prostitute
Porne identifies women in sexual contexts and, in Revelation, a woman portrayed in a vision of judgment.
The term most often identifies women in sexual or social settings: it occurs in warnings about bodily union, in accounts concerning Rahab, and alongside tax collectors or in a son's accusation. In Revelation, the singular form identifies a visionary female figure associated with many waters, Babylon, corruption, and judgment.
Senses in use
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Women identified in sexual and social settings · dominant
The singular forms occur in 1 Corinthians 6:15 and 1 Corinthians 6:16 within warnings about making Christ's members part of or joining oneself to such a woman; the APB renders the clauses with “a prostitute.” The nominative singular identifies Rahab in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25, while the plural appears with tax collectors in Matthew 21:31 and Matthew 21:32 and in the accusation of spending property with women in Luke 15:30.
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Visionary female figure under judgment · common
In Revelation 17:1, the genitive singular occurs in the announcement of judgment on a great woman who sits on many waters; Revelation 17:15 identifies those waters as peoples, crowds, Gentiles, and tongues. The accusative singular is the object of hostility and burning in Revelation 17:16 and of judgment for corrupting the earth in Revelation 19:2; Revelation 17:5 calls her Babylon and mother of the plural group.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the supplied verses, the APB consistently uses “prostitute” or “prostitutes,” including for Rahab and the figure in Revelation. Because the APB is a whole-verse translation, its wording confirms the clauses' presentation without by itself defining each use.