Foundational scriptures for this topic were addressed in “Sexual Sins, Harlotry, Rape – (1)”. Part 1 laid the groundwork for (2). Verses noted in (1), not restated here, are essential to better grasp Part 2!
In Part 1, the various types of sexual immorality were listed. Two definitive passages are Le.20:10-22, 5-6 and Le.18:5-24. Those scriptures tell us what sexual sin is, according to the Lord’s standard (not men’s standards). Sexual sin includes: adultery, incest, beastiality, homosexuality/lesbianism, transvestism, menstrual sex, idolatrous prostitution. Pornography is a form of wrong coveting, if the desired object is illicit or cannot be rightfully obtained. Paul wrote in 1Co.6:9, “The unrighteous won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolators, adulterers, nor practicing homosexuals will inherit the kingdom.” Sexual acts which the nations today deem as/not as sexual sin…may or may not be sin, based upon the true standard of God’s written word.
Children born from forbidden adulterous or incestuous relationships weren’t the guilty ones. Yet they were excluded from eldership or government in Israel; see De.23:2 in Matthew Poole Commentary and Gill Exposition.
Jesus said, Mt.19:9-10 “Whoever puts away his wife, except it be for sexual immorality [pornéia], and marries another [wife], commits adultery”. In the New Testament (NT), porneia (Strongs g4202, Greek) meant any type of sexual sin (Le.18 & Le.20). Any type is just cause for divorce. Pulpit Commentary “All illicit connection is described by this term, it cannot be limited to one particular kind of transgression.” Christ in the NT didn’t contradict what the Lord Christ had instructed Moses/Israel (De.6:1) in De.24:1-4. “When a man marries a woman and she displeases him because he finds some indecency in her, he writes her a bill of divorce.” But in Jesus’ day, many wrongly thought that wives could be divorced for any cause.
In Mt.19, Christ wasn’t giving a comprehensive sermon on marriage. Jesus didn’t address desertion, serious neglect, or marriages where there is physical brutality…and the life of a spouse or child may be endangered. In Jesus’ day among Jews, remarriage was assumed for the innocent spouse. But Jesus indicated that remarriage with those not having just cause for divorce can be sin. Remarriage (to a Christian, 2Co.6:14) is permissible in cases involving porneia, brutality, life endangerment, desertion. 1Co.7:15 after abandonment, the spouse needn’t remain in the bondage of that marriage…he/she is free to remarry and have children. Christ didn’t disapprove of all remarriage (e.g. De.24:2). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (He.13:8).
Although a lifestyle of harlotry can have grave consequences, lay prostitution wasn’t sin or iniquity that required strict penalty or even an expiating animal sacrifice. That is, if it wasn’t religious harlotry (temple prostitution) and she wasn’t married or still living at home. Part 1 examined Bible passages.
Jesus declared in Mt.21:31-32, “Truly I say to you that tax collectors and harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you”. Jesus said the harlots who believed John the Baptizer will go into the kingdom of God before those Jewish leaders who opposed Him! (Must all harlots and tax collectors change jobs…did Zacchéus, Lk.19:1-10…must IRS agents?!)
The Greek term porneia (g4202) referred to idolatrous harlotry in the Septúagint/LXX, then to sexual sin in general in the NT. In the LXX, it’s one of four Greek terms used for zanáh (h2181), which occurs 93 times in the Hebrew Bible, ‘be a harlot’. (Also porneia is used for h2183 & h2184, meaning whoredoms.) Porneúo (g4203), the verb form of porneia, meant to practice idolatrous prostitution. Porné (g4204) usually referred to secular prostitutes. The LXX ekporneúo (g1608, occurs 36 times) was one given over to idolatrous sex. Also the NT pórnos (g4205, 10 occurrences: 1Co.5:9-11, 6:9, Ep.5:5, 1Ti.1:10, He.12:16, 13:4, Re.21:8, 22:15) comes from pernemi or pernáo, ‘to sell’. It was used for a male prostitute, a sodomite or a catamite. It is sin. That’s five Greek Bible terms for harlotry.
The term “fornication” originated from two Latin words, “fornix” and “fornicare”. A fornix was the vaulted archway of the cellar place where prostitutes sold their bodies, to marrieds & singles. A man who visited a brothel was a fornicare. Fornication pertained to sex for sale, not premarital sex!
Somewhere along the way, Christianity adapted or devised a different meaning for fornication. That is, fornication became equated with premarital or unmarried sex! Berean Bible Church “Fornication’, i.e. the Greek ‘porneia’, actually describes a much larger class of activities, however, than ‘intercourse between unmarried people.” Various sex acts are porn. Actually, in Bible times women married young, age 13-14, so any window after puberty for premarital sex was quite small. Since the meaning of “fornication” has changed over the centuries, I rarely use the term, so as not to be ambiguous.
