Lexical Summary pornos: Fornicator, sexually immoral person Original Word: πόρνος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fornicator, whoremonger. From pernemi (to sell; akin to the base of piprasko); a (male) prostitute (as venal), i.e. (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine) -- fornicator, whoremonger. see GREEK piprasko HELPS Word-studies 4205 pórnos (from pernaō, "to sell off") – properly, a male prostitute. 4205 (pórnos) is "properly, 'a male prostitute' (so Xen., etc.); in the NT, any fornicator" (Abbott-Smith); i.e. anyone engaging in sexual immorality. See 4202 (porneia). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originakin to porné Definition a fornicator NASB Translation fornicators (2), immoral (2), immoral men (1), immoral people (2), immoral person (1), immoral persons (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4205: πόρνοςπόρνος, πορνου, ὁ (for the etym. see πόρνη), a man who prostitutes his body to another's lust for hire, a male prostitute, ((Aristophanes), Xenophon, Demosthenes, Aeschines, Lucian); universally, a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator (Vulg.fornicator,fornicarius (Revelation 22:15impudicus)): 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 12:16; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:15. (Sir. 23:16f.) Topical Lexicon Nature of the TermPornos denotes a person who practices sexual immorality—any sexual activity outside the covenant of one-man-one-woman marriage. In the honor-shame culture of first-century Judaism and the Greco-Roman world, the word could refer to a male prostitute, but Scripture widens the term to describe all who habitually violate God’s moral order in matters of sexuality. Occurrences in the New Testament 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 6:9 Paul addresses the church’s tolerance of a notorious case of immorality and commands separation from anyone “named a brother” who is a pornos. Unrepentant sexual sin is placed on the same level as idolatry, drunkenness, and extortion, sins that bar inheritance of the kingdom of God. Believers cannot avoid contact with pornoi in society at large, but they must not condone such conduct within the covenant community. A single verse links the pornos with covetousness, showing that sexual sin springs from a heart that craves what God has not given. Persistent porneia is incompatible with any “inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” The term appears in a vice list that exposes behavior “contrary to sound doctrine,” underscoring that sexual immorality is not a peripheral issue but central to gospel ethics. Hebrews 12:16; 13:4 Esau is cited as an example so that “no one is sexually immoral (pornos) or profane,” demonstrating how despising divine privilege and indulging bodily appetites are intertwined. The marriage bed must be kept undefiled, “for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” Revelation 21:8; 22:15 In the closing vision of Scripture, the pornoi are consigned to “the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” and are excluded from the New Jerusalem. The word thus carries eschatological weight: habitual immorality evidences unbelief. Old Testament Foundations The Septuagint often employs related terms (porneia, ekporneuein) to translate prohibitions against fornication, prostitution, and cultic sexuality (Leviticus 18; Deuteronomy 22; Hosea 4). The prophets portray Israel’s idolatry as spiritual prostitution, preparing the background for the New Testament’s moral and metaphorical use of pornos. Greco-Roman Context First-century cities such as Corinth, Ephesus, and Pergamum normalized casual sex, temple prostitution, and concubinage. Philosophers sometimes criticized excess, yet legal and social structures largely permitted such practices. New-covenant teaching therefore stood in stark contrast, calling Gentile converts to a radically different sexual ethic. Theological Significance 1. Holiness of God. Each mention of pornos anchors sexual boundaries in God’s character. Violation is not merely social impropriety but offense against a holy Creator (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). Pastoral and Disciplinary Applications • Church Discipline. 1 Corinthians 5 establishes removal of an unrepentant pornos to guard the flock and provoke repentance. Eschatological Warning and Promise Revelation’s placement of pornoi outside the holy city serves as a final summons to repentance. At the same time, Christ’s bride is portrayed as pure and adorned (Revelation 21:2). The contrast invites believers to live as citizens of the coming kingdom, awaiting the marriage supper of the Lamb. Conclusion Pornos encapsulates a category of sin that Scripture treats with clarity and gravity. Across narrative, epistle, and apocalypse, the word signals both the peril of unchecked desire and the promise of transformation through the cross. The church is called to proclaim cleansing for the repentant, maintain holiness within the community, and embody the purity that befits those destined for eternal union with Christ. Forms and Transliterations πορνοι πόρνοι πορνοις πόρνοις πορνος πόρνος πορνους πόρνους pornoi pórnoi pornois pórnois pornos pórnos pornous pórnousLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Corinthians 5:9 N-DMPGRK: μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι πόρνοις NAS: not to associate with immoral people; KJV: not to company with fornicators: INT: not to associate with the sexually immoral 1 Corinthians 5:10 N-DMP 1 Corinthians 5:11 N-NMS 1 Corinthians 6:9 N-NMP Ephesians 5:5 N-NMS 1 Timothy 1:10 N-DMP Hebrews 12:16 N-NMS Hebrews 13:4 N-AMP Revelation 21:8 N-DMP Revelation 22:15 N-NMP Strong's Greek 4205 |
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