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What does 'whoremonger' mean in the Bible?

The more modern word for whoremonger is a "John"—someone who uses a prostitute. However, in the original language of the Bible, whoremonger (a word found in the King James Version of the Bible) is anyone who has sex outside of marriage.

The word is found in Ephesians 5:5 and translated in the English Standard Version as "sexually immoral": "For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."

When we look at the Greek word, which is pornos, we immediately see its relationship to our English word pornography. This Greek word means a man who engages in sexual immorality. The Greek word that means a woman engaged in sexual immorality is porne, or sometimes translated "whore."

These two Greek words, pornos and porne, simply mean someone who has sex outside of marriage. The words have nothing specifically to do with sex involving money, lust, or premarital sex—but mean all of those and more. We tend to rank different extra-marital sexual activity into categories of wrongness. But in the Bible, a loving couple who has sex before marriage and a man having sex with a prostitute are both termed porneia—and both are unrighteous and result in significant consequences.

Ephesians 5:3–5 says, "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Sexual immorality can be a sign that a person is unsaved. First Corinthians 5:11 says that Christians are "not to associate" with someone who calls themselves a Christian but is sexually immoral. Other Scriptures also deal with sexual immorality. The consequences of sexual immorality are serious. Though it can be challenging in a world that is sex-crazed, God calls His people to different standards. Sex is meant as a gift between a married man and woman. Whoremongering is against God and harmful to the people involved.

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