Religious prostitution was used in the worship of pagan gods. Ac.15:29 the church is to avoid sacrificing to pagan gods with: blood, unslaughtered animals, prostitution. (also see the topic “Acts 15 – Four Prohibitions”.) Re.2:14 some in the Pérgamos church were engaging in cult prostitution as worship. Sexual immorality figuratively relates to pagan gods. Le.17:7 “They must no longer sacrifice to goat demons, to whom they play the harlot.” Sacrificing to demon idols was a form of idolatry & whoredom. In Nu.25:1-8, the Israelites played the harlot when the daughters of Moab invited them to offer sacrifices to the god Báal-Péor…this included religious sex. Ex.19:15-17 sex was to be completely separate from worship of the true God, unlike sex rites for pagan gods. Ex.20:26 Israelite priests were not to show any nakedness in performing their duties.
1Co.6:15-20 “He who is joined to a harlot is one body with her. For it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh’. Flee porneia! Your body is the temple of God.” cf. Ge.2:24 & Mt 19:5. Paul indicates that “one flesh” means more like general organic union than one husband & one wife. Because…a harlot has many partners with whom she is “one flesh”, not just one man; and for that matter, a man could visit more than one harlot. When Paul wrote to Corinth, idolatrous temple prostitution prevailed in the area. There were 1,000 priestesses at the temple of Aphrodíte on Acro-Corinth! Ancient heathens thought sex rites would cause the gods to become so moved to make the soil fertile.
Christ had warned ancient Israel in Ex.34:14-17, “You shall not worship any other god, and not cause your sons to prostitute themselves with their gods. You shall not make any molten gods.” No more golden calf sensual revelry either! (see Pulpit Commentary Ex.32:6, Ellicott Commentary, Gill Exposition.)
Ho.8:9 “Ephráim has hired lovers.” Israel was trusting in their allies rather than their God. Ho.9:1 “You have gone whoring from your God.” They made alliances with nations who worship pagan gods. But Israel & Judah were metaphorically married to the Lord (Je.31:32, Is.54:5)! They were His wives (Ezk.23). Israel & Judah became Christ’s adulterous wives; so He sent away them both into captivity.
Married harlots are adulteresses. Pr.7:10-11 “A woman dressed as a harlot. She is loud and defiant; her feet don’t abide at home.” v.18-21 she says “Come, let us take our fill of love. My husband isn’t at home, he’s gone on a long journey.” Since this prostitute is married, any sexual relationship she has with another man is adultery. Ezk.23:2-5, 11, 45-47, Ezk.16:2, 8, 35-38 Israel/Samaria & Judah were as married prostitutes. Ho.1:1-3 God even instructed the prophet Hosea to marry a harlot, to symbolize God’s own marriage to adulterous, idolatrous ancient Israel.
Re.17:1, 5 “Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” She was the metaphorical epitome of (adulterous) religious sex. Re.18:7 she boasted, “I sit as a queen and am not a widow”. But Re.19:2 “God has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth [Land] with her immorality [porneia].” (see the topic “Babylon the Great’ in Revelation”.)
The ‘oldest profession’, public prostitution, wasn’t ‘sin’ that required an animal sacrifice. In Ge.1:28, God’s first command to humanity was, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth”. To enable humans to fulfill His command, God created sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, etc. God is responsible for placing sexual desire in humans! However, misuse or perversion of sex through immorality and prostitution can result in harmful consequences such as STDs, AIDS, social stigma (e.g. 1Ki.22:38).
Harlotry was tolerated in ancient Israel, but harlots had a lower social status. Jg.11:1-2 Jephtháh the judge was the son of a harlot (or perhaps a concubine, LXX), and his brothers wanted him disinherited.
Lk.15:30 the prodigal son, a single man, wasted the inheritance he’d demanded on harlots. Pr.29:3 “He who consorts with harlots wastes his wealth.” A man who frequents harlots squanders his money, and puts himself at risk of suffering a disease. Pr.23:27-28 “A whore is a deep ditch, a loose woman is a narrow well.” Ironically, a single man may view his circumstances or loneliness as an ox in the ditch.
The sexual crime of rape receives much media publicity these days. 2Sm.11:2-4, 12:4 King David seduced Uriáh’s wife Bathsheba. Some view rape as a form of kidnapping, done against the victim’s will. Kidnapping, including sex trafficking, is a serious crime (De.24:7). De.22:28-29 the man who seized (h8610) or raped an unengaged virgin must marry her. Benson Commentary “He wasn’t at liberty to refuse her, if her father consented to his marrying her, and he was deprived of the privilege of ever divorcing her.” Also he must pay her father a substantial fine, 50 shekels of silver, plus perhaps the bride-price.
2Sm.13:1-2, 10-11 David’s son Amnón desired his half-sister Tamár, and got her alone in the bedroom. v.12-18 she tried to talk him out of raping her, suggesting Amnon ask the king for her hand. However, their union would be incest (Le.18:11). Possibly she is unaware of God’s law…more likely, she’s grasping at straws to dissuade him from raping her, or is speaking impulsively. Amnon rapes her. But it was more lust than love. He then despised her (he said ‘get out’). 2Sm.13:32 later Tamar’s full-brother Absalóm had Amnon killed in revenge. De.27:22 “Cursed is he who has lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or his mother.” Also Le.20:17, the incestuous brother shall bear his iniquity.
