Understanding the phrase “play the harlot.”
The phrase “play the harlot” has its roots in ancient times and has been used in various contexts throughout history. A harlot is defined as a prostitute, a woman who engages in casual sexual encounters or relationships for gains. The phrase “play the harlot” is used in the Bible to describe the act of engaging in sexual immorality, especially in a spiritual sense. In the Bible, play the harlot describes spiritual prostitution in which the people of God forsake God and offer their acts of worship, such as prayer, sacrifices, adoration, etc., to other deities.
The expression play the harlot or playing the harlot or played the harlot or playedst the harlot appears frequently in the prophecies of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea. They used the phrase metaphorically to describe various forms of betrayal of one’s faith or disloyalty to one’s faith—such as instances where the Israelites were unfaithful to God but rendered their acts of worship to, not one, but many pagan deities such as Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians; Baal; Milcom, the god of the Ammonites; Chemosh, the god of Moab; Molech, the god of the Ammonites, etc.
In the book of Hosea, the prophet accuses the people of Israel of “playing the harlot against their God” due to their idolatry (Ho 4:15). Jeremiah described the religious practices of the Israelites on the high hills and green trees as playing the harlot (Jer 2:20). And Ezekiel also accused the Israelites of playing the harlot because they have embraced religious practices from Assyria and other nations (Eze 23:5; Eze 16:28). The Bible had already recorded examples of spiritual or religious harlotry before the first use of the phrase ‘play the harlot’. Playing the harlot is every instance of betrayal of the faith, by embracing others. Examples are as follows:
During the era of the judges, the Israelites abandoned the Lord who brought them out of Egypt and chased after the gods of the surrounding nations, just as a harlot opens herself to many men (Judges 2:12-13). Because of this spiritual adultery, God allowed enemies to oppress them. When they cried out in distress, God showed mercy, raised up judges to deliver them, and restored them. Yet as soon as each judge died, the people turned back to idolatry and became even more corrupt than their fathers (Judges 2:19), creating a recurring cycle of playing the harlot.
In the era of the kings, Solomon became the first king to lead the nation into widespread spiritual unfaithfulness. His many foreign wives turned his heart toward pagan gods, and he built shrines for their idols in Israel, introducing polytheism into the land (1 Kings 11:5-7). By his example, he set a pattern of spiritual harlotry that future kings would follow, drawing the nation further away from the worship of the one true God.
After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split, and both nations continued this pattern of spiritual adultery. In the northern kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam led the ten tribes into idolatry by making two golden calves and establishing high places, a practice continued by later kings. Ahab worsened this by introducing Baal worship through Jezebel. In Judah, Rehoboam and later kings such as Abijah, Jehoram, Ahaz, and Manasseh built high places and images throughout the land (1 Kings 14:22-23). In both kingdoms, the people turned from God to many false gods, and thus Israel and Judah alike “played the harlot.”
Ways in which Christians play the harlot
- Idolatry is still not far from Christendom. The practice of bowing down to statues or idols and sculptures, such as the cross, etc. are all tantamount to playing the harlot – apostasy. (Exodus 20:4-5)
- Christians who practice or consult divination, medium, witchcraft, etc. in the quest for help, fame, healing, protection, success, etc., are guilty of playing the harlot. (De 18:10-11)
- Some professing Christians make harlots of themselves by embracing ideas, opinions, doctrines, etc., which do not pertain to Christianity. In other words, they play the harlot by upholding false teachings, false doctrines, superstitions, worldly opinions, philosophies of men, human customs and traditions, etc., which go contrary to the Bible. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Conclusion
Playing the harlot is tantamount to apostasy. Playing the harlot is not a thing of the past; it is still happening. This calls for Christians to be circumspect. Christians should guide themselves from going after things, ideas, habits, etc. that contradict the Christian faith.