• Hosea 1:2
    When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea:
    ' Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
    And children of harlotry,
    For the land has committed great harlotry
    By departing from the LORD.'
     
  • Hosea 4:10-13
    For they shall eat, but not have enough;
    They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
    Because they have ceased obeying the LORD. "Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
    My people ask counsel from their wooden idols,
    And their staff informs them.
    For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
    And they have played the harlot against their God.
    They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
    And burn incense on the hills,
    Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
    Because their shade is good.
    Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
    And your brides commit adultery.

     
  • 1 John 2:15-17
    Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
     
  • Revelation 18:7
    In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, "I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow."
     
  • Genesis 38:15
    When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.
     
  • Exodus 20:14
    "You shall not commit adultery.

     
  • Ezekiel 16:22-30
    And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood. “Then it was so, after all your wickedness—‘Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord GOD— that you also built for yourself a shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street. You built your high places at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry. You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger. “Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied. “How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord GOD, “seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.
     
For more scripture references, please see Bible verses for Harlotry


Resources

Divorce and Remarriage

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

In the context of marriage and divorce, the concept of harlotry emerges as a profound spiritual and moral issue. Ezekiel 16 vividly portrays Israel's unfaithfulness to God through the imagery of harlotry, illustrating a wide array of sins under this term. It is written that Israel trusted in her own beauty, played the harlot due …


The Seventh Commandment

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The book of Hosea prominently addresses Israel's faithlessness, using the metaphor of harlotry to describe the nation's departure from the Lord. As Hosea 1:2 declares, the land has committed great harlotry by straying from its covenant with God. This term, zanah, signifies not a single act of adultery but a habitual, wanton way …


Christian Marriage (Part Two)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

The story of Hosea illustrates the profound spiritual lesson of harlotry as a symbol of unfaithfulness, both in marriage and in the relationship between God and His people. The Lord commanded Hosea to take a wife of harlotry, reflecting the great harlotry of the land as it departed from Him. Hosea's marriage to Gomer, who became …


The Beast and Babylon (Part Nine): Babylon the Great

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

For being a religious book, the Bible contains an unusual number of references to harlotry! Yet they provide understanding of the great harlot of Revelation.


The Beast and Babylon (Part Five): The Great Harlot

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The fallen Woman of Revelation 17 and 18 displays no religious characteristics but is instead involved in the politics, economics, and culture of its time.


The Seventh Commandment: Adultery

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In Amos' prophecy, faithlessness and sexual immorality loom large, like a a prostitute chasing after lovers. Faithlessness extends into not keeping one's word.


The Beast and Babylon (Part Seven): How Can Israel Be the Great Whore?

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's Word frequently paints unfaithful Israel as a harlot because she has consistently played the harlot in her relationship with God.


The Commandments (Part Sixteen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

It is absolutely impossible for lust to bring about any kind of satisfaction. Adultery cannot be entered into without irrevocably damaging relationships.



For more resources, please see the library topic for Harlotry