"EXCEPT FOR FORNICATION"
Always in the New Testament the Greek word "porneia" is translated by the word "fornication", and the Greek word "moicheia" by "adultery". Jesus uses both these words in Matt 19:9Matt 19:9 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.. If Jesus had said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for 'moicheia', and shall marry another, committeth 'moicheia'" there would have been no doubt that the exceptive clause refers to adultery. But this would have directly contradicted his previous answer to the Pharisees, which made no allowance for "putting away", ONCE A MAN AND WOMAN HAD BEEN "GLUED TOGETHER" IN MARRIAGE. "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given"Jesus would not have changed, or weakened his teaching simply because he had been challenged by the Pharisees. The fact that he used two different words, "porneia" and "moicheia", in the same sentence, shows that he was thinking of, and referring to, two different things. Those who insist that the exceptive clause refers to adultery can give no reason why the word "moicheia" was not used. If he meant adultery why did he use the word "porneia", which many argue covers all sorts of sexual perversion and uncleanness? And if, as some argue, the word "porneia" covers all sorts of sexual aberrations, including adultery, it would mean that Jesus was now advocating divorce for anything sexually immoral. Appearing nude, or reading or watching anything remotely sexually explicit and a whole host of other things, would be grounds for divorce. His disciples might have been astonished at his answer, but they would certainly not have said, "If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry". Nor would Jesus have answered them, "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given".
Not only are the two words, "porneia" used together in Matt 19:9, but they also appear in Matt 15:19Matt 15:19 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:, where they appear together in a list of things to be condemned, and must, therefore, be different from each other. Jesus would not have listed "adultery, adultery" in this passage. It is obvious that the Scriptures do not treat the word "porneia" as including adulteryThe same two words also appear as separate items in 1 Cor 6:91 Cor 6:9 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,, and Gal 5:19Gal 5:19 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, . In 1 Cor 6:91 Cor 6:9 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, adulterers, fornicators, and "abusers of themselves with mankind (sodomites — Greek "arsenokoites"), are all mentioned separately, showing that "fornication" includes neither adultery, nor sodomy. This not only shows that adultery is separate from fornication. It is also a further nail in the coffin of the argument used by some that fornication covers all uncleaness. The related nouns of "porneia" and "moicheia" occur in Heb 13:4, "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but 'pornos'(fornicators) and 'moichos'(adulterers) God will judge". It is obvious that the Scriptures do not treat the word "porneia" as including adultery, and as we shall see later, this fully accords with the way this word was used by the Jews in an attempt to deride Jesus.
These two Greek words have their Hebrew equivalents in the Old Testament, where the word "zanah" refers to fornication, and "naaph" to adultery. Because harlots were almost always unmarried women, the word "zanah" was also used to describe "whoredoms". Again, we see that fornication is pre-marital misconduct.To demonstrate their different usage both words are used in Isa 57:3, "But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer (naaph), and the whore (zanah)". The two words also occur in Hosea 4:13 & 14, "therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom ('zanah' — 'fornication'), and your spouses shall commit adultery ('naaph'). I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom ('zanah' — 'fornication'), nor your spouses when they commit adultery ('naaph'). Rotherham renders this, "For this cause do your daughters become unchaste, and your brides commit adultery. I do not bring punishment upon your daughters when they become unchaste, nor upon your brides when they commit adultery". This passage clearly shows that fornication is committed by the unmarried daughters of Israel, while adultery is committed by the wives. Again, we see that fornication is pre-marital misconduct. On one other occasion the word "adulteress", in Prov 6:26Prov 6:26 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life., is translated from the Hebrew "esheth ish", properly meaning "the wife of a man".