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 16:33)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 16:33:

  • Kupsabiny: “But oh, is a prostitute not given money for her body? But you give out money using them to pull men to come to you from all sides.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The women who sell their honor are-asking-for-payment, but you on-the-other-hand is the one still who gives a gift to your lovers so-that you can-entice them to come-near to you to have-sex.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Prostitutes are paid, but it is as though you give gifts to all your lovers; you bribe them to come to you from everywhere to have sex with you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 16:33

In verse 31 God says the girl was different from ordinary prostitutes because she did not receive money from her clients. In this verse he says that she went even further.

Men give gifts to all harlots: It is normal practice for men to pay a prostitute to have sex with her. New International Version says “Every prostitute receives a fee.”

But you gave your gifts to all your lovers: Instead of receiving money from the men she had sex with, the girl actually paid them. In the previous clause the gifts refer to money, but here they are probably presents. They are probably the gifts that God gave to her. Although most translations do not try to make this explicit, translators will do well to try to incorporate this idea.

Bribing them to come to you from every side for your harlotries: Bribing is the practice of secretly paying someone to do something to help the person who pays the money. It often involves illegal activities. Here the girl (Jerusalem) bribed men to come … from every side, that is, all the surrounding nations, for … harlotries, that is, for sexual purposes. In the parable harlotries refer to immoral sexual activity (see verse 15), but they are a picture of the political treaties that Judah made with the surrounding nations when they were unfaithful to God. This clause may be rendered “paying people to entice them to come from everywhere to sleep with you.”

A model for this verse is:

• Men always pay a prostitute to have sex with her. But you gave gifts to all the men who slept with you. You gave gifts [that I had given you] to entice men to come from all directions to have sex with you.

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 .