Prostitutes
Bible Study Guide
1. Rabab the Harlot
Rahab the Harlot hid two Israelite spies in her home and helped them escape. With Rahab's help, the spies safely returned to their leader, Joshua. The Israelites returned to Jericho. They marched around the city six times the first six days, and the seventh day they walked around the city seven times in one day. Then they blew their horns, and the walls of Jericho fell down. The part of the wall that Rahab lived in was spared, and every living thing was killed except Rahab and her family. In the New Testament, Rahab the Harlot is cited as a person of faith and good works, and she is recorded in the line of Jesus.
Joshua 2 (See also Joshua 6, James 2:25, and Hebrews 11:31)
2. Solomon's Justice
Two prostitutes approach King Solomon for justice in a famous judgment. Both prostitutes had young sons similar in age. One son died during the night when his mother lay on him. It was unclear which mother's son was living because the mother that woke up with a dead son next to her accused the other mother of switching the babies. Solomon threatened to cut the living child in half, and one mother came forward to ask that the entire living child be given to the other mother. Solomon identified the mother that was willing to give up the child as the real mother.
I Kings 3
3. Tamar, Judah's Daughter in Law
Tamar was the widow of Er, the son of Judah. It was the tradition of that time for the father-in-law to arrange a marriage of a widow to another son. However, when Er died, Judah refused to marry her to his living son. Tamar tricked Judah into sleeping with her by pretending to be a prostitute. She took Judah's staff and seal (not his robe) as security for payment. When Judah was told that Tamar was pregnant, Judah ordered her to be burned to death. Tamar displayed Judah's staff and seal and successfully defended herself. Tamar gave birth to twins in King David's lineage.
Genesis 38
4. Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene is not recorded in the Bible as a former prostitute, but is often assumed to be one. There is no Biblical evidence that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Jesus cleansed her of seven demons in Luke 8:1-3. In the year 591, Pope Gregory called her a prostitute in a homily, and the label continues until the present in artwork, novels, and movies. Mary Magdalene is the patron saint of reformed prostitutes. She was honored to be the first person Jesus appeared to after the resurrection in the gospels of Mark and John. (Mark 16:9 and John 20:16)
Luke 8
5. A Priest's Daughter
In the book of Leviticus, if a priest's daughter is a prostitute, a harsh punishment ir required.Leviticus 21:9 states, "If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire." "Burning" in the Bible may have been accomplished by melting lead and pouring it down the throat. Women and men caught in the act of adultery were brought out of the city and stoned, in accordance with Deutoronomy 22:22.
Leviticus 21
6. Oholah and Oholibah
Ezekiel compares the practice of idolatry to prostitution and adultery, sometimes is quite graphic terms. The name "Oholah" means "my tent", and "Oholibah" means "my tent is in her". Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah. Ezekiel uses a similar comparison of prostitution to idolatry in Chapter 16.
Ezekial 23
7. Hosea
Following God's command, Hosea marries Gomer, a prostitute. They have two sons and a daughter. Like Ezekiel, Hosea is comparing the harlotry of Gomer, his wife, to the idolatry of Israel. When she prostitutes herself, Hosea forgives her and continues to love her. Likewise, God forgives the idolatry of Israel and continues to love the people.
Book of Hosea