Greek word · Strong's G4202

πορνεία

porneía · noun · “sexual immorality”

In a sentence

Porneia means sexual immorality — any sexual activity outside the design of marriage between husband and wife. The New Testament names it plainly and calls believers to flee it.

Porneia is the New Testament’s broad term for sexual sin outside of marriage. It is the root behind English “pornography” and was used in the Greco-Roman world for a wide range of sexual immorality.

Paul’s instruction is unusually direct: “Flee porneia.” Sexual integrity matters because the body “is a temple of the Holy Spirit” and because we have been bought at a price. The Bible’s sexual ethic is not arbitrary restriction but the shape of love and worship.

Strong's reference

Definition: harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry

KJV usage: fornication

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality;” Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.