WG: Fornication / Sexual Immorality¶
Overview¶
The fornication concept in the NT involves 7 words covering the act, the persons involved, and the broader moral-impurity cluster in which it appears.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G4202 | πορνεία | porneía | fem. noun | 25 | The act (fornication / illicit sex) | G4202 |
| G4203 | πορνεύω | porneuō | verb | 7 | The action (to commit fornication) | G4203 |
| G4204 | πόρνη | pornē | fem. noun | 12 | The person (harlot/whore) | G4204 |
| G4205 | πόρνος | pornos | masc. noun | 10 | The person (fornicator/whoremonger) | G4205 |
| G3430 | μοιχεία | moicheia | fem. noun | 4 | Parallel act (adultery; sex with married person) | TODO(need G3430 study) |
| G167 | ἀκαθαρσία | akatharsia | fem. noun | 10 | Broader category (moral uncleanness/impurity) | G167 |
| G766 | ἀσέλγεια | aselgeia | fem. noun | 9 | Related attitude (licentiousness / shameless conduct) | TODO(need G766 study) |
Relationships¶
Shared Roots¶
- G4202 πορνεία, G4203 πορνεύω, G4204 πόρνη, G4205 πόρνος — all from πέρνημι (pernēmi, to sell); the porn- root
- G1608 ἐκπορνεύω (ekporneuō, Jude 7) is a further compound from the same root
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| G4202 porneia | G167 akatharsia | 4x | Vice lists and 2 Cor 12:21: paired moral failures |
| G4202 porneia | G4203 porneuō | 3x | 1 Cor 6:18 (noun + verb); Revelation |
| G4202 porneia | G3430 moicheia | 3x | Matt 15:19; Mark 7:21; Gal 5:19 — parallel in sin lists |
| G167 akatharsia | G766 aselgeia | 3x | 2 Cor 12:21; Gal 5:19; Eph 4:19 — the impurity triad |
| G4202 porneia | G766 aselgeia | 2x | 2 Cor 12:21; Gal 5:19 |
| G3430 moicheia | G167 akatharsia | 1x | Gal 5:19 |
| G3430 moicheia | G766 aselgeia | 1x | Gal 5:19 |
Shared Hebrew Source (LXX Bridge)¶
| Hebrew Root | Bridges to |
|---|---|
| H2181 זָנָה (zanah) | → G4204 pornē (23 co-occ), G4203 porneuō (15 co-occ), G4202 porneia (12 co-occ) |
All three primary porn- words trace back to the zanah root in the LXX.
Roles in the Concept¶
- The act (abstract): πορνεία (G4202) — fornication as a category of sin
- The action (verb): πορνεύω (G4203) — actively committing the act
- The female agent: πόρνη (G4204) — the harlot/prostitute; used literally and of Babylon
- The male agent: πόρνος (G4205) — the male fornicator; in exclusion lists (1 Cor 5:9; Heb 12:16; Rev 21:8)
- Parallel sin (narrower): μοιχεία (G3430) — adultery, i.e. sex involving a married person; porneia is the genus, moicheia a species
- Broader category: ἀκαθαρσία (G167) — moral impurity/uncleanness; porneia is a subset of this
- Attitudinal dimension: ἀσέλγεια (G766) — licentiousness, outrageous sensuality; the shamelessness behind the acts
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Gal 5:19 — [G4202 + G3430 + G167 + G766] "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness" — four group members in one verse
- 2 Cor 12:21 — [G4202 + G167 + G766] "fornication and uncleanness and lasciviousness which they have committed"
- Matt 15:19 / Mark 7:21 — [G4202 + G3430] porneia and moicheia both in the heart-evil list
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, gather_word_data.py Last updated: 2026-04-02