Commentary on Harmony of the Law Volume 2 Complete John Calvin
HARMONY OF THE LAW · VOLUME 2
Leviticus 19:29
29. Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
29. Non pollues filiam tuam prostituendo eam: neque scortetur terra, et impleatur ipsa scelere.
This passage more clearly proves that all unlicensed connections 64 were always unlawful in God's sight. It is a tame and forced interpretation to apply what is here said to spiritual fornication; and those also, who suppose that public stews only are forbidden, restrict the law too much, whereas God rather gives a general injunction that parents should preserve their daughters by means of a pure and chaste education. But even although we admit that nothing else is prohibited but that parents should be the panders of their daughters, still we gather from the word pollute 65 (for some render the word חלל, chalal, too tamely to make common) that they are contaminated by their whoredom, and the reason given abundantly confirms the fact, that all whoredom is hateful to God, "lest the land fall to whoredom, (He says,) and the land become full of wickedness." It is plain that adultery is not in question here; but God declares it to be criminal if a man and woman have connection out of wedlock. Consequently, the people are taught in the Seventh Commandment to beware of all unchastity.
Deuteronomy 23:17
Deuteronomy 23
Deuteronomy 23:17
17. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
17. Non erit meretrix e filiabus Israel, neque erit scortum masculum e filiis Israel.
This passage is akin to the foregoing; for in the first clause He forbids that girls should be prostituted. Some think that a whore is called in Hebrew "Toute compagnie d'homme et de femme hors le mariage." — Fr.
Margin A. V., "profane."