Topical Encyclopedia
The term "seduce" in the biblical context generally refers to the act of leading someone astray from moral or spiritual principles, often through deceptive or enticing means. The concept of seduction is addressed in various passages throughout the Bible, highlighting the dangers and consequences of being led away from God's commandments and truth.
Old Testament ReferencesIn the Old Testament, the idea of seduction is often linked with idolatry and the turning away from the worship of the one true God. For instance, in
Deuteronomy 13:6-8, the Israelites are warned against being seduced by false prophets or even close family members who might entice them to serve other gods: "If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods'... you must not yield to him or listen to him."
The book of Proverbs frequently warns against the seduction of immoral behavior, particularly in the context of sexual immorality.
Proverbs 7:21-23 describes the seductive speech of an adulteress: "With her great persuasion she entices him; she lures him with her flattering lips. He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap."
New Testament ReferencesIn the New Testament, seduction is often associated with false teachings and the distortion of the gospel. The apostle Paul warns the Corinthian church about being led astray from their sincere and pure devotion to Christ. In
2 Corinthians 11:3, he writes, "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
The book of Revelation also addresses the theme of seduction, particularly in the context of spiritual deception and the end times.
Revelation 2:20 speaks of the church in Thyatira being led astray by the teachings of a false prophetess: "But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."
Moral and Spiritual ImplicationsFrom a biblical perspective, seduction is not merely a physical or emotional enticement but a spiritual danger that can lead individuals away from God's truth and righteousness. The Bible consistently warns believers to remain vigilant and discerning, to test the spirits, and to hold fast to sound doctrine.
Ephesians 5:6 cautions, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience."
The call to resist seduction is ultimately a call to remain faithful to God and His commandments, to seek wisdom and understanding, and to guard one's heart against the allure of sin and falsehood.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
v. t.) To entice to evil; to lead astray; specifically, to induce to surrender chastity; to debauch by means of solicitation.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
SEDUCE; SEDUCERse-dus', se-dus'-er (Hiphil of (Ta`ah, or ta`ah, "to err"; of pathah, "to be simple"; planao, apoplanao, "to lead astray"):
(1) The word "seduce" is only used in the Bible in its general meaning of "to lead astray," "to cause to err," as from the paths of truth, duty or religion. It occurs in the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)Ezekiel 13:102 Kings 21:9;1 Timothy 4:1Revelation 2:20; in the King James Version only,Proverbs 12:26 (the Revised Version (British and American) "causeth to err");Isaiah 19:13 (the Revised Version (British and American) "caused to go astray");Mark 13:221 John 2:26 (the Revised Version (British and American) "lead astray"). The noun "seducer" (2 Timothy 3:13 the King James Version, goes) is correctly changed in the Revised Version (British and American) into "impostor."
(2) It is not found in its specific sense of "to entice a female to surrender her chastity." Yet the crime itself is referred to and condemned.
Three cases are to be distinguished:
(a) The seduction of an unbetrothed virgin: In this case the seducer cording to J-E (Exodus 22:16 f) is to be compelled to take the virgin as his wife, if the father consents, and to pay the latter the usual purchase price, the amount of which is not defined. In the Deuteronomic Code (Deuteronomy 22:28) the amount is fixed at 50 shekels, and the seducer forfeits the right of divorce.
(b) The seduction of a betrothed virgin: This case (Deuteronomy 22:23-27; not referred to in the other codes) is treated as virtually one of adultery, the virgin being regarded as pledged to her future husband as fully as if she were formally married to him; the penalty therefore is the same as for adultery, namely, death for both parties (except in the case where the girl can reasonably be acquitted of blame, in which case the man only is put to death).
(c) The seduction of a betrothed bondmaid (mentioned only inLeviticus 19:20-22): Here there is no infliction of death, because the girl was not free; but the seducer shall make a trespass offering, besides paying the fine.
SeeCRIMES;PUNISHMENTS.
D. Miall Edwards
Greek
1818. exapatao -- toseduce wholly, deceive... to
seduce wholly, deceive. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: exapatao Phonetic
Spelling: (ex-ap-at-ah'-o) Short Definition: I deceive thoroughly Definition
...635. apoplanao -- to cause to go astray
... mislead,seduce. From apo and planao; to lead astray (figuratively); passively,
to stray (from truth) -- err,seduce. see GREEK apo. see GREEK planao....
4105. planao -- to cause to wander, to wander
... wandering (1). deceive, err,seduce, wander. From plane; to (properly, cause
to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue) -- go astray...
374. anapeitho -- to persuade
... Transliteration: anapeitho Phonetic Spelling: (an-ap-i'-tho) Short Definition: I
urge by evil persuasion, I tempt Definition: I persuade, incite,seduce, tempt...
3179. methistemi -- to change, pervert
... Methistano meth-is-tan'-o from meta and histemi; to transfer, ie Carry away, depose
or (figuratively) exchange,seduce -- put out, remove, translate, turn away...
4812. sulagogeo -- to carry off as spoil
... take spoils. From the base of sulao and (the reduplicated form of) ago; to lead
away as booty, ie (figuratively)seduce -- spoil. see GREEK sulao. see GREEK ago...
