prostitute oneself / play the prostitute

The Hebrew that is translated as “prostitute oneself” or “play the prostitute” in English is translated in Vidunda as “(practice) sexual immorality.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

prostitute

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The Greek, Latin, and Hebrew that is typically translated as “prostitute” in English (in some, mostly earlier translation also as “harlot” or “whore”) is translated in the 2024 revision of the inter-confessional Latvian Jauna Pārstrādāta latviešu Bībele as netikle or “hussy.” This replaced the previous translation mauka or “whore.” Nikita Andrejevs, editor of the Bible explains the previous and current translations: “The translators at the time felt that this strong word best described the thought contained in the main text. Many had objections, as it seemed that this word would not be the most appropriate for public reading in church.” (Source: Updated Bible published in Latvia ).

Other translations include:

  • Bariai: “a woman of the road” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “a woman who sells her body” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Uma: “a woman whose behavior is not appropriate” or “a loose woman” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “a bad woman” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a woman who make money through their reputation” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “a woman who makes money with her body” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “a woman whose womanhood is repeatedly-bought” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

See also Translation commentary on Genesis 34:31, Rahab, and prostitute oneself / play the prostitute.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Prostitution in the Bible .

complete verse (Ezekiel 16:34)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 16:34:

  • Kupsabiny: “You are different from how other prostitutes do. You give out money and nothing is given to you.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You are different from the other women who sell their honor. No one is inviting you to have-sex; you yourself is-the-one-who-invites. You do- not -ask-for-payment; you indeed is-the-one-who-pays. So you are really different.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So although you act like a prostitute, you are not like other prostitutes: No one needs to request you to have sex with them. You are the opposite of other prostitutes; instead of them giving any money to you, you give men money to have sex with you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 16:34

So you were different from other women in your harlotries: Because the girl gave men gifts and did not take payment for having sex with them, she was different from other prostitutes. Contemporary English Version says “You’re not like other prostitutes,” and New Living Translation has “So you are the opposite of other prostitutes.”

None solicited you to play the harlot: Normally a woman becomes a prostitute when men solicit her, that is, offer to pay her to have sex with them, but no one came to this girl to ask her to have sex with him. Good News Translation renders this clause as “No one forced you to become one [a prostitute],” but a better model is “No one asked you to become a prostitute.”

And you gave hire, while no hire was given to you means the girl paid for sex, but did not receive payment from the men who had sex with her.

Therefore you were different: This summary stresses that she did not act like a normal prostitute; in fact, she was worse than a prostitute.

A model for this verse is:

• You were different from other prostitutes when you had sex with men. No one came to ask you for sex, but you went and asked them. The men you had sex with did not pay you, but you paid them. Your way of acting was the opposite of the way other prostitutes act.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .