The Bible addresses harlots, or those who live in ways outside God’s plan for purity, with both correction and compassion. Throughout scripture, we see that while God does not condone such lifestyles, He offers grace and forgiveness to those who seek Him. These teachings highlight His desire for us to turn toward purity and forgiveness.
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What Does The Bible Say About Harlots
Proverbs 7:10
Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
This verse portrays the allure and deceptive nature of a harlot. It serves as a warning against being lured into the traps set by those who use their seductive techniques to lead others astray.
The crafty intent mentioned here indicates the cunning and manipulative nature of harlots, who often seek to exploit vulnerable individuals for their own gain or pleasure.
Proverbs 23:27-28
For a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well. Like a bandit she lies in wait and multiplies the unfaithful among men.
This passage warns of the dangers and consequences associated with involvement with harlots. It compares them to a deep pit and a narrow well, signifying the inescapability and entrapment that can result from such relationships.
The imagery of a bandit lying in wait underscores the deceptive tactics employed by harlots, and highlights their ability to multiply unfaithfulness and ruin lives.
Proverbs 29:3
A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
This verse emphasizes the detrimental consequences of associating with harlots. It contrasts the joy that a wise son brings to his father with the wastefulness and financial ruin that can come from involvement with prostitutes.
It serves as a reminder of the importance of making wise choices and avoiding relationships that can lead to the squandering of resources, both material and emotional.
1 Corinthians 6:15-16
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
This passage highlights the spiritual implications of engaging in relations with harlots. It emphasizes that our bodies, as believers, are members of Christ and should not be united with a prostitute.
By joining oneself with a harlot, one becomes spiritually and intimately connected to her, which goes against the divine design of sexual intimacy within the bounds of marriage.
Matthew 21:31-32
“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
This passage highlights the potential for redemption and forgiveness for those involved in sinful lifestyles, such as harlots. It showcases Jesus’ statement that tax collectors and prostitutes, who recognized their need for repentance, were more open to accepting the way of righteousness compared to the religious leaders of that time.
It serves as a reminder that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and that His mercy extends to all, regardless of their past actions.
Proverbs 6:26
For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
This verse underscores the destructive consequences of involvement with harlots. It highlights how their enticing tactics can lead individuals to ruin, reducing them to a mere piece of bread, symbolizing impoverishment and depletion.
The notion of the adulteress hunting for the precious life indicates the predatory nature of harlots, seeking to exploit not only material resources but also the emotional and spiritual well-being of those they entice.
Proverbs 5:3-4
For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
This verse describes the enticing and deceptive nature of harlots. It depicts their seductive words, which may appear sweet like honey and smooth like oil, but ultimately lead to bitterness and harm.
The comparison to wormwood and a two-edged sword highlights the potential pain and danger that results from falling into the webs of harlots.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
This verse urges believers to actively avoid sexual immorality, which includes involvement with harlots. It emphasizes that while other sins may occur outside the body, sexual sin directly impacts an individual’s own being.
It serves as a reminder of the importance of honoring God with our bodies and abstaining from any form of sexual immorality, including relationships with harlots.
Proverbs 2:16-19
Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.
This passage highlights the perilous consequences of involvement with harlots. It asserts that wisdom can protect individuals from the allure of adulterous and wayward women.
It emphasizes the severe outcomes of following the paths that lead to harlots, including spiritual death and separation from the paths of life that God intends for His people.
Proverbs 23:33
Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.
This verse implies the corrupting influence harlots can have on individuals. It suggests that involvement with them can lead to the exposure of strange and perverse things before our eyes, and the corrupting of the heart.
It serves as a warning to guard our hearts and minds against being captivated by the seductive allure and immoral activities associated with harlots.
Proverbs 9:13-18
The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
This passage portrays the personification of folly as a seductive woman, closely associated with the traits and actions of a harlot. It describes her loud and enticing nature, as well as her lack of wisdom.
It serves as a cautionary tale, warning against the temptations and allure of those who call out to the simplistic and foolish, offering stolen pleasures that may seem sweet or pleasant but ultimately lead to destruction and death.
Proverbs 20:16
Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.