Bible readers view the tragic ‘love’ between Shechém and Jacob’s daughter Dinah as: seduction, or an ancient form of elopement, or rape. Ge.34:1-8 “Shechem the Hivite took [h3947] her, lay with her and humbled her.” Here the Hebrew term translated as “took” isn’t the term translated as “seized”/raped (h8610) in De.22:28. (cf. Ge.11:29 Abram took [h3947] Sarai for a wife; Ge.24:67 Isaac took Rebekah and she became his wife.) Shechem loved Dinah and wanted her for a wife. Ge.34:25-30 therefore it was very wrong for Jacob’s sons Simeón & Levi to kill Shechem and all the males in that town! Ge.49:5-7 before Jacob died, he cursed the cruelty and violent action done by Simeon & Levi!
Christ’s guidelines concerning war brides are in De.21:10-15. “When you see among the captives a beautiful woman and desire to take [h3947] her as a wife, she shall remain in your house a full month and mourn her father & mother. After that you may have relations with her and she shall be your wife.” (also see “Polygyny – Lawful in God’s Eyes?”.) Israelite soldiers weren’t to rape the enemy’s women! In Nu.31:16-20, 35 Israelite soldiers didn’t rape the women; purification rites were also required. But prophesied in Is.13:16-17, the wives of Babylon would be raped by the conquering Medes. “Their wives will be ravished.”
In the 1960s occurred the tragic affairs which resulted in Viet Nam war babies. Smithsonian Magazine 2009 “They grew up as the leftovers of an unpopular war, straddling two worlds but belonging to neither. Most never knew their fathers. Many were abandoned by their mothers at the gates of orphanages. Some were discarded in garbage cans. Schoolmates taunted & pummeled them and mocked the features that gave them the face of the enemy – round blue eyes and light skin, or dark skin and tight curly hair if their soldier-dads were African-Americans. Their destiny was to become waifs & beggars, living in the streets and parks of South Vietnam’s cities, sustained by a single dream: to get to America and find their fathers.” Very sad. American laws & customs differ from those Christ gave to Moses/Israel.
Ge.19:5 the desire of the men of Sodóm to have relations with Lot’s guests was a form of homosexual, or beastial rape with a different kind of being. Ge.19:31-35 two daughters conspired to rape their father on successive nights. Jg.19:22-28 resembles Ge.19:5, but the Benjamite men in Gibeáh desired same-sex relations with a Levite guest passing through. The men proceeded to rape and murder the Levite’s concubine. The penalty for murder was death, Jg.20:13; v.46-48 the incident led to civil war in Israel. The tribe of Benjamin was almost annihilated. Jg.21:7, 12-23 to preserve the tribe, the remaining men “caught” virgins for wives. Perhaps this unusual scheme to obtain a wife seemed like rape to some?
Ge.39:6-21 the wife of Potiphár, an Egyptian officer, tried to rape the patriarch Joseph. But she failed.
Rape isn’t addressed in the NT. In many of the Old Testament passages which relate to rape, there were other (serious) sins involved too. It appears that God didn’t punish the heterosexual non-incestuous rape of a single woman or man, of and by itself…to the extent some nations punish today, according to man’s laws. That is, unless it was clearly a kidnapping against the victim’s will.
The best preventative against Biblical porneia is sex within a godly marriage. 1Co.7:2-4 “To avoid immorality [porneia], let every man have his own wife and each one her own husband. The husband should give to the wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.” (cf. Ex.21:10) It works both ways. And not with somebody else’s wife! He.13:4 “Let marriage be honored among all, and the bed undefiled. But the sexually immoral and adulterers God will judge.” Sex should be pure.
Celibacy and total abstention from sex will also prevent porneia. But that ignores God’s first command to humanity in Ge.1:28. “Be fruitful and multiply.” Ti.4:1-3 Paul said liars were forbidding marriage. Again, God created testosterone, and wants people to reproduce themselves…made in God’s image!
To conclude: Prostitution, even non-religious prostitution, certainly isn’t God’s ideal! Heterosexual marriage and family is (He.13:4). Ge.2:24 “A man shall leave father and mother and cling to his wife.” Yet God isn’t a prude. God, in His word, is surely more loving than the self-righteous. I realize some of the verses quoted in this two-part topic seem odd to our western minds, maybe even shocking.
Verses from Part 1 indicated, by definition…it was impossible for a widow, or a woman rightfully divorced, or an otherwise single woman to commit adultery (unless she was betrothed). And it was impossible for a man to commit adultery with an unmarried or unengaged woman. Also, Roman Catholic Church (RCC) influence later contributed to changing the meaning of (the Latin) fornication.
If it was a ‘sin’ for a man to sleep with anyone other than his wife, the Lord could have simply said that in His Word. But He didn’t. 1Th.4:3 “It is God’s will that you should avoid sexual immorality [porneia g4202].” We’ve referenced many verses, to learn what sexual sin really is….using more verses from Christ’s theocracy than from NT conditions extant in heathen Greco-Roman society. I haven’t used as a final authority the morality filtered through the RCC & Puritanism into the modern church, nor the morality of humanistic nations today.
God wants the best for us. God’s will and His true morality are revealed through His word. May His perfect will be done in our individual lives!
Bible Topic Exposition 