Prostitute

= Prostitute =
A person, usually a woman, given to indiscriminate lewdness; specifically, a woman who offers herself indiscriminately for sexual intercourse for hire; a harlot. The Hebrew word for prostitute is zoh·nahʹ, while its Greek equivalent is porʹne.​—See HARLOT.
Under the Law. The law that God gave to Israel commanded: “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, in order that the land may not commit prostitution and the land actually be filled with loose morals.” (Le 19:29) Adultery was prohibited by the seventh commandment (Ex 20:14; De 5:18); the penalty was death for both parties. (Le 20:10) The girl found guilty of having married under the false pretense of virginity was to be put to death. (De 22:13-21) The engaged girl who committed fornication with another man was considered the same as an adulterous wife, and she was put to death. (De 22:23, 24) The single girl who committed fornication was to be married to the man who seduced her unless the father refused to permit the marriage.​—Ex 22:16, 17; De 22:28, 29.
For these and other reasons, prostitutes in Israel were, doubtless with few exceptions, foreign women. The Proverbs repeatedly warn against the “strange woman” and the “foreign woman” who would entice a man to commit immorality.​—Pr 2:16; 5:20; 7:5; 22:14; 23:27.
Category:Prostitute