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 .

Translation commentary on Proverbs 23:27

“For a harlot is a deep pit”: For “harlot” see 6.26, and for “deep pit” see 22.14. This line is figurative language, and the point of comparison between the “harlot” or “prostitute” and the “deep pit” is that both of them catch or trap a person, who is then unable to escape without help. The word for “pit” is rare in Hebrew; it is not the normal term for a pit used to trap animals but seems to have a similar sense here. In translation Good News Translation has the rendering “deadly trap,” and Contemporary English Version changes the figure to a simile, “like a deep pit—,” with the next verse explaining what this means.

“An adventuress is a narrow well”: This line is parallel to the previous line and very similar in meaning. “An adventuress” is literally “a strange woman”; see the comments at 2.16 and 6.24, where this term is used in parallel with another rendered “foreign woman” or “loose woman.” Since these terms were all used generally for prostitutes or immoral women, it is possible that “adventuress” has the same sense as “harlot” in the previous line. However, commentators suggest that in this case, “the two lines apparently introduce the two classes of unchaste women, the unmarried and the married” (Toy). So most versions have “prostitute” in the first line and say here something like “immoral women” (Good News Translation), “a loose woman” (Revised English Bible), or “a woman who . . . belongs to another” (New Jerusalem Bible). “A narrow well” has the same sense as “a deep pit” in the first line; in this case the well is difficult or impossible to escape from because it is narrow. To make this point clear in translation Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “. . . like a narrow well in which you get stuck.”

Since the figures in the two lines are very similar, it is possible to combine the two lines of this verse. Contemporary English Version “Bad women and unfaithful wives are like a deep pit” is one example; see also Good News Translation.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

complete verse (Proverbs 23:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 23:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “An adulterous/prostitute woman is like a deep pit that traps people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The prostitute and adulteresses
    are like deep pits or wells.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For a woman who sells her body can-harm you (sing.) like a deep and narrow pit.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The prostitute and the one who commits-adultery/immorality, they are-compared-to a deep pit.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 23:27

23:27

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

27a For a prostitute is a deep pit,

27b and an adulteress is a narrow well.

Both lines are metaphors. They compare two types of immoral women to dangerous places that can trap an animal or person.

23:27a–b

For: This verse gives a specific motivation or reason for the son to pay attention to his father’s admonition in 23:26. The reason is that an immoral woman is a source of danger from which it is difficult to escape. It is implied that the son will avoid this danger if he heeds the warning.

Some versions leave it implied that this is a reason. For example:

A prostitute is a deep pit. (God’s Word)

Introduce this reason in a natural way in your language.

a prostitute…an adulteress: The first phrase refers to a woman who charges a fee for men to have sex with her. In Hebrew, the second phrase usually means “foreign woman” or “strange woman.” In Proverbs, it refers to a wife who commits adultery.

Together, these parallel phrases refer to any immoral woman. They include both unmarried and married women.

Some ways to translate these parallel phrases are:

a prostitute…a wayward wife (New International Version)
-or-
a woman who sells her body…a woman who is not faithful to her husband

Many languages have euphemisms to refer to having sex with immoral women. Use terms in your language that will not cause embarrassment if this verse is read in public.

For more information, see the note on prostitute in 6:26a. See also the note on adulteress in 6:24b.

a deep pit…a narrow well: A pit and a well differ in several ways. A hunter digs a pit in order to trap a larger animal. This pit is usually covered over with branches or leaves in order to hide it. A person digs a well so he can have a source of water.

However, in these parallel metaphors, a deep pit and a narrow well have similar characteristics. Immoral women are similar to both of these:

(a) For a person to get involved with an immoral woman is dangerous and leads to death.

(b) The dangers are hidden, so the victims do not suspect the disastrous consequences.

(c) An animal or person that has fallen into a deep pit or a narrow well cannot escape. Similarly, a man that has become involved in adultery will be unable to escape the bad consequences.

One way to translate these parallel metaphors is to change the metaphors to similes. Make explicit one or more of the implied similarities. For example:

27a A prostitute is as dangerous as a deep pit.

27b and an unfaithful wife is like a narrow well. (New Century Version)

See the notes on 22:14a for a similar comparison. That verse has the identical phrase “a deep pit.” But there, the comparison involves the “mouth of an adulteress.”

General Comment on 23:27a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder one or more of the parallel parts. For example:

Bad women and unfaithful wives are like a deep pit (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Prostitutes and immoral women are a deadly trap. (Good News Translation)

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