Reference: Fornication
American
This word is used in Scripture not only for the sin of impurity between unmarried persons, but for idolatry, and for all kinds of infidelity to God. In Eze 16, the Jewish church is symbolized as a female infant, growing up to womanhood, and then wedded to Jehovah by covenant. When she breaks her covenant by going after idols, she is justly reproached as an adulteress and a harlot, Jer 2:20; 3:8-9; Ho 3:1. Adultery and fornication are frequently confounded. Both the Old and New Testaments condemn all impurity and fornication, corporeal and spiritual-idolatry , apostasy, heresy, and infidelity. See ADULTERY.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
For, in age-past time, I brake thy yoke, I tare off thy fetters, And thou saidst, I will not transgress, - Nevertheless, on every high hill, and under every green tree, wast thou lying down as an unchaste woman.
Though she saw that for all this, apostate Israel having committed adultery, I had sent her away, and had given a scroll of divorcement unto her, yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but, she also, went and committed unchastity. Yea though it had come to pass that through the levity of her unchastity, she had defiled the land, - and committed adultery with Stone and with Tree,
Then said Yahweh unto me, Once more, go love a woman who loveth a friend, and is an adulteress, - according to the love of Yahweh unto the sons of Israel, though they keep turning away unto other gods, and love idolatrous raisin-cakes.
Easton
in every form of it was sternly condemned by the Mosaic law (Le 21:9; 19:29; De 22:20-21,23-29; 23:18; Ex 22:16). (See Adultery.)
But this word is more frequently used in a symbolical than in its ordinary sense. It frequently means a forsaking of God or a following after idols (Isa 1:2; Jer 2:20; Eze 16; Ho 1:2; 2:1-5; Jer 3:8-9).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And, when a man enticeth a virgin who is not betrothed, and lieth with her, he shall, surely pay a purchase-price, that she may be his wife.
Do not profane thy daughter by causing her to be unchaste, - lest the land fall to unchastity, and so the land be filled with wickedness.
And, the daughter of any priest, when she profaneth herself by unchastity, Her father, she, doth profane, with fire, shall she be consumed.
But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found with the damsel, then shall they bring forth the damsel into the entrance of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die, because she hath wrought wickedness in Israel, by committing unchastity in her father's house, - so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst.
When a damsel that is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, - and a man findeth her in the city, and lieth with her, then shall ye bring them, both, out unto the gate of that city, and stone them with stones that they die, the damsel, because she made not an outcry in the city, and the man because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife, - so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst. read more. But if in the field, the man find the betrothed damsel and the man force her and lie with her, then shall the man that lay with her die he alone; but, unto the damsel, shalt thou do nothing, the damsel, is not guilty of a sin worthy of death, for as when a man riseth up against his neighbour, and smiteth him so as to take away life, so, is this matter; for in the field, he found her, - the betrothed damsel, made an outcry, and there was none to save her. When a man findeth a damsel that is a virgin who is not betrothed, and layeth hold of her and lieth with her, and they are found, then shall the man who lay with her give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, - and she shall be, his, wife, because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away, all his days.
Thou shalt not bring the wages of an unchaste woman, or the hire of a dog, into the house of Yahweh thy God for any vow, - for, an abomination unto Yahweh thy God, are they both.
Hear O heavens, And give ear, O earth, for Yahweh, hath spoken: - Sons, have I brought up, and advanced, And, they, have rebelled against me.
For, in age-past time, I brake thy yoke, I tare off thy fetters, And thou saidst, I will not transgress, - Nevertheless, on every high hill, and under every green tree, wast thou lying down as an unchaste woman.
Though she saw that for all this, apostate Israel having committed adultery, I had sent her away, and had given a scroll of divorcement unto her, yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but, she also, went and committed unchastity. Yea though it had come to pass that through the levity of her unchastity, she had defiled the land, - and committed adultery with Stone and with Tree,
The beginning of the word of Yahweh with Hosea, was, - that Yahweh said unto Hosea, Go take thee a woman of unchastity, and the children of unchastity, for, unchastely indeed, hath the land been going away from following Yahweh.
