As stated previously there are those that interpret porneia as an “unlawful marriage”. In other words a couple marries and they find that they are too closely related. Another view is that porneia refers to a situation where Joseph finds himself with Mary during the betrothal period. This is called the betrothal view. But these views are difficult to defend and the truth is that porneia embraces a much larger scope as Dr. D.A. Carson writes:
“But it must be admitted that the word porneia itself is very broad. In unambiguous contexts it can on occasion refer to a specific kind of sexual sin. Yet even then this is possible only because the specific sexual sin belongs to the larger category of sexual immorality. Porneia covers the entire range of such sins (cf. TDNT, 6:579-95; BAGD, s.v.; Joseph Jensen, "Does porneia Mean Fornication? A Critique of Bruce Malina," NovTest 20 [1978]: 161-84) and should not be restricted unless the context requires it.”[1]
Translation Comparison
|
“And I say unto
you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication,
and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is
put away doth commit adultery.” (Matthew 19:9, KJV 1900) |
“And I say to
you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual
immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”” (Matthew 19:9, ESV) |
“I tell you that
anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,
and marries another woman commits adultery.”” (Matthew 19:9, NIV) |
Greek Interlinear
Matthew 19:9 (SBLGNT)
9 λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ
And
I say to you, that whoever shall put away his wife not for ____?______
καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται καὶ ὁ ἀπολελυμένην
and
shall marry another commits adultery And he who her put away
γαμήσας μοιχᾶται.
marries
commits adultery[2]
Vines interprets “1. porneia (πορνεία, 4202) is used (a) of “illicit sexual intercourse,” in John 8:41; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:13, 18; 2 Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5; 1 Thess. 4:3; Rev. 2:21; 9:21; in the plural in 1 Cor. 7:2; in Matt. 5:32 and 19:9 it stands for, or includes, adultery; it is distinguished from it in 15:19 and Mark 7:21; (b) metaphorically, of “the association of pagan idolatry with doctrines of, and professed adherence to, the Christian faith,” Rev. 14:8; 17:2, 4; 18:3; 19:2; some suggest this as the sense in 2:21.”[4]
Bill Mounce translates porneia: “sexual immorality, fornication, marital unfaithfulness, prostitution, adultery, a generic term for sexual sin of any kind.”[5]
Conclusion
“But porneia
had a broader range of meaning in ordinary usage, referring to any sexual
intercourse that was contrary to the moral standards of Scripture, and nothing
in this context would indicate that this should be understood in such a
restricted sense.”[6]
[1]
Expositor's Bible
Commentary, The, Pradis
CD-ROM:Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/VI. Opposition and Eschatology: The
Triumph of Grace (19:3-26:5)/A. Narrative (19:3-23:39)/1. Marriage and divorce
(19:3-12), Book Version: 4.0.2
[3] Thomas, R. L. (1998). New
American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.
[4] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr.
(1996). Vine’s
Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, p. 252). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.
[5] https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/porneia
[6] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1861). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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