This verse suggests the need for caution when dealing with harlots. It advises against allowing oneself to be entangled in financial or material commitments on behalf of strangers or outsiders, who may include harlots.
By refraining from being financially responsible for those with questionable characters, we can avoid potential entrapment or exploitation.
Proverbs 23:27
For a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
This verse reiterates the concept of harlots being akin to deep pits and narrow wells. It emphasizes the danger and entrapment that can arise from becoming involved with harlots or wayward women.
It serves as a reminder to exercise caution and make wise choices in relationships, avoiding those that may lead to harm or entanglement.
Proverbs 6:24-26
To keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
This passage provides guidance on how to resist the allure of harlots. It advises against desiring their physical beauty and being captivated by their seductive tactics.
It emphasizes the importance of recognizing the true value of one’s own life and avoiding involvement with those who seek to exploit or devalue it.
Ezekiel 16:30-34
How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, making your lofty place in every square? Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings.
This passage conveys God’s rebuke of His people for their unfaithfulness and idolatry, comparing their actions to those of a brazen prostitute. It paints a vivid picture of their willingness to engage in promiscuous behaviors and attract lovers from all directions.
It serves as a reminder of the severe consequences that result from forsaking God and pursuing unrighteousness, and emphasizes the need for repentance and renewed commitment to Him.
Proverbs 7:22-23
All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
This verse depicts the consequences of succumbing to the enticements of harlots. It compares the individual who follows them to an ox being led to slaughter, a deer stepping into a noose, and a bird darting into a snare.
The imagery serves as a powerful warning, highlighting the danger, destruction, and loss of life that can result from being lured into the traps set by harlots.
Proverbs 29:3
A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
This verse contrasts the outcomes of pursuing wisdom versus associating with harlots. It suggests that a wise individual, who seeks and embraces wisdom, brings joy to their father.
On the other hand, one who befriends and spends resources on prostitutes wastes their wealth and may bring sorrow rather than joy to those who care about them.
1 Timothy 5:6
But she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.
This verse highlights the spiritual deadness that can result from a lifestyle of self-indulgence, which may include involvement with harlots.
It serves as a cautionary reminder that true life comes from surrendering to Christ and living for His purposes, rather than pursuing temporary pleasures or self-gratification.
Proverbs 23:27
For a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
This verse reiterates the concept of harlots being akin to deep pits and narrow wells. It emphasizes the danger and entrapment that can arise from becoming involved with harlots or wayward women.
It serves as a reminder to exercise caution and make wise choices in relationships, avoiding those that may lead to harm or entanglement.
Proverbs 6:24-26
To keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
This passage provides guidance on how to resist the allure of harlots. It advises against desiring their physical beauty and being captivated by their seductive tactics.
It emphasizes the importance of recognizing the true value of one’s own life and avoiding involvement with those who seek to exploit or devalue it.
Ezekiel 16:30-34
How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, making your lofty place in every square? Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings.
This passage conveys God’s rebuke of His people for their unfaithfulness and idolatry, comparing their actions to those of a brazen prostitute. It paints a vivid picture of their willingness to engage in promiscuous behaviors and attract lovers from all directions.
It serves as a reminder of the severe consequences that result from forsaking God and pursuing unrighteousness, and emphasizes the need for repentance and renewed commitment to Him.
Proverbs 7:22-23
All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
This verse depicts the consequences of succumbing to the enticements of harlots. It compares the individual who follows them to an ox being led to slaughter, a deer stepping into a noose, and a bird darting into a snare.
The imagery serves as a powerful warning, highlighting the danger, destruction, and loss of life that can result from being lured into the traps set by harlots.
Proverbs 29:3
A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
This verse contrasts the outcomes of pursuing wisdom versus associating with harlots. It suggests that a wise individual, who seeks and embraces wisdom, brings joy to their father.
On the other hand, one who befriends and spends resources on prostitutes wastes their wealth and may bring sorrow rather than joy to those who care about them.
1 Timothy 5:6
But she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.
This verse highlights the spiritual deadness that can result from a lifestyle of self-indulgence, which may include involvement with harlots.
It serves as a cautionary reminder that true life comes from surrendering to Christ and living for His purposes, rather than pursuing temporary pleasures or self-gratification.