that occurs in sexual relations, which is meant to be reserved for marriage.

The account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11) demonstrates Christ's approach to those involved in sexual sin. While He does not condone the sin, He offers forgiveness and a call to repentance, saying, "Go now and sin no more" (John 8:11). This reflects the transformative power of grace and the possibility of redemption for those who turn away from sin.

Symbolism and Metaphor

Prostitution is often used metaphorically in the Bible to describe spiritual unfaithfulness. In Revelation, Babylon is depicted as a harlot, symbolizing the corrupt and idolatrous systems of the world that lead people away from God (Revelation 17:1-5). This imagery serves as a warning against the seductive allure of sin and the ultimate judgment that awaits those who persist in unfaithfulness.

Moral and Ethical Implications

From a biblical perspective, prostitution is not merely a personal moral failing but a societal issue that reflects broader spiritual decay. It is seen as a violation of the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of the human person, created in the image of God. The Bible calls believers to uphold sexual purity and to extend compassion and redemption to those ensnared by such practices, recognizing the inherent worth of every individual and the possibility of transformation through Christ.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) The act or practice of prostituting or offering the body to an indiscriminate intercourse with men; common lewdness of a woman.

2. (n.) The act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power; as, the prostitution of abilities; the prostitution of the press.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

PROSTITUTION

pros-ti-tu'-shun.

SeeCRIMES;HARLOT; PUNISHMENTS.

Strong's Hebrew

5083. nadan -- a gift
... gift. Probably from an unused root meaning to give; a present (forprostitution) --
gift. 5082, 5083. nadan. 5084 . Strong's Numbers.

5078. nedeh -- a gift
... gifts. From nadah in the sense of freely flinging money; a bounty (forprostitution) --
gifts. see HEBREW nadah. 5077, 5078. nedeh. 5079 . Strong's Numbers

2184. zenuth -- fornication
... harlotry. Word Origin from zanah Definition fornication NASB Word Usage harlotry
(6),prostitution (1), unfaithfulness (1). whoredom....

6945. qadesh -- a temple prostitute
... sodomite, unclean. From qadash; a (quasi) sacred person, ie (technically) a (male)
devotee (byprostitution) to licentious idolatry -- sodomite, unclean....

Library

Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery.
... Therefore also the young were early provided for [married], so that the virgin state
was held in small esteem, neither were publicprostitution and lewdness...

Whether the Church Should Receive those who Return from Heresy?
... the great: neither shall you respect any man's person, because it is the judgment
of God." Therefore even those who are guilty of theprostitution of unbelief...

A Book of Modern Social Inquiry Has a Shape that is Somewhat...
... I maintain, therefore, that the common sociological method is quite useless: that
of first dissecting abject poverty or cataloguingprostitution....

Change not Always Improvement.
... matrons had sedulously promoted the disuse of garments which were the evidences
and guardians of dignity, as being impediments to the practising ofprostitution...

Of the Matters to be Considered in the Councils.
... If this is not a house ofprostitution, worse than all houses ofprostitution that
can be conceived, I do not know what houses ofprostitution really are....

Whose Image and Superscription?
... to pay tribute. Every fibre in your nature protests against theprostitution
of itself to anything short of God. You remember the...

Waiving the Question of the Authors, Tertullian Proposes to...
... Against the one we lay the charge of ambition, against the other ofprostitution;
so that even from this early stage [116] (of our discussion) you may look...

Examples of Such Offences under the Old Dispensation no Pattern...
... fully developed discipline of the present day, except that the elder (discipline)
may be made the agent for granting indulgence to yourprostitution?" In that...

Such Outward Adornments Meretricious, and Therefore Unsuitable to...
... Scriptures suggest (to us the reflection), that meretricious attractivenesses of
form are invariably conjoined with and appropriate [254] to bodilyprostitution...

Ridicule of the Statues Erected by the Greeks.
... Ne??ra of Calliades? For she was a courtezan. La??s was a prostitute, and
Turnus made her a monument ofprostitution. Why are you...

