2 Kings 23:7 kjv
And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.
2 Kings 23:7 nkjv
Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image.
2 Kings 23:7 niv
He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the LORD, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.
2 Kings 23:7 esv
And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.
2 Kings 23:7 nlt
He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the LORD, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.
2 Kings 23 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Deu 23:17 | "There shall be no cult prostitute of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a cult prostitute of the sons of Israel." | Prohibits cult prostitution in Israel. |
| 1 Ki 14:24 | "And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They committed all the abominations..." | Mentions the presence of male cult prostitutes during Rehoboam's reign. |
| 1 Ki 15:12 | "He (Asa) removed the male cult prostitutes from the land..." | Earlier king removing cult prostitutes, foreshadowing Josiah. |
| 2 Ki 21:3-7 | Manasseh built up high places... set up an Asherah pole... set a carved image of Asherah in the house of the LORD. | Illustrates the prior desecration by Manasseh that Josiah reversed. |
| 2 Chr 33:1-7 | Manasseh's profound idolatry, including setting up Asherah. | Corroborates Manasseh's apostasy requiring Josiah's reform. |
| Lev 18:22 | "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." | Law prohibiting homosexual acts, relevant to cult prostitution. |
| Lev 19:29 | "Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute..." | Condemns offering daughters into prostitution, hinting at cult prostitution context. |
| Exo 34:13 | "You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (Asherah poles)." | Command to destroy pagan altars and Asherah images. |
| Deu 7:5 | "Thus you shall deal with them: you shall break down their altars..." | Command to utterly destroy foreign worship sites. |
| Isa 1:29-30 | "For you shall be ashamed of the terebinths that you desired, and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen." | Prophetic condemnation of Asherah (grove) worship. |
| Jer 2:27 | "who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’" | Illustrates the absurdity of Asherah/idol worship. |
| Hos 4:13-14 | "They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak... and poplar..." | Describes cultic prostitution and idolatry among the Israelites. |
| Mic 5:14 | "And I will root out your Asherim from your midst..." | Prophetic judgment against Asherah worship. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "For what agreement has the temple of God with idols?" | NT principle of separation from idolatry, directly opposing 2 Ki 23:7's problem. |
| Eph 5:3 | "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you..." | General NT teaching against immorality, applying to cultic acts. |
| 1 Cor 6:18 | "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." | Emphasizes the gravity of sexual sin, relevant to cultic prostitution. |
| Mat 21:12-13 | Jesus cleansing the temple, overturning tables of moneychangers. | Echoes the theme of purifying God's house from profanation, albeit financial here. |
| Jn 2:13-16 | Jesus driving out merchants from the temple. | Shows divine zeal for the purity of the house of God. |
| Hab 1:13 | "You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong..." | Describes God's holiness, intolerant of evil like idolatry and cult prostitution. |
| Neh 13:30 | Nehemiah cleansing the priests and Levites from all foreigners. | Another example of religious reform and purification of cultic personnel/practices. |
| Rom 1:26-27 | Describes paganism leading to unnatural sexual practices. | Links idolatry with deviant sexual acts, echoing the context of cult prostitutes. |
| Eze 8:14-16 | Ezekiel sees women weeping for Tammuz and worshipers of the sun in the temple precincts. | Parallel vision of rampant idolatry and pagan practices within/near the temple in Jerusalem. |
| Jer 7:9-11 | "Will you steal, murder, commit adultery... and come and stand before Me in this house...?" | God's condemnation of hypocrisy: performing pagan rituals while claiming to worship Him. |
2 Kings 23 verses
2 Kings 23 7 Meaning
2 Kings 23:7 describes King Josiah's further acts of religious reform in Judah, targeting deeply entrenched pagan practices. He destroyed the "houses of the male cult prostitutes" which were situated "by the house of the Lord," signifying the profound infiltration of idolatry into the very precincts of Yahweh's temple. Furthermore, it reveals that these spaces were used by women who "wove hangings (or sacred garments/structures)" specifically "for the Asherah," linking cultic prostitution with the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah and emphasizing the organized, continuous nature of these pagan rituals right alongside God's holy dwelling.
2 Kings 23 7 Context
2 Kings chapter 23 recounts King Josiah's widespread religious reforms. Having discovered the Book of the Law (likely Deuteronomy) in the temple, Josiah was deeply convicted by its pronouncements against idolatry and unfaithfulness to the covenant. This verse (23:7) details a specific aspect of his purification of Jerusalem. It demonstrates the depth of the defilement that had infiltrated even the proximity of the temple during the reigns of previous kings, especially his grandfather Manasseh and father Amon, who had actively promoted pagan worship. Josiah's actions here directly contravene the abominations listed in the Mosaic Law and illustrate his uncompromising zeal for Yahweh. The "houses of the male cult prostitutes" by the temple show the extreme syncretism and public endorsement of Canaanite fertility cults, where sexual acts were performed as part of worship to ensure agricultural fertility, directly contradicting God's command for sexual purity and exclusive worship.