Say ye unto your brethren, O Ammi, and unto your sisters, O Ruhamah: Contend ye with your mother, contend, for she is no wife of mine, and I am no husband of hers, Let her then put away her paramours from before her, and her partners in adultery, from her embraces: read more. Lest I strip off her under-clothing, and set her forth to view, as in the day she was born, - and make her like a wilderness, and render her like a land that is parched, and suffer her to die of thirst; And, on her children, not have compassion, - because, the children of paramours, they are. For their mother, hath been unchaste, and she that conceived them, hath caused shame, - for she said, Let me go after my lovers! who used to give my bread, and my water, my wool, and my flax, mine oil, and my drink.
Fausets
Used for adultery (Mt 5:32). Also spiritual unfaithfulness to the Lord, Israel's and the church's husband (Ezekiel 16; Jeremiah 2; Hosea 1; Re 17:4).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
But, I, say unto you, that, Everyone who divorceth his wife - saving for unfaithfulness, causeth her to be made an adulteress, - and, whosoever shall marry a divorced woman, committeth adultery.
And, the woman, was arrayed with purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, - having a cup of gold in her hand, full of abominations and the impurities of her lewdness;
Hastings
Morish
This was very common among the Gentiles, which accounts for its being mentioned in the message sent from the conference at Jerusalem to the Gentiles, Ac 15:20,29; and its being so often prohibited in the epistles. The word is sometimes used where 'adultery' is the sense. Mt 5:32; 19:9. It often has in the O.T. a symbolical reference to the turning from God to idols. 2Ch 21:11,13; Isa 23:17; Eze 16:15,26,29; and in the N.T. to unfaithful intercourse with Babylon, the mother of harlots. 4/8/type/emb'>Re 14:8; 17:2,4; 18:3,9.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
He too, made high places among the mountains of Judah, - and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unchaste, and seduced Judah.
but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unchaste, after the unchastities of the house of Ahab, - moreover also, thine own brethren of the house of thy father who were better than thou, hast thou slain,
So shall it be, at the end of seventy years, That Yahweh will visit Tyre, And she will return to her hire, - Yea she will play the harlot - with all the kingdoms of the earth, upon the face of the ground.
Then didst thou trust in thy beauty, And become unchaste, because of thy fame,- And didst pour out thine unchastity upon every passer-by, his it was!
Then didst thou extend thine unchaste acts unto the sons of Egypt - thy neighbour great of flesh,- And caused thine unchaste ways to abound provoking me to anger.
Thou didst therefore cause thine unchaste ways to abound unto the land of Canaan as towards Chaldea. Yet even herewith, wast thou not satisfied.
But, I, say unto you, that, Everyone who divorceth his wife - saving for unfaithfulness, causeth her to be made an adulteress, - and, whosoever shall marry a divorced woman, committeth adultery.
And I say unto you - Whosoever shall divorce his wife, saving for unfaithfulness, and shall marry another, committeth adultery.
but to write unto them, to abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.
To be abstaining from idol sacrifices, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from fornication, - From which, if ye keep yourselves, ye shall prosper. Fare ye well.
And, another, a second messengerfollowed, saying - Fallen! fallen! is Babylon the great, who, of the wine of the wrath of her lewdness, hath caused all the nations to drink.
with whom the kings of the earth committed lewdness, - and they who were dwelling upon the earth were made drunk with the wine of her lewdness.
And, the woman, was arrayed with purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, - having a cup of gold in her hand, full of abominations and the impurities of her lewdness;
Because, by reason of the wineof the wrath of her lewdness, have all the nations fallen, and, the kings of the earth, with her, did commit lewdness, and, the merchants of the earth, by reason of the power of her wantonness, waxed rich.
Watsons
FORNICATION, whoredom, or the act of incontinency between single persons; for if either of the parties be married, the sin is adultery.