Thesaurus

Prostitution (48 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes
what is in one's power; as, theprostitution of abilities; theprostitution...

Promiscuity (6 Occurrences)
... place at the head of every way, and have made your beauty an abomination, and have
opened your feet to everyone who passed by, and multiplied yourprostitution...

Favors (7 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 16:15 But you trusted in your beauty, and played the prostitute because
of your renown, and poured out yourprostitution on everyone who passed by; his...

Corpses (16 Occurrences)
... Numbers 14:33 Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and
shall bear yourprostitution, until your dead bodies be consumed in the...

Lewdness (68 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 13:27 I have seen your abominations, even your adulteries, and your neighing,
the lewdness of yourprostitution, on the hills in the field....

Unfaithfulness (27 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Numbers 14:33 Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years,
and shall bear yourprostitution, until your dead bodies be consumed in the...

Prostitute (83 Occurrences)
... that it was told Judah, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute;
and moreover, behold, she is with child byprostitution." Judah said...

Lust (42 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 23:11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet was she more corrupt in her doting
than she, and in herprostitution which were more than theprostitution of...

Nakedness (50 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 16:36 Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Because your filthiness was poured out,
and your nakedness uncovered through yourprostitution with your lovers; and...

Oholibah (5 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 23:11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet was she more corrupt in her doting
than she, and in herprostitution which were more than theprostitution of...

Resources

What does the Bible say about prostitution? Will God forgive a prostitute? | GotQuestions.org

What was the “spirit of prostitution” in Hosea 4:12? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Gomer in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Prostitution: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance •Bible Dictionary •Bible Encyclopedia •Topical Bible •Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Prostitution (48 Occurrences)

Genesis 38:24
It happened about three months later, that it was told Judah, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute; and moreover, behold, she is with child byprostitution." Judah said, "Bring her forth, and let her be burnt."
(WEB NIV)

Leviticus 19:29
"'Don't profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall toprostitution, and the land become full of wickedness.
(WEB NIV)

Leviticus 21:7
They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profaned; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 21:14
A widow, or one divorced, or a profaned woman, or a harlot, these shall he not take; but a virgin of his own people shall he take to wife.
(See NIV)

Numbers 14:33
Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear yourprostitution, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness.
(WEB)

2 Kings 9:22
It happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" He answered, "What peace, so long as theprostitution of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft abound?"
(WEB)

Jeremiah 3:2
Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? By the ways have you sat for them, as an Arabian in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with yourprostitution and with your wickedness.
(WEB NIV)

Jeremiah 3:9
It happened through the lightness of herprostitution, that the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
(WEB)

Jeremiah 13:27
I have seen your abominations, even your adulteries, and your neighing, the lewdness of yourprostitution, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, Jerusalem! You will not be made clean; how long shall it yet be?
(WEB NAS NIV)

Ezekiel 16:15
But you trusted in your beauty, and played the prostitute because of your renown, and poured out yourprostitution on everyone who passed by; his it was.
(WEB)

Ezekiel 16:16
You took of your garments, and made for yourselves high places decked with various colors, and played the prostitute on them: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 16:17
You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and played the prostitute with them;
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 16:20
Moreover you have taken your sons and your daughters, whom you have borne to me, and you have sacrificed these to them to be devoured. Was yourprostitution a small matter,
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 16:22
In all your abominations and yourprostitution you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, and were wallowing in your blood.
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 16:25
You have built your lofty place at the head of every way, and have made your beauty an abomination, and have opened your feet to everyone who passed by, and multiplied yourprostitution.
(WEB)

Ezekiel 16:26
You have also committed sexual immorality with the Egyptians, your neighbors, great of flesh; and have multiplied yourprostitution, to provoke me to anger.
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 16:28
You have played the prostitute also with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; yes, you have played the prostitute with them, and yet you weren't satisfied.
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 16:29
You have moreover multiplied yourprostitution to the land of merchants, to Chaldea; and yet you weren't satisfied with this.
(WEB)

