Lexical Summary ekporneuó: To commit fornication, to engage in sexual immorality Original Word: ἐκπορνεύω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance give self over to fornication. From ek and porneuo; to be utterly unchaste -- give self over to fornication. see GREEK ek see GREEK porneuo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ek and porneuó Definition mid. to give oneself up to fornication NASB Translation gross immorality (1), indulged in gross immorality (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1608: ἐκπορνεύωἐκπορνεύω: 1 aorist participle feminine ἐκπορνεύσασα; (the prefix ἐκ seems to indicate a lust that gluts itself, satisfies itself completely); the Sept. often for זָנָה; "to go a whoring, 'give oneself over to fornication'" A. V.: Jude 1:7. Not found in secular writings. (Test xii. Patr. test. Dan § 5; Pollux 6, 30 (126).) Topical Lexicon Root and Semantic Nuances Strong’s Greek 1608 (ἐκπορνεύω) intensifies the ordinary idea of πορνεύω by prefacing it with ἐκ, picturing a departure or breakthrough into unrestrained sexual behavior. The verb therefore denotes not merely participation in immorality but a wholesale surrender to it—an abandonment of God-ordained boundaries. Canonical Context in Jude Jude 1:7 stands as the sole New Testament use: “In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example, undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.” (Berean Standard Bible) Jude places ἐκπορνεύσασαι in a triad of examples (unbelieving Israel, rebel angels, Sodom’s cities) to warn false teachers and wavering believers. The verb underscores that the sin of Sodom was not an isolated lapse but a corporate, habitual lifestyle violating nature and covenant alike. Old Testament and Intertestamental Echoes Genesis 19 supplies the historical narrative behind Jude’s warning. Additional backdrop appears in: Jewish Second Temple literature (for example, 1 Enoch 10:7-9) also used Sodom to illustrate final judgment, preparing the conceptual soil into which Jude sowed ἐκπορνεύσασαι. Thematic Connections in Scripture 1. Divine Judgment on Sexual License – 2 Peter 2:6-10 parallels Jude, stressing that God “condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction.” Historical Reception in the Church Early Christian writers employed Jude 1:7 to defend biblical sexual ethics. Tertullian (On Modesty, 5) cited Sodom to warn against moral laxity; Origen (Commentary on Matthew, 14.23) linked Jude’s vocabulary to Christ’s teaching on inward purity. Reformers likewise treated the passage as a perpetual caution against societal descent into sexual chaos. Theological Significance 1. Holiness of God – The verb exposes how persistent immorality provokes God’s just wrath. Practical Ministry Applications • Preaching: Jude 1:7 provides sermonic grounding for warning against cultural normalization of sexual sin. Warnings and Exhortations A lifestyle of ἐκπορνεύω invites temporal ruin and eternal loss. Yet Jude’s epistle immediately follows with hope: “keep yourselves in the love of God, as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:21). The same gospel that pronounces judgment also offers cleansing and empowerment for holy living. Conclusion Strong’s 1608 stands as a stark verbal monument in the New Testament, reminding the church that unchecked sexual rebellion has historically provoked divine judgment, yet simultaneously urging believers to contend for the faith by embodying covenant fidelity and purity. Forms and Transliterations εκπεπόρνευκε εκπορνεύειν εκπορνεύετε εκπορνεύουσα εκπορνεύουσιν εκπορνεύσαι εκπορνευσασαι εκπορνεύσασαι ἐκπορνεύσασαι εκπορνεύσασιν εκπορνεύσει εκπορνεύσουσιν εκπορνεύσωσιν εκπρίου εξεπόρνευσαν εξεπόρνευσας εξεπόρνευσε εξεπόρνευσεν ekporneusasai ekporneúsasaiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |