Lexical Summary porneia: immorality, fornication, fornications Original Word: πορνεία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fornication. From porneuo; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry -- fornication. see GREEK porneuo HELPS Word-studies 4202 porneía (the root of the English terms "pornography, pornographic"; cf. 4205 /pórnos) which is derived from pernaō, "to sell off") – properly, a selling off (surrendering) of sexual purity; promiscuity of any (every) type. [See also the contrasting term, 3430 /moixeía ("marital unfaithfulness").] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom porneuó Definition fornication NASB Translation fornication (4), fornications (2), immoralities (1), immorality (16), sexual immorality (1), unchastity (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4202: πορνείαπορνεία, πορνείας, ἡ (πορνεύω), the Sept. for תַּזְנוּת, זְנוּת, זְנוּנִים, fornication (Vulg.fornicatio (and (Revelation 19:2)prostitutio)); used a. properly, of illicit sexual intercourse in general (Demosthenes, 403, 27; 433, 25): Acts 15:20, 29; Acts 21:25 (that this meaning must be adopted in these passages will surprise no one who has learned from 1 Corinthians 6:12ff how leniently converts from among the heathen regarded this vice and how lightly they indulged in it; accordingly, all other interpretations of the term, such as of marriages within the prohibited degrees and the like, are to be rejected); Romans 1:29 Rec.; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 6:13, 18; 1 Corinthians 7:2; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Revelation 9:21; it is distinguished from μοιχεία in Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21; and Galatians 5:19 Rec.; used of adultery ((cf. Hosea 2:2 (4), etc.)), Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9. b. In accordance with a form of speech common in the O. T. and among the Jews which represents the close relationship existing between Jehovah and his people under the figure of a marriage (cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus, i., p. 422{a} following), πορνεία is used metaphorically of the worship of idols: Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:2, 4; Revelation 18:3; Revelation 19:2; ἡμεῖς ἐκ πορνείας οὐ γεγεννήμεθα (we are not of a people given to idolatry), ἕνα πατέρα ἔχομεν τόν Θεόν, John 8:41 (ἄθεος μέν ὁ ἄγονος, πολύθεος δέ ὁ ἐκ πόρνης, τυφλωττων περί τόν ἀληθῆ πατέρα καί διά τοῦτο πολλούς ἀνθ' ἑνός γονεῖς αἰνιττόμενος, Philo de mig. Abr. § 12; τέκνα πορνείας, of idolaters, Hosea 1:2; (but in John, the passage cited others understand physical descent to be spoken of (cf. Meyer))); of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols, Revelation 2:21. Porneia (Strong’s Greek 4202) denotes all forms of sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage as ordained by God between one man and one woman. Its range embraces pre-marital intercourse, prostitution, adultery, homosexual practice, incest, and any other distortion of God’s design for sexuality. Because Scripture views the body as a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15-20), porneia is never treated as a private matter but as a sin against God, self, and community. Occurrences in Scripture The term appears twenty-five times in the Greek New Testament, clustered in four principal contexts: 1. Christ’s teaching on divorce (Matthew 5:32; 19:9) These texts consistently portray porneia as incompatible with membership in the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5). Moral and Theological Significance 1. Violation of Covenant Sexual immorality opposes the exclusive covenant relationship mirrored in marriage (Genesis 2:24). Jesus restricts legitimate divorce to the case of porneia (Matthew 19:9), underscoring its covenant-breaking gravity. 2. Defilement of the Body “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). The indwelling Spirit claims the believer’s body as a temple. 3. Threat to Community Holiness In Corinth, tolerated incest (1 Corinthians 5:1) jeopardized the whole congregation. Paul’s demand for church discipline demonstrates that porneia, left unchecked, spreads “like a little leaven” (1 Corinthians 5:6). 4. Spiritual Idolatry Revelation employs porneia metaphorically for idolatrous alliance with worldly power. “All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality” (Revelation 18:3). The imagery echoes prophetic denunciations of Israel’s unfaithfulness (Hosea 1-3; Jeremiah 3). Relation to Old Testament Ethic Though the Hebrew Bible lacks a single term equivalent to porneia, prohibitions against adultery, incest, bestiality, and cult prostitution (Leviticus 18; Deuteronomy 23:17-18) establish the moral baseline assumed by the New Testament. The Septuagint frequently uses the cognate verb porneuō to describe Israel’s idolatry, preparing the ground for Revelation’s symbolism. Cultural and Historical Background Greco-Roman society normalized extramarital sex, concubinage, and temple prostitution. Converts often emerged from this milieu (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The Jerusalem Council’s ban on porneia (Acts 15) functioned both to distance Gentile believers from pagan temples and to protect fellowship with Jewish Christians steeped in Levitical standards. Pastoral Warnings and Remedies • Discipline: Unrepentant offenders may face exclusion (1 Corinthians 5:13). Eschatological Dimensions Babylon the Great epitomizes end-time porneia (Revelation 17-18). Her downfall reveals God’s final vindication: “For He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality” (Revelation 19:2). The fate of Babylon warns believers to separate from moral compromise and anticipates the pure union of Christ and His bride (Revelation 19:7-9). Ministry Implications Today 1. Teaching sexual ethics that align with creation and redemption. Porneia, thus, is not merely a catalog of forbidden acts; it is a lens through which Scripture calls the people of God to covenant fidelity, bodily holiness, and unadulterated devotion to Christ. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:32 N-GFSGRK: παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας ποιεῖ αὐτὴν NAS: for [the] reason of unchastity, makes KJV: for the cause of fornication, causeth INT: except on account of sexual immorality causes her Matthew 15:19 N-NFP Matthew 19:9 N-DFS Mark 7:21 N-NFP John 8:41 N-GFS Acts 15:20 N-GFS Acts 15:29 N-GFS Acts 21:25 N-AFS 1 Corinthians 5:1 N-NFS 1 Corinthians 5:1 N-NFS 1 Corinthians 6:13 N-DFS 1 Corinthians 6:18 N-AFS 1 Corinthians 7:2 N-AFP 2 Corinthians 12:21 N-DFS Galatians 5:19 N-NFS Ephesians 5:3 N-NFS Colossians 3:5 N-AFS 1 Thessalonians 4:3 N-GFS Revelation 2:21 N-GFS Revelation 9:21 N-GFS Revelation 14:8 N-GFS Revelation 17:2 N-GFS Revelation 17:4 N-GFS Revelation 18:3 N-GFS Revelation 19:2 N-DFS Strong's Greek 4202 |
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