Ezekiel 16:33
They give gifts to all prostitutes; but you give your gifts to all your lovers, and bribe them, that they may come to you on every side for yourprostitution.
(WEB)

Ezekiel 16:34
You are different from other women in yourprostitution, in that no one follows you to play the prostitute; and whereas you give hire, and no hire is given to you, therefore you are different.
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 16:36
Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Because your filthiness was poured out, and your nakedness uncovered through yourprostitution with your lovers; and because of all the idols of your abominations, and for the blood of your children, that you gave to them;
(WEB)

Ezekiel 16:41
They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will cause you to cease from playing the prostitute, and you shall also give no hire any more.
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 23:3
and they played the prostitute in Egypt; they played the prostitute in their youth; there were their breasts pressed, and there was handled the bosom of their virginity.
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 23:5
Oholah played the prostitute when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 23:7
She bestowed herprostitution on them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them; and on whoever she doted, with all their idols she defiled herself.
(WEB)

Ezekiel 23:8
Neither has she left herprostitution since the days of Egypt; for in her youth they lay with her, and they handled the bosom of her virginity; and they poured out their prostitution on her.
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 23:11
Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet was she more corrupt in her doting than she, and in herprostitution which were more than the prostitution of her sister.
(WEB WBS NIV)

Ezekiel 23:14
She increased herprostitution; for she saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,
(WEB WBS NIV)

Ezekiel 23:17
The Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with theirprostitution, and she was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them.
(WEB)

Ezekiel 23:18
So she uncovered herprostitution, and uncovered her nakedness: then my soul was alienated from her, like as my soul was alienated from her sister.
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 23:19
Yet she multiplied herprostitution, remembering the days of her youth, in which she had played the prostitute in the land of Egypt.
(WEB WBS)

Ezekiel 23:27
Thus will I make your lewdness to cease from you, and yourprostitution brought from the land of Egypt; so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them, nor remember Egypt any more.
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 23:29
and they shall deal with you in hatred, and shall take away all your labor, and shall leave you naked and bare; and the nakedness of yourprostitution shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your prostitution.
(WEB WBS NIV)

Ezekiel 23:35
Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have forgotten me, and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and yourprostitution.
(WEB WBS NIV)

Ezekiel 43:7
He said to me, Son of man, this is the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. The house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by theirprostitution, and by the dead bodies of their kings in their high places;
(WEB NIV)

Ezekiel 43:9
Now let them put away theirprostitution, and the dead bodies of their kings, far from me; and I will dwell in the midst of them forever.
(WEB NIV)

Hosea 1:2
When Yahweh spoke at first by Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife ofprostitution and children of unfaithfulness; for the land commits great adultery, forsaking Yahweh."
(WEB)

Hosea 2:2
Contend with your mother! Contend, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away herprostitution from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
(WEB WBS)

Hosea 4:10
They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned giving to Yahweh.
(See NIV)

Hosea 4:11
Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
(WEB NIV)

Hosea 4:12
My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit ofprostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God.
(WEB NIV)

Hosea 4:13
They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery.
(See NIV)

Hosea 4:14
I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, nor your brides when they commit adultery; because the men consort with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; so the people without understanding will come to ruin.
(See NIV)

Hosea 4:18
Sour 'is' their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly.
(See NIV)

Hosea 5:3
I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, Ephraim, you have played the prostitute. Israel is defiled.
(See NIV)

Hosea 5:4
Their deeds won't allow them to turn to their God; for the spirit ofprostitution is within them, and they don't know Yahweh.
(WEB NIV)

Hosea 6:10
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing. There isprostitution in Ephraim. Israel is defiled.
(WEB WBS NIV)

Nahum 3:4
because of the multitude of theprostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
(WEB NIV)

Subtopics

Prostitution

Prostitution: Forbidden

Related Terms

Promiscuity (6 Occurrences)

Favors (7 Occurrences)

Corpses (16 Occurrences)

Lewdness (68 Occurrences)

Unfaithfulness (27 Occurrences)

Prostitute (83 Occurrences)

Lust (42 Occurrences)

Nakedness (50 Occurrences)