v. Adulterer, Fornicator
Gen 34:31 to treat .. sister as a r?
38:15
Harlot (Heb. plural zônôth; qedêshâh, “sacred prostitute”; Gr. pórn’). Prostitute; usually, who gives her body to illicit sexual acts in exchange for money. In ancient times there were 2 classes of harlots: 1. Those who practiced prostitution for personal gain. 2. Those who “served” the worshipers in idolatrous sanctuaries. It is interesting to note that the Bible calls Israel’s dealings with other nations fornications, which means apostasy or separation from God (Eze 16:15-29). Fornication is consistently condemned in the Scriptures (Deu 22:20, 21; 23:18; etc.) and young men are warned not to fall into the snare of the harlots (Pro 6:24-28;7). If they forsake their sin, harlots can enter the kingdom of God, and there is more hope for them than for self-righteous religionists (Mat 21:31). Apocalyptic Babylon is called “the mother of harlots” (Rev 17:5). See Sodomite.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
†¢Prostitution. †¢Rahab.
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
(See PROSTITUTION)
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Lewd woman. Prostitute. Woman who has sexual relations with men in exchange for remuneration. In fact, the Greek word por ne (harlot; fornicator; prostitute) comes from a root meaning “to sell.” (Re 17:1, ftn) The Hebrew term zoh·nahʹ (harlot; prostitute) is derived from the root verb za·nahʹ, meaning “to be a harlot; having immoral relationships; commit prostitution; fornicate† . (See PROSTITUTE.)
God has condemned prostitution from the very beginning. He himself set the perfect standard for marriage in Eden, when he said in uniting Adam and Eve: “A man will leave his father and his mother, and he must stick to his wife, and they must become one flesh † . (Ge 2:24) Although God condemned prostitution, he permitted concubinage and polygamy, even to his servants, until the time came when he saw fit to reinstate the perfect standard for marriage through Jesus Christ. Jesus quoted the aforementioned words of his Father, and the apostle Paul pointed out that this rule was binding on the congregation when he showed that the Christian who disregards it joins himself to a harlot and becomes “one body” with she. (Mt 19:4-9; 1Co 6:16)
The case of Judah, Abraham’s great-grandson, illustrates the view of prostitution held by early servants of God. While residing as an alien in Canaan, where prostitution was tolerated, Judah, the head of the family, had relations with Tamar, the widow of his son Er, who had dressed as a harlot. Once it was discovered that she Tamar had become pregnant by her, Judah was informed: † œTamar your daughter-in-law has been a harlot, and she sees that she is also pregnant from her prostitution †. At this, Judah ordered her to be burned (that is, put to death and then her corpse burned as something detestable), since it was considered to belong to Selah, the son of Judah. When the truth came out, Judah did not excuse himself for having intercourse with a supposed harlot, but said regarding Tamar: “She is more righteous than I, for the reason that I did not give her to Selah my son.” . So he forgave her for having acted in this way to obtain offspring from Judah, since she had not given her son Selah in levirate marriage. (Ge 38:6-26.)
The law that God gave to Israel condemned prostitution, even though there were harlots in the country. (Pr 7.) The Law strictly forbade an Israelite girl to engage in prostitution. (Le 19:29; 21: 9) An Israelite who committed fornication and later married falsely claiming that she was a virgin was to be stoned to death. (De 22:20, 21) The money that a harlot derived from her vile trade was a detestable thing that was not accepted as a contribution to Jehovah’s sanctuary, something very different from what happened in paganism, which used to have in prostitution of the temples a source of income. (Deut 23:18)
Rahab, a harlot from the pagan city of Jericho, showed that she had a good heart toward Jehovah and helped the spies sent by Joshua. Because of her faith and his acting in accordance with her, he was saved from the destruction of the city. She later joined in honorable marriage with Salmon, of the tribe of Judah, and became an ancestor of Jesus Christ. (Jos 2; 6:22-25; Mt 1:1, 5; Jas 2:25)
When Jesus Christ was on earth, he harshly denounced the unbelief of the chief priests and elders, declaring that tax collectors and harlots went before them into the kingdom of God. (Mt 21:23, 31, 32) Scorned by others, these people were good-hearted people whose sins had been forgiven because of their faith in Christ. However, they first had to cleanse themselves of their prostitution, since those who persist in immorality cannot inherit the Kingdom. (Ga 5:19-21; Eph 5:5.)
figurative use. The term “harlot” is also used figuratively to refer to a person, organization, or people who profess to worship Jehovah, but who in practice give their affection and worship to other gods. In this sense, Jerusalem became a “harlot” who went so far—contrary to the norm among prostitutes—of paying pagan nations to prostitute herself to them instead of receiving retribution. (Eze 16:33, 34; see Eze 23, where prostitutes are likened to Samaria and Jerusalem.)
Revelation symbolically describes a harlot riding a scarlet-colored wild beast with a name written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth.” “The kings of the earth committed fornication” with her. (Re 17:1-5; see BABYLON THE GREAT; FORNICATION.)
Source: Dictionary of the Bible
porne (povrnh, 4204), prostitute, harlot (from pernemi, to sell). She is used: (a) literally, in Mat 21:31,32, of those who were the objects of the grace shown by Christ; in Luk 15:30, from the life of the prodigal son; in 1Co 6:15,16, in a warning to the Corinthian church against the license that surrounded them and that she had made the name of Corinth a proverb; in Heb 11:31 and Jam 2:25, from Rahab; (b) metaphorically, from mystical Babylon: “the great harlot” (Rev 17:1; 19.2); “harlot” (17.15,16); in the V. 5 she is referred to as “the mother of harlots”.¶
Source: Vine New Testament Dictionary