πορνεύω
porneuō
to sin sexually
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word πορνεύω (porneuō) is defined as "to sin sexually." This verb is rooted in the concept of sexual immorality, suggesting a range of behaviors that go beyond the boundaries of acceptable sexual conduct. The word appears 8 times in the Bible, indicating its significance in the context of ancient Jewish and Christian societies. The use of πορνεύω highlights the importance of sexual morality in the eyes of the biblical authors. The word is often associated with idolatry, greed, and other forms of spiritual corruption, suggesting that sexual sin is seen as a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. By emphasizing the connection between sexual behavior and spiritual well-being, πορνεύω underscores the idea that our actions have consequences for our relationship with God and others. In its biblical context, πορνεύω serves as a warning against the dangers of unchecked desires and the importance of living a life of moral integrity. By examining this word, we gain insight into the values and concerns of ancient Jewish and Christian communities, and are reminded of the ongoing relevance of these themes in our own lives.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences across the text
Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 10:8Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.
1 Corinthians 10:8Let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.
Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
Revelation 2:20But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 17:2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality. Those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.”
Revelation 18:3For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.”
Revelation 18:9The kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning,