4204. porné
Lexical Summary
porné: Prostitute, Harlot

Original Word: πόρνη
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: porné
Pronunciation: por-nay'
Phonetic Spelling: (por'-nay)
KJV: harlot, whore
NASB: harlot, prostitutes, prostitute, harlots
Word Origin: [feminine of G4205 (πόρνος - fornicators)]

1. a prostitute, a sex worker
2. (by extension) one who deliberately stimulates or fulfills unwedded sexual desire by dress, speech or conduct
3. (figuratively) an idolater

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
prostitute, harlot

Feminine of pornos; a strumpet; figuratively, an idolater -- harlot, whore.

see GREEK pornos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
probably from pernémi (to export for sale)
Definition
a prostitute
NASB Translation
harlot (6), harlots (1), prostitute (2), prostitutes (3).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4204: πόρνη

πόρνη, πόρνης, (from περάω, πέρνημι, to sell; Curtius, § 358), properly a woman who sells her body for sexual uses (cf. Xenophon, mem. 1, 6, 13), the Sept. for זונָה;

1. properly, a prostitute, a harlot, one who yields herself to defilement for the sake of gain (Aristophanes, Demosthenes, others); in the N. T. universally, any woman indulging in unlawful sexual intercourse, whether for gain or for lust: Matthew 21:31; Luke 15:30; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25.

2. Hebraistically (see πορνεία, b. and πορνεύω, 3), metaphorically, an idolatress; so of 'Babylon' i. e. Rome, the chief seat of idolatry: Revelation 17:1, 5, 15; Revelation 19:2.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The term translated “prostitute” (Greek 4204) appears twelve times in the Greek New Testament. It regularly denotes a woman who sells sexual favors, yet in prophetic and apocalyptic settings it expands to depict systemic, idolatrous corruption. Whether literal or symbolic, every use highlights the incompatibility between covenant fidelity and sexual or spiritual infidelity while simultaneously showcasing God’s redemptive reach.

Occurrences in the New Testament

Matthew 21:31–32; Luke 15:30 – Jesus cites prostitutes as extreme examples of open sin, yet He also presents them as surprising recipients of grace: “the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31).
1 Corinthians 6:15–16 – Paul warns that uniting with a prostitute violates believers’ union with Christ.
Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25 – Rahab, once known for harlotry, stands as an enduring model of faith and works.
Revelation 17:1–6, 15–16; 19:2 – “The great prostitute” personifies a city-empire whose allure, violence, and idolatry will be judged.

Historical and Cultural Context

Greco-Roman cities tolerated several grades of prostitution—from street solicitation to high-class courtesans linked to pagan temples. Sexual commerce was woven into festivals, trade, and cults, especially in ports such as Corinth. Against that backdrop, Scripture’s calls to holiness were radically countercultural, elevating exclusive marital fidelity and asserting the believer’s body as a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit.

Theological Emphases

1. Covenant Loyalty: The prostitute motif exposes any breach of the exclusive covenant God demands—whether sexual impurity (1 Corinthians 6:15–18) or idolatry (Revelation 17:1).
2. Holiness of the Body: Union with Christ extends to the physical body; thus, sexual sin is never merely “physical” (1 Corinthians 6:13–20).
3. Grace Outpacing Sin: Jesus’ acceptance of repentant prostitutes (Matthew 21) and Rahab’s heroic faith proclaim that no sinner is beyond redemption.
4. Divine Justice: Revelation assures persecuted saints that the seductive, violent world-system will face certain judgment: “He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality” (Revelation 19:2).

Symbolic Use in Apocalyptic Literature

John describes Babylon as “the great prostitute” to dramatize global seduction through immorality, luxury, and idolatry. The symbolism hearkens back to prophets who branded idolatrous Israel a harlot (Hosea 1–3; Isaiah 1:21). The imagery warns believers to remain unstained by the world and anticipates God’s ultimate vindication of His bride, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2).

Redemption and Transformation

Rahab’s narrative anchors hope for individuals ensnared in sexual exploitation. Her faith led to rescue, inclusion in Israel, and placement in Messiah’s genealogy (Matthew 1:5). Likewise, Jesus’ ministry demonstrates that genuine repentance brings full kingdom entry, even for those society deems irredeemable.

