314. 就屬靈之義而言, "行淫"是指玷污聖言教導的良善,歪曲聖言教導的真理。"行淫"的這層含義至今不為人知, 因為聖言的屬靈含義一直被隱藏至今。下列經文中"行淫","妓女"所指皆是此意:

你們當在耶路撒冷的街上跑來跑去, 在寬闊處尋找, 看看有一人行公義,求誠實沒有？我使他們飽足, 他們就行姦淫(耶利米書5:1, 7)。我在耶路撒冷的先知中曾見可憎惡的事, 他們行姦淫, 作事虛妄(耶利米書23:14)。這二人是在以色列中行了醜事, 與鄰舍的妻行淫, 又假託我名說我未曾吩咐他們的話(耶利米書29:23)。他們行淫, 因為他們離棄耶和華不遵他的命(何西阿書4:10)。人偏向交鬼的和行巫術的, 隨他們行邪淫, 我要向那人變臉, 把他從民中剪除(利未記20:6)。只怕你與那地的居民立約, 百姓隨從他們的神, 就行邪淫, 祭祀他們的神(出埃及記34:15)。

因為巴比倫比誰都更加玷污和歪曲聖言, 因此被稱為"大淫婦"; 『啟示錄』的下列經句就是如此論到它:叫萬民喝邪淫,大怒之酒的巴比倫(啟示錄14:8)。有一位天人前來對我說:"我將坐在眾水上的大淫婦所要受的刑罰指給你看"(啟示錄17:1-2)。祂審判了那用淫行敗壞世界的大淫婦(啟示錄19:2)。

因為猶太民族歪曲聖言, 主稱之為"淫亂的世代"(馬太福音12:39; 16:4;馬可福音8:38)和"通姦者的種子"(以賽亞書57:3)。還有其它許多章節中, 行邪淫與妓女被理解成對聖言的玷污與歪曲, 例如耶利米書3:6, 8; 13:27;以西結書16:15-16, 26, 28-29, 32-33; 23:2-3, 5, 7, 11, 14, 17;何西阿書5:3; 6:10; 那鴻書3:4。

In general, mothers in the Bible represent the Lord's church on earth. In some cases "mother" more specifically refers to the truth of the church, the true teachings the church has about the Lord and about life. This makes sense if you think about it. Mothers are the vehicles through which new people are created; the church (in a broad sense) is the vehicle through which new ideas about the Lord and new good actions are created. And just as a mother is filled with love -- for her children and husband -- so also is the church filled with love, both for its ideas and uses and also for the Lord.