• Biblical Families is not a dating website. It is a forum to discuss issues relating to marriage and the Bible, and to offer guidance and support, not to find a wife. Click here for more information.

Male Prostitution Disguised as Polygyny

In one of the posts I did reference the word "Whoredom" as also a legitimate word to use. Thus one could title it "Whoredom Disguised as Polygyny" and that would fit with both the classical Greek idea, koine Greek idea, and the nuances of our receptor language in the modern day sense. A whore has a primary meaning of temporal time to it.

The generic term sexual immorality is accurate as a theological concept but it lacks specificity of the temporal non-committal aspect which is more clearly brought out in the terms of Whoredom or Prostitution. Either one can capture the thought of the original. The issue is one of precision with the koine Greek though in trying to honor primary meanings while recognizing what we call "multiple or secondary semantic ranges" within the one/singular sense idea of a term. Sometimes it can be tricky in trying to discern the most precise receptor language word as a one for one word translation or strictly formal equivalence theory of translation, as good as that is, still sometimes can not capture the original with its fullness. In those cases some dynamic equivalence translation techniques can convey the idiom or semantic range of meaning best from the original.
 
Uhhh... I THINK you just said, "Yup. Both work. Tough call." In a scholarly way, of course. :roll:

Did I get it right, Prof :?:
 
Yes, as it depends upon what theory of translation is applied from the transmitting language to the receptor language. What is tough is to know where along the continuum line one should be in trying to capture the idiom of thought for the modern ear/eye.

For example, the continuum would be something like this in translation theory:

- - - I - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - I - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - I - - - -
Word for Word....................Dynamic Equivalent.....................Paraphrase
Formal.............................Thought for Thought........................Interpretive
Literal..............Multiple Words for One..............Entire Sentences for a Word


That is a simplistic chart but conveys the idea I'm talking about.

Where should one place the English translation of porneia? If someone argues or embraces more of the the theory to the left of this chart then individual words like whoredom, prostitution, fornication, and like terms will be used.

If one moves more towards the middle then words like "sexual immorality" will be used.

As one moves more towards the right entire sentences like what are found in the Message and Living Bible are used, and to some degree even the NLT.

For the most part, those who embrace verbal plenary inspiration as the choice or correct view of inspiration they most of the time embrace more of a left sided translational theory. They, as I do, adopt a as close as possible to a word for word translation from the original into the receptor language. Sometimes it can't be done but that is the general rule we start with because we hold the actual original words to be sacred and thus we do not want to stray very far from a word for word translation. The rule has exceptions though when the receptor language clearly does not have a one word equivalent. In such cases we will move more to the center so that the idiom and thought is conveyed yet while still trying to capture the precision of the original idea with as few words as possible.

Thus in this case the terms whoredom and prostitution would be the two best choices of terms and a contemporary linguistic analysis yields differing views as to which one would be best. Context of the original sometimes will decide but then at times that does not help due to fluidity of meaning in the receptor language. In this case there is indeed some flux to the idea behind prostitution while whoredom is sometimes even still so multifaceted that it too can sometimes be seen as too general. Fornication is so often used for any type of sexual sin and at others time used solely for sexual sin for those not claiming any union status. So yes, these three terms, prostitution, fornication, and whoredom can convey the idea well if properly defined and are generally better one word choices than the really vague and non-specific sexual immorality two terms.

But then again, since we see some failure of the precise correspondence of each of the one words chosen the interpretive process type translations can be of aid too and thus that is a further extension of the exception to the general translation rule.

This was what I posted earlier about the terms:

Furthermore, we could change the terms or phrase to "Male Fornication Disguised as Polygyny." Or even, "Male Whoredom Disguised as Polygyny." The point behind all of this is the motive and intent to take a union based upon something other than a permanent bond. I'm not discussing "serial monogamy" here, which is an issue but I'm talking about men who have a permanent union with the one lady they have been with and then go out looking for another with the motive of testing it, trying it out, and if it does not work well they will let her go. That is indeed whoredom, a form of prostitution. If fits very well with the idea behind the terms in the Original languages, especially when one examines the etymology of the word and the various nuances the term had even in classical literature, such as with classical Greek.
Click to expand...

Whatever word one chooses in regard to words the point being made emphatically is this (an interpretive translation approach now being used): Proneia by context can mean the corruption of the heart being manifested through a man who takes another woman without the fixed, determinate resolve and will to keep her at all costs unless she breaks the union through sexual sin by joining herself to another man. Any man who enters a relationship with a woman without this definite resolve that it is permanent is living in sexual corruption such as whoredom from the very beginning and thus his use of the term polygyny is really nothing more than a disguise for his evil and corrupt heart. This corrupt heart is shown later by the act of putting the woman away when she has not broken the union through any sexual sin on her own.

Now that really is an interpretive and paraphrase like translation, and indeed 99% of my colleagues in the seminary would say its not a translation at all but interpretation with so many words being used there, but in either case as a idiomatic translation or interpretative paraphrase it conveys the thought that is being set forth in the one word for word statements that "Prostitution or Whoredom Can be Disguised a Polygyny."

Modern readers are on note in either case. If you as a man take a woman without a definite resolve to keep her and this is your normal operational mode you are deceived and thus you are unlikely to be truly born again and as a whore or prostitute your final home will be in the lake of fire for no sexually immoral person will be in heave as clearly stated by the Word of God in both Revelation and Corinthians and by Christ the Lord God. Men who take woman and then put them away reveal they are corrupt at heart and that corruption manifests itself in their ease of taking and putting away without biblical justification. It is indeed proper to look at those men as male prostitutes or male whores and they need to be warned they need to repent lest they reap eternal judgment for living in continual sin (see 1 John 3). The key to all of it rests with the idea that a man has in the mind some thought that "well if it does not work then I can just put her away and move along." Any thought like that is evil and is a sign of devilish thinking. It reveals character corruption and men who have done this ought to repent, and then seek to make amends with the one they have wrongly put away.
 
let me reiterate that i completely agree with your message. it is spot on and greatly needed. my desire is that as many as possible will recieve it and that none would prejudge it because of the title and skip past it. :!: :)

cecil, as usual you a more excellent communicator than my poor attempts. i bow in your general direction.
 
The first thing I was taught when I began writing for the High School News Paper was that you need to catch the readers attention with the title of your article. Next you write your introductory paragraph in a way that captures your audience's attention and causes them to want to read the rest of the article. Not that we should promote sensationalism - or that Dr. Allen had that intent; yet the title serves its purpose without being misleading and is somewhat sensational as it provokes thought. There are numerous posts that I have passed by or simply glanced at without reading much of them because I didn't have any interest in them and chose to spend my time elsewhere. Posts with an interesting/inviting title and a well developed introduction always catch my attention. The title of this post is catchy and draws attention due to curiosity, the introduction is well written, and the body of the text is informative. If anything the entire structure of this article has drawn readers in, not caused them to skip past it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top