Secondly, (occurs Gen. xxxviii. 15, 21, 22 ; Dent. xxiii. 17 ; Hos. iv. 14). It has been already observed that the proper meaning of the word is consecrated prostitute. The very early allusion to such persons, in the first of these pas sages, agrees with the accounts of them in ancient heathen writers. Herodotus refers to the abomi nable custom of the Babylonians, who compelled every native female to attend the temple of Venus once in her life, and to prostitute herself in honour of the goddess' (i. 199 ; Baruch, vi. 43). Strabo calls prostitutes, who, it is well known, were at Athens dedicated to Venus, lepb &am -yvvaixes, consecrated servants,' votaries' (Geog-. viii. p. 378 ; Grotius, Annotat. on Barzech ; Beloe's Heroa'aus, Notes, vol. i. p. 272, Lond. 1806). The transaction related in Num. xv. 1-15 (comp. Ps. cvi. 28) seems connected with idolatry. The prohibition in Deut. xxiii. 17, there shall be no imp, whore,' of the daughters of Israel,' is intended to exclude such devotees from the worship of Jehovah (see other allusions, Job xxxvi. ; Kings xiv. 24 ; xv. 12).
Thirdly, r141Z), 'the strange woman' (t Kings xi. ; Prov. v. 20 ; vi. 24 ; vii. 5 ; xxiii. 27 ; Sept. dXXorpfa ; Vulg. aliena, extranea). It seems probable that some of the Hebrews in later times interpreted the prohibition against fornication (Deut. xxii. 2t) as limited to females of their own nation, and that the strange women' in question were Canaanites and other Gentiles (Josh. xxiii. i3). In the case of Solomon they are specified as Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. The passages referred to discover the character of these females. To the same class
belongs nit, the strange woman' (Prov. v. 3, zo ; xxii. 14 ; xxiii. 33 ; 7r6pvn, dXXorpta ; WIVE, trix, aliena, extranea) : it is sometimes found ileIN (Prov. ; vii. 5). To the same class of females belongs rem the foolish woman,' L e., by a common association of ideas in the Shemitish dialects, sinfut (Ps. xiv. 1). The descrip. tion in Prov. ix. 14, etc., illustrates the character of the female so designated. To which may be added In nz,N, the evil woman' (Prov. vi. 24).
In the N. T. ropvq occurs in Matt. xxi. 31, 32 ; Luke xv. 30 ; Cor. vi. 15, 16 ; Heb. xi. 31 ; James ii. 25. In none of these passages does it necessarily imply prostitution for gain. The like liest is Luke xv. 30. It is used symbolically for a city in Rev. xvii. 5, 15, ; xix. 2, where the term and all the attendant imagery are derived from the O. T. It may be observed in regard to Tyre, which (Is. xxiii. 15, 17) is represented as committing fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth,' that these words, as indeed seems likely from those which fol low, may relate to the various arts which she had employed to induce merchants to trade with her' (Patrick, in loc.) So the Sept. understood it, go-Tat lnroptov rdcatr rais flu-avian lir olKovnevng 7p6o-corov rfis Schleusner observes that the same words in Rev. xviii. 3 may also relate to commercial a'ealings. (Winer's Realworterb., s. v. HURE ; RAHAB ; Fesselii Adversar. Sacr. ii. 27. 1, 2, Witteb. 165o ; Frisch, De muliere peregrina Hebr., Lips. 1744).—J. F. D.