{
  "id": "dict_006013",
  "term": "Whoredom",
  "slug": "whoredom",
  "letter": "W",
  "entry_type": "theological_term",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "In Scripture, whoredom can mean literal sexual immorality, especially prostitution, and it is also used figuratively for covenant unfaithfulness to God through idolatry.",
  "simple_one_line": "Whoredom is sexual immorality and, in the prophets, a vivid picture of spiritual unfaithfulness to the Lord.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical term for prostitution or sexual immorality, often used metaphorically for idolatry and covenant betrayal.",
  "aliases": [
    "WHORE(doms)"
  ],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "adultery",
    "fornication",
    "harlot",
    "idolatry",
    "sexual immorality"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "prostitution",
    "covenant",
    "apostasy",
    "false worship"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Whoredom is an older biblical English term that refers first to sexual immorality and, in many prophetic passages, to spiritual unfaithfulness toward God.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Literal: sexual immorality, especially prostitution or promiscuity. Figurative: Israel’s or another people’s unfaithfulness to the Lord by idolatry and covenant betrayal.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Often literal in law and wisdom contexts.",
    "Often metaphorical in the prophets.",
    "The image stresses the seriousness of covenant disloyalty.",
    "Context determines whether the term is physical or spiritual."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "In the Bible, whoredom first denotes sexual sin associated with prostitution or illicit relations. The prophets also use it figuratively for spiritual unfaithfulness, especially idolatry and covenant betrayal. Readers should distinguish these uses by context.",
  "description_academic_full": "Whoredom in Scripture denotes sexual immorality in a literal sense, especially conduct associated with prostitution, but it is also a frequent prophetic image for spiritual adultery against God. In Old Testament covenant language, the term can describe unfaithfulness when God’s people pursue idols, false worship, or alliances rooted in distrust of the Lord. The metaphor does not reduce the seriousness of literal sexual sin; rather, it uses the shame and betrayal of sexual unfaithfulness to portray the offensiveness of idolatry and apostasy. A sound interpretation therefore reads each occurrence in context, noting whether the term is used for bodily sin or as a figure for covenant disloyalty.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In the Law, whoredom is associated with sexual immorality and prohibited relations. In the Prophets, especially Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the term becomes a graphic covenant image for Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness through idolatry and false worship.",
  "background_historical_context": "The term reflects the moral world of the ancient Near East, where prostitution and fertility cults were known realities. Biblical writers used the word both to name actual sin and to expose the ugliness of unfaithfulness to the Lord.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Israel, sexual purity and covenant fidelity were closely linked themes. The prophetic use of whoredom as an image of idolatry would have communicated deep shame, betrayal, and covenant violation to biblical hearers.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Leviticus 19:29",
    "Deuteronomy 23:17-18",
    "Hosea 1-4",
    "Jeremiah 3",
    "Ezekiel 16",
    "Ezekiel 23"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Proverbs 6:26",
    "Revelation 17-18"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The underlying Hebrew and Greek contexts vary by passage. English translations may render related terms as prostitution, harlotry, fornication, or sexual immorality, depending on context.",
  "theological_significance": "Whoredom highlights the seriousness of both sexual sin and idolatry. In prophetic use, it underscores that turning from the Lord is not a minor mistake but covenant betrayal deserving judgment and calling for repentance.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The term works by moral analogy: bodily unfaithfulness helps portray spiritual unfaithfulness. The Bible uses concrete, relational language to describe sin because covenant with God is personal, not merely abstract.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not assume every occurrence is figurative. Do not flatten the word into a single English gloss, since context may demand either literal sexual immorality or metaphorical idolatry. The term is archaic in modern English, so readers may need a clearer paraphrase in explanation.",
  "major_views_note": "Interpreters generally agree that the word can be literal or figurative depending on context. Disagreement usually concerns only the exact nuance of a given passage, not the basic categories.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Scripture consistently treats sexual immorality as sin and idolatry as covenant infidelity. The metaphor should be handled reverently and should not be used to sensationalize or overextend the text.",
  "practical_significance": "Whoredom passages call believers to sexual holiness, exclusive loyalty to the Lord, and repentance from idols in any form. They also remind readers that spiritual compromise is not trivial.",
  "meta_description": "Whoredom in the Bible refers to literal sexual immorality and, in prophetic texts, to spiritual unfaithfulness and idolatry.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/whoredom/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/whoredom.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}