40+ Bible Verses About Prostitution [2024]

“The Bible offers profound insights into the complexities of human behavior and God’s desire for redemption.”

Prostitution is a topic that appears in various forms throughout the Bible. It is addressed not only in the context of moral law but also through narratives that illustrate deeper spiritual lessons. Understanding what the Bible says about prostitution requires careful examination of each scripture, the context in which it was written, and its relevance to contemporary issues.

This article aims to explore 45 scriptures related to prostitution, offering insights into their meanings and applications while also discussing God’s heart for restoration and forgiveness.

1. Leviticus 19:29

“Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity.”
Example: A father ensures his daughter is safe and educated about her worth, reflecting this principle of protection.

2. Deuteronomy 23:17-18

“None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.”
Example: A community that actively rejects such practices to uphold its moral standards demonstrates adherence to this teaching.

3. Proverbs 6:24-26

“To preserve 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.”
Example: A person choosing to honor their marriage vows rather than engaging in an affair aligns with this teaching.

4. Hosea 1:2

“When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.'”
Example: Hosea’s experience serves as a powerful illustration of love and forgiveness despite betrayal.

5. Matthew 21:31-32

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.'”
Example: This shows that even those marginalized by society can receive God’s grace through faith.

6. 1 Corinthians 6:15-16

“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh.'”
Example: This teaches about the sanctity of the body and the significance of sexual relationships.

7. Revelation 17:1-2

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.'”
Example: This metaphor speaks to the dangers of spiritual unfaithfulness and its consequences.

8. Genesis 38:15-16

“When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her at the roadside and said, ‘Come, let me come in to you.’ For he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.”
Example: This story illustrates the complexities of relationships and the consequences of deceit.

9. Jeremiah 3:2

“Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers, like an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom and wickedness.”
Example: This verse metaphorically describes Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.

10. Ezekiel 16:30

“How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute.”
Example: This conveys God’s anguish over Israel’s betrayal and turning away from Him.

11. Proverbs 7:10

“And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.”
Example: This warns against the dangers of temptation and the allure of immorality.

12. Matthew 5:32

“But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Example: This stresses the seriousness of marital commitments and the ramifications of infidelity.

13. Luke 7:37-38

“And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment. And standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.”
Example: This passage illustrates repentance and the transformative power of forgiveness.

14. John 8:3-4

“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.'”
Example: This story emphasizes the theme of judgment and mercy.

15. Hebrews 13:4

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
Example: This verse underscores the importance of honoring marriage and sexual purity.

16. Matthew 15:19

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
Example: This highlights that moral failings begin in the heart, emphasizing the need for inner transformation.

17. James 4:4

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Example: This reflects the spiritual implications of turning away from God for worldly desires.

18. Proverbs 23:27-28

“For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a narrow well. She lies in wait like a robber and increases the traitors among human beings.”
Example: This warns about the dangers and deceit associated with immoral relationships.

19. Ezekiel 23:44

“And they came to her, as is the manner of women, and had sexual relations with her in the course of their lust.”
Example: This passage discusses the exploitation involved in prostitution.

20. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.”
Example: This encourages self-control and honoring God in our physical lives.

 Bible Verses About Good Women

21. 1 Corinthians 10:8

“We must not indulge in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.”
Example: This serves as a warning about the consequences of immorality in biblical history.

22. Proverbs 5:3-5

“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.”
Example: This illustrates the deceptive nature of temptation.

23. Lamentations 1:9

“Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future; therefore her fall is terrible; she has no comforter.”
Example: This reflects the consequences of immorality and the loss of hope.

24. Matthew 12:39

“But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.'”
Example: This emphasizes the need for genuine faith rather than seeking signs.

25. Isaiah 57:3

“But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.”
Example: This warns against being influenced by immoral practices.

26. 1 Peter 2:11

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
Example: This encourages believers to live differently from the surrounding culture.

27. Luke 15:30

“But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!”
Example: This highlights the consequences of a reckless lifestyle.

28. Proverbs 6:29

“So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished.”
Example: This stresses the seriousness of adultery and its repercussions.

29. Exodus 34:16

“And you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”
Example: This warns about the spiritual consequences of intermarriage with idolaters.

30. Ephesians 5:5

“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.”
Example: This emphasizes the importance of moral purity for believers.

31. Revelation 21:8

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Example: This serves as a warning about the consequences of unrepentant sin.

32. Isaiah 23:16

“Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered.”
Example: This reflects the notion of remembrance even amid shame.

33. Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Example: This highlights the choice between moral integrity and materialism.

34. Hosea 3:1

“And the Lord said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.'”
Example: This illustrates God’s unfailing love and call to redemption.

35. Mark 10:11-12

“And he said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.'”
Example: This reinforces the sanctity of marriage and the seriousness of infidelity.

36. Galatians 5:19-21

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Example: This serves as a reminder of the moral standards expected of believers.

37. James 1:14-15

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
Example: This illustrates the process of temptation leading to sin.

38. Isaiah 1:21

“How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.”
Example: This serves as a lament for moral decline.

39. Hosea 4:14

“I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.”
Example: This highlights the cycle of immorality and its consequences.

40. Romans 1:24-27

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
Example: This passage discusses the results of rejecting God and engaging in immoral behavior.

41. Deuteronomy 22:21

“Then they shall bring out the young woman to the entrance of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”
Example: This reflects the serious consequences of immorality in ancient Israel.

42. Proverbs 30:20

“This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done no wrong.'”
Example: This highlights the deceit and denial often associated with immorality.

43. 1 Corinthians 6:18

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
Example: This encourages believers to avoid situations that lead to temptation.

44. Exodus 20:14

“You shall not commit adultery.”
Example: This is a straightforward command emphasizing the importance of marital fidelity.

45. Job 31:1

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”
Example: This demonstrates a commitment to purity and self-control.

Answers To Key Questions Bible Verses About Prostitution

1. What does the Bible say about prostitution?

The Bible contains various references to prostitution, often condemning it as morally wrong. Verses like Proverbs 6:26 and Hebrews 13:4 highlight the dangers and consequences associated with sexual immorality. However, it also showcases stories of redemption and forgiveness, emphasizing God’s love for all individuals, regardless of their past.

2. Are there any stories of redemption for prostitutes in the Bible?

Yes, one notable story is that of Rahab in the Book of Joshua. Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, hid Israelite spies and was later included in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). This illustrates that God can use anyone, regardless of their background, for His purposes and that redemption is possible.

3. How should Christians view sexual immorality today?

Christians are encouraged to uphold moral standards that align with biblical teachings. Verses like 1 Corinthians 6:18 advise believers to flee from sexual immorality, emphasizing the importance of purity and integrity in relationships. This perspective promotes healthy boundaries and respect for oneself and others.

4. Does the Bible provide any guidance on how to respond to those involved in prostitution?

The Bible encourages compassion and understanding. Jesus’ interactions with sinners, such as the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), exemplify a response filled with grace and a call to repentance. Christians are called to offer support and love while promoting a path toward healing and restoration.

5. What is the significance of God’s forgiveness in relation to those who struggle with sexual immorality?

God’s forgiveness is central to the Christian faith. Verses like 1 John 1:9 affirm that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. This message of hope reassures individuals that no matter their past actions, they can experience forgiveness and a fresh start through faith in Christ.

Conclusion

The Bible addresses prostitution and related themes with depth and seriousness. While it provides warnings about the dangers of immorality, it also offers hope through God’s forgiveness and love.

The scriptures urge believers to maintain their integrity and seek a relationship with God that transforms hearts and lives. Understanding these verses can guide us in our moral choices and deepen our appreciation for God’s grace.