Pastoral and Missional Implications

• Maintain doctrinal clarity: sexual immorality remains incompatible with Christian discipleship.
• Extend compassionate outreach: the gospel targets the broken and exploited; ministries serving trafficked or prostituted persons embody Christ’s heart.
• Foster accountability: churches must cultivate environments where purity, confession, and restoration flourish.
• Resist cultural idolatry: Revelation’s warnings summon believers to discern and reject systems that monetize lust or compromise worship.

Intertextual Echoes

The prostitute theme threads from Genesis (Tamar, Genesis 38) through the prophets to the Apocalypse, underscoring Scripture’s unified stance: God opposes both literal and metaphorical harlotry yet delights to redeem repentant sinners.

Summary

Greek 4204 portrays the stark reality of sexual and spiritual infidelity, the scandal of grace that welcomes the repentant, and the certainty of divine judgment on unrepentant corruption. Its varied applications—moral, redemptive, prophetic—converge in the call to flee impurity, cling to Christ, and await the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Forms and Transliterations
πορναι πόρναι πόρναις πόρνας πορνη πόρνη πόρνῃ πορνην πόρνην πορνης πόρνης πορνικόν πορνοκόπος ΠΟΡΝΩΝ πορνών πορνῶν πόρνων pornai pórnai porne pornē pórne pórnē pórnei pórnēi pornen pornēn pórnen pórnēn pornes pornēs pórnes pórnēs PORNoN pornôn PORNŌN pornō̂n
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 21:31 N-NFP
GRK: καὶ αἱ πόρναι προάγουσιν ὑμᾶς
NAS: to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get
KJV: the publicans and the harlots go into
INT: and the prostitutes go before you

Matthew 21:32 N-NFP
GRK: καὶ αἱ πόρναι ἐπίστευσαν αὐτῷ
NAS: him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe
KJV: and the harlots believed
INT: and the prostitutes believed him

Luke 15:30 N-GFP
GRK: βίον μετὰ πορνῶν ἦλθεν ἔθυσας
NAS: your wealth with prostitutes, you killed
KJV: with harlots, thou hast killed
INT: living with prostitutes came you did kill

1 Corinthians 6:15 N-GFS
GRK: χριστοῦ ποιήσω πόρνης μέλη μὴ
NAS: them members of a prostitute? May it never
KJV: [them] the members of an harlot? God forbid.
INT: Christ shall I make [them] of a prostitute members never

1 Corinthians 6:16 N-DFS
GRK: κολλώμενος τῇ πόρνῃ ἓν σῶμά
NAS: that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one
KJV: he which is joined to an harlot is
INT: is joined to the prostitute one body

Hebrews 11:31 N-NFS
GRK: Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐ συναπώλετο
NAS: Rahab the harlot did not perish along
KJV: By faith the harlot Rahab perished
INT: Rahab the prostitute not did perish with

James 2:25 N-NFS
GRK: Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐκ ἐξ
NAS: was not Rahab the harlot also
KJV: not Rahab the harlot justified by
INT: Rahab the prostitute not by

Revelation 17:1 N-GFS
GRK: κρίμα τῆς πόρνης τῆς μεγάλης
NAS: of the great harlot who sits
KJV: of the great whore that sitteth
INT: punishment of the prostitute great

Revelation 17:5 N-GFP
GRK: ΜΗΤΗΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΟΡΝΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΩΝ
NAS: THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
KJV: THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND
INT: mother of the prostitutes and of the

Revelation 17:15 N-NFS
GRK: οὗ ἡ πόρνη κάθηται λαοὶ
NAS: where the harlot sits,
KJV: where the whore sitteth,
INT: where the prostitute sits peoples

Revelation 17:16 N-AFS
GRK: μισήσουσιν τὴν πόρνην καὶ ἠρημωμένην
NAS: will hate the harlot and will make
KJV: shall hate the whore, and
INT: will hate the prostitute and desolate

Revelation 19:2 N-AFS
GRK: ἔκρινεν τὴν πόρνην τὴν μεγάλην
NAS: the great harlot who
KJV: the great whore, which
INT: he judged the prostitute great

Strong's Greek 4204
12 Occurrences


πόρναι — 2 Occ.
πόρνῃ — 4 Occ.
πόρνην — 2 Occ.
πόρνης — 2 Occ.
πορνῶν — 2 Occ.

4203
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