Deuteronomy 23 17

Deuteronomy 23:17 kjv

There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

Deuteronomy 23:17 nkjv

"There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one of the sons of Israel.

Deuteronomy 23:17 niv

No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.

Deuteronomy 23:17 esv

"None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.

Deuteronomy 23:17 nlt

"No Israelite, whether man or woman, may become a temple prostitute.

Deuteronomy 23 verses

Deuteronomy 23 17 Meaning

Deuteronomy 23:17 forbids the presence and practice of cult prostitution, both male and female, among the Israelites. This command stresses the profound incompatibility between the holy worship of Yahweh and the sexually immoral and idolatrous rituals common in the pagan cultures surrounding Israel. It serves to emphasize the required moral and spiritual purity of God's people, establishing it as a cornerstone of their covenant relationship and a clear differentiator from other nations.

Deuteronomy 23 17 Context

Deuteronomy 23 establishes a series of regulations concerning the purity of the assembly of the Lord and the Israelite camp. These laws function to maintain the sanctity of God's people and sharply differentiate them from the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations. Earlier verses in the chapter define who may and may not enter the "assembly of the Lord," based on factors such as lineage and physical condition, thus underscoring the necessity of purity within the community of faith. Following sections address matters of hygienic and ceremonial cleanness within the encampment, indicating that even daily living spaces must reflect Yahweh's holiness. Verse 17 directly applies these principles of purity to the realm of sexual conduct within a religious context. It explicitly prohibits "cult prostitutes," targeting a widespread pagan practice that integrated sexual immorality into religious worship, particularly prevalent among the Canaanites. This injunction is therefore a vital component of Israel's covenant stipulations, guarding their identity and worship from spiritual and moral contamination, thereby emphasizing that Yahweh’s worship demands moral uprightness, distinct from the sensual fertility rites of Baal and Asherah.

Deuteronomy 23 17 Word analysis

• "No" (וְלֹא – v'lo): This particle serves as a strong, absolute negation, indicating an unequivocal divine prohibition. It commands that the stated practice must not, under any circumstances, exist or be tolerated within the Israelite community.
• "shall be" (תִהְיֶה – tihyeh): This verb, meaning "to be," functions here as a prescriptive command, conveying that such a person or practice should not "come into being" or "exist" in any form among the people of Israel. It denotes an active proscription rather than a mere description.
• "cult prostitute" (קָדֵשׁ – qadesh, male; קְדֵשָׁה – qedeshah, female):
  • These terms are derived from the Hebrew root q-d-sh (קדש), meaning "holy," "set apart," or "consecrated."
  • Here, the words are used antithetically: they refer to individuals "set apart" not for the holy Yahweh, but for perverse sexual rites within pagan fertility cults. These individuals performed sexual acts as part of "sacred" rituals, believing them to bring divine favor, rain, or fertility to land and people.
  • This specific term inherently connects the prohibited sexual acts with idolatrous worship, making it distinct from common prostitution. It highlights the deeply religious, yet abhorrent, nature of the forbidden practice to the Israelites, directly challenging the pagan notion of "holiness."
• "of the daughters of Israel" (מִבְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל – mibnot Yisra'el): This phrase explicitly targets Israelite women who might be lured or compelled into becoming cult prostitutes. It underscores that God’s covenant people, and specifically their women, were not to participate in such demeaning pagan rites. It safeguards the dignity and spiritual purity of Israelite women.
• "of the sons of Israel" (מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – mibbnei Yisra'el): Similarly, this prohibition extends to Israelite men adopting the role of male cult prostitutes. This practice existed in various pagan cults, sometimes involving homosexual acts. Including both genders emphasizes the comprehensive rejection of all forms of pagan religious sensuality and deviance within Israel.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "There shall be no cult prostitute": This emphatic declaration directly confronts a significant spiritual and moral threat prevalent in the ancient Near East. It functions as an absolute prohibition aimed at purging pagan temple prostitution from God’s chosen people. This directive underscores the demand for the moral purity of Israelite worship, sharply contrasting it with the sexually permissive and idol-driven fertility cults of neighboring societies.
• "of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a cult prostitute of the sons of Israel": The dual mention of both female and male cult prostitutes signifies the sweeping and all-encompassing nature of this divine command. It leaves no room for such practices for either gender within the Israelite community, asserting a total repudiation of pagan cultic sexuality in all its manifestations. This command served to delineate a strict boundary between the consecrated people of Yahweh and the profane practices of their gentile surroundings, underscoring that genuine divine blessing is contingent upon righteousness and holiness, not ritualistic sexual acts.

Deuteronomy 23 17 Bonus section

• The ironical use of qadesh and qedeshah (from "holy") to describe cult prostitutes underscores the profound theological contrast between what paganism deemed sacred and what Yahweh considered abominable. This linguistic choice functions as a divine redefinition of true holiness.
• This prohibition can also be understood as a protective measure for the integrity of the Israelite family unit. Cultic prostitution introduced societal disorder, spiritual impurity, and often uncertain paternity, which undermined the sanctity of marriage and established genealogies central to God's covenant design.
• Deuteronomy 23:17 implicitly affirms God's sacred view of human sexuality: it is intended as a holy gift for procreation and intimate covenant relationship within marriage (Gen 1:28; 2:24), never as a means to manipulate divine favor or to be publicly defiled in pagan rites. Any perversion of this gift dishonors the Creator.

Deuteronomy 23 17 Commentary

Deuteronomy 23:17 stands as a critical safeguard for the spiritual integrity of Israel, directly countering the prevalent and perverse practice of cultic prostitution in the Canaanite world. This prohibition is not merely a moral regulation against common promiscuity but a deep theological statement: Yahweh, the one true God, cannot be served through debased ritual sexuality, as fertility deities like Baal and Asherah were imagined to be. The divine demand for purity among Israelites reflected God's own character and affirmed His exclusive right to worship. By explicitly condemning both male (qadesh) and female (qedeshah) practitioners from among His own people, God established an unbreachable barrier between true holiness and the abominable pagan forms of "sacred" acts. This mandate aimed to protect Israel from spiritual contamination and moral decay, preserving their unique covenant identity as a holy nation set apart to the Lord. The repeated emergence of these "cult prostitutes" in subsequent Israelite history, necessitating reforms by righteous kings like Asa and Josiah, underscores the constant challenge faced by God's people in upholding this foundational principle of holiness. This serves as a timeless reminder that true worship necessitates moral integrity and unwavering distinction from worldly defilements.