2 Kings 23 7 Word analysis
- And he broke down: The Hebrew verb is vay-yittōts (וַיִּתֹּץ), meaning "and he tore down" or "and he demolished." This signifies a complete and violent destruction, reflecting Josiah's thoroughness and determination to eradicate idolatry with finality, not merely to suppress it.
- the houses: The Hebrew batei (בָּתֵּי), the construct form of bayit (בַּיִת), meaning "house" or "building." Here, it refers to designated structures, indicating institutionalized cultic activity rather than sporadic individual acts.
- of the male cult prostitutes: The Hebrew is ha-qědēšîm (הַקְּדֵשִׁים), the plural form of qādesh (קָדֵשׁ). The root q-d-š normally means "holy" or "set apart." Ironically, here it denotes individuals "set apart" for a profane, idolatrous, and sexually impure role in pagan worship. These individuals were associated with ritual prostitution, serving various pagan deities, particularly Canaanite fertility gods. This term is a direct polemic against their perverse claims of being "holy" to other gods.
- that were by the house of the Lord: The Hebrew ’ăšer bivēt YHWH (אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית יְהוָה) means "which were in/by the house of the Lord." This detail highlights the extreme desecration. These structures were either literally within the temple complex, or immediately adjacent to it, deeply corrupting the sanctity of God's dwelling place. The proximity underscores the profound level of spiritual defilement that Josiah sought to purge.
- where the women: Hebrew ’ăšer ha-nāšîm (אֲשֶׁר הַנָּשִׁים). This specifies the participants, indicating that female involvement in these pagan rites was common and perhaps distinct from the male cult prostitutes, but nevertheless contributing to the same idolatrous system.
- wove: Hebrew ’ōrgōṯ (אֹרְגֹת), a feminine plural participle meaning "are weaving" or "were weaving." The ongoing tense suggests this was a continuous, ritualistic activity, a regular part of the idolatrous worship, demonstrating the deep-seated nature of these practices.
- hangings for the Asherah: The Hebrew for "hangings" is battîm (בָּתִּים), which is again the plural of bayit ("house"). In this context, it is widely understood to mean woven articles such as tapestries, curtains, tents, or perhaps ritual garments for the Asherah idol/image or its cultic purposes. It suggests these women were creating specific textile objects to adorn, honor, or facilitate the worship of the Asherah. The word choice here might imply woven structures that were like small "houses" or shrines for the deity.
- for the Asherah: The Hebrew lā’ăšērâ (לָאֲשֵׁרָה) refers to Asherah, a principal goddess in the Canaanite pantheon, often associated with fertility and depicted by a sacred pole or tree-like image. Her worship involved rituals including sexual acts, as seen here. Josiah's destruction targets her worship directly, reinforcing exclusive worship of Yahweh. The entire phrase demonstrates a direct polemic against the false claim of these pagan cults to provide life and fertility through such abominable practices, in contrast to the true source of all blessing, Yahweh.
2 Kings 23 7 Commentary
2 Kings 23:7 vividly illustrates the pervasive nature of idolatry in Judah, showing its institutionalization and close proximity to the Jerusalem Temple. Josiah's act of demolishing the quarters of the male cult prostitutes and ending the weaving of cultic garments for Asherah exemplifies his uncompromising zeal for monotheism and the purity of Yahweh worship. This wasn't merely a clean-up; it was a radical dismantling of long-standing religious syncretism that blurred the lines between the worship of Yahweh and the corrupt fertility cults. The verse emphasizes that these abominations were not marginal practices but deeply integrated, operating openly near the very center of true worship. Josiah’s actions were a crucial step in purging Judah from spiritual corruption and calling the nation back to covenant faithfulness, signifying that true reform demands confronting and removing even the most deeply entrenched forms of rebellion against God's holiness.
Bonus Section
- Uniqueness of the "Houses": The presence of these "houses of the male cult prostitutes" (batei ha-qedeshiym) immediately adjacent to, or perhaps even within the outer precincts of, the Temple of Yahweh is a profound testament to the extent of Judah's spiritual apostasy, particularly under Manasseh and Amon. It indicates a deliberate integration of pagan practices into what was supposed to be exclusive Yahwistic worship.
- Symbolism of Weaving: The act of "weaving hangings for the Asherah" signifies more than mere idol adornment. In ancient Near Eastern cults, woven textiles were often sacred items, serving as ritual garments, banners, or portable shrines for deities. The women’s weaving indicates dedicated, sustained, and institutionalized devotion to Asherah, integrating their craft directly into the service of false gods.
- The Qedeshiym as a Theological Contrast: The term qedeshiym (male cult prostitutes) using the root for "holy" stands as a theological affront. In contrast to those genuinely "set apart" for Yahweh (e.g., priests, Nazarites), these individuals were profanely "set apart" for sexually immoral idolatry, highlighting the antithesis between true holiness defined by God and perverted holiness offered by paganism.
- Contrast with Jesus' Temple Cleansing: While centuries apart and differing in nature, Josiah's thorough physical cleansing of the Temple area from idolatry finds a parallel echo in Jesus' cleansing of the Temple from commercial exploitation and financial impurity (Mat 21, Mk 11, Jn 2). Both acts demonstrate a divine zeal for the purity and sacredness of God's house and an intolerance for practices that defile it.