Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4204: πόρνηπόρνη, πόρνης, ἡ (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. |