4879. sunapago -- to lead away with, fig. to be carried away with...
... carry away, condescend. From sun and apago; to take off together, ie Transport with
(seduce, passively, yield) -- carry (lead) away with, condescend....
868. aphistemi -- to lead away, to depart from
... away, to depart from. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: aphistemi Phonetic Spelling:
(af-is'-tay-mee) Short Definition: I lead away,seduce, depart, abstain...
Strong's Hebrew
8582. taah -- to err... cause to go astray, deceive, dissemble, cause to, make to err,
seduce. A
primitive root; to vacillate, ie Reel or stray (literally
...2937. taah -- to wander, stray
... root Definition to wander, stray NASB Word Usage misled (1).seduce. A primitive
root; to wander;,causatively to lead astray --seduce. 2936, 2937....
5377. nasha -- to lend on interest, be a creditor
... beguile, deceive, greatly, utterly. A primitive root; to lead astray, ie (mentally)
to delude, or (morally) toseduce -- beguile, deceive, X greatly, X utterly....
5496. suth -- to incite, allure, instigate
... Perhaps denominative from shayith; properly, to prick, ie (figuratively) stimulate;
by implication, toseduce -- entice, move, persuade, provoke, remove, set on...
5080. nadach -- to impel, thrust, banish
... away (2), drive (3), driven (11), driven away (5), hunted (1), led...astray (1),
outcast (2), outcasts (6), scatter (1), scattered (4),seduce (2), seduced (1...
Library
That the Passions which Assail the Souls of Christians do not...
... Book IX. Chapter 5."That the Passions Which Assail the Souls of Christians
Do NotSeduce Them to Vice, But Exercise Their Virtue....
Of the Binding and Loosing of the Devil.
... "After that," says John, "he must be loosed a little season." If the binding and
shutting up of the devil means his being made unable toseduce the Church...
What is Written in the Revelation of John Regarding the Two...
... serpent, which is called the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,""that
is, bridled and restrained his power so that he could notseduce and gain...
The Danger of Deviating from Divine Institutions.
... Thus was the tempter laboring, through the instrumentality of his agents, toseduce
the Colossians, when this epistle was written, and it is chiefly intended...
From the Seventeenth Chapter.
... He shall not know the lust of women, although before he was most impure, and he
shall know no God of his fathers: for he will not be able toseduce the people...
From the Twentieth Chapter.
... Moreover, that he says that he is bound and shut up, that he may notseduce the
nations, the nations signify the Church, seeing that of them it itself is formed...
John Chapter x. 10-Jan
... Therefore would such also, if they chanced toseduce any,seduce them to
be slaughtered and murdered, not to be brought into liberty....
John Chapter vii. 14-18
... [572] For if toseduce is to deceive, neither was Christ a seducer, nor His apostles,
nor ought any Christian to be such; but if toseduce (to lead aside) is...
The Story of a Maiden of Corinth, and a Certain Magistrianus.
... And when he failed in these too, and was unable toseduce her from her confession
of Christ, the cruel judge became furious against her, and gave her over to a...
Whether Temperance is a Special virtue?
... difference between temperance and fortitude, even if we take them both as general
virtues: since temperance withdraws man from things whichseduce the appetite...
Thesaurus
Seduce (8 Occurrences)... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
SEDUCE; SEDUCER.
... See CRIMES; PUNISHMENTS. D.
Miall Edwards. Multi-Version Concordance
Seduce (8 Occurrences).
...Seducer
... chastity of a woman by enticements and persuasions. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia.SEDUCE; SEDUCER. se-dus', se-dus'-er (Hiphil of (Ta...
Seduced (7 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) ofSeduce. Multi-Version Concordance
Seduced (7 Occurrences). Deuteronomy 13:13 Certain base...
Crimes (22 Occurrences)
... ta`ah, "to dissemble," "seduce," and Ta`ah, with the same meaning; apoplanao, "to
lead astray"; planao, "to go astray," "deceive," "err," "seduce"; and goes...
Crime (45 Occurrences)
... ta`ah, "to dissemble," "seduce," and Ta`ah, with the same meaning; apoplanao, "to
lead astray"; planao, "to go astray," "deceive," "err," "seduce"; and goes...
Notwithstanding (37 Occurrences)
... I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and toseduce my servants to commit...
Idolatry (14 Occurrences)
... their hands were to strike the first blow when, on the evidence of two witnesses
at least, he was stoned (Deuteronomy 17:2-7). To attempt toseduce others to...
Tempt (18 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To put to trial; to prove; to test; to try. 2. (vt) To lead, or endeavor
to lead, into evil; to entice to what is wrong; toseduce....
Modin
... But the king's officer followed him, and by offers of the king's friendship
and great rewards sought toseduce the people into idolatry....
Betray (29 Occurrences)
... into error or sin. 6. (vt) To lead astray, as a maiden; toseduce (as under
promise of marriage) and then abandon. 7. (vt) To show...
Resources
What can we learn from the account of Potiphar's wife? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Joseph in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was Baal Peor in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgSeduce: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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