Christian Standard Bible
Deuteronomy 23:18
18Do not bring a female prostitute’s wages or a male prostitute’s earnings into the house of the Lord your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 23:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
- New International Version (NIV)You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.
- English Standard Version (ESV)You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
- New King James Version (NKJV)You shall not bring the wages of a harlot or the price of a dog to the house of the Lord your God for any vowed offering, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
Context of Deuteronomy 23:18
16Let him live among you wherever he wants within your city gates. Do not mistreat him. 17“No Israelite woman is to be a cult prostitute, and no Israelite man is to be a cult prostitute. Do not bring a female prostitute’s wages or a male prostitute’s earnings into the house of the Lord your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the Lord your God. 19“Do not charge your brother interest on silver, food, or anything that can earn interest. 20You may charge a foreigner interest, but you must not charge your brother Israelite interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you do in the land you are entering to possess.
Read all of Deuteronomy 23Deuteronomy 23:18 word by word
לֹא־תָבִיא֩ אֶתְנַ֨ן זוֹנָ֜ה וּמְחִ֣יר כֶּ֗לֶב בֵּ֛ית יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לְכָל־נֶ֑דֶר כִּ֧י תוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou shalt not bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- the hireאֶתְנַן'ethnan · wagesH868
- of a whoreזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- or the priceמְחִירmechîyr · priceH4242
- of a dogכֶּ֫לֶבkeleb · dogH3611
- into the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- for any vowנֶ֫דֶרneder nêder · vowH5088
- for even bothשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- abominationתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 23:18
- Ezekiel 16:33Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors.
- Psalms 22:16For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet.
- Proverbs 26:11As a dog returns to its vomit, so also a fool repeats his foolishness.
- Isaiah 56:10Israel’s watchmen are blind, all of them, they know nothing; all of them are mute dogs, they cannot bark; they dream, lie down, and love to sleep.
- Matthew 7:6Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.
- Philippians 3:2Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.
- 2 Peter 2:22It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.”
- Revelation 22:15Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
- Deuteronomy 23:21“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to keep it, because he will require it of you, and it will be counted against you as sin.
- Deuteronomy 12:6You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
- Leviticus 7:16“If the sacrifice he offers is a vow or a freewill offering, it is to be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and what is left over may be eaten on the next day.
- Psalms 5:4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you.
- Isaiah 61:8For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and injustice; I will faithfully reward my people and make a permanent covenant with them.
- Habakkuk 1:13Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are you silent while one who is wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself?
- Malachi 1:14“The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the Lord of Armies, “and my name will be feared among the nations.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 23:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18The hire of a whore, or the price of a dog - Many public prostitutes dedicated to their gods a part of their impure earnings; and some of these prostitutes were publicly kept in the temple of Venus Melytta, whose gains were applied to the support of her abominable worship.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Another Gentile practice, connected with the one alluded to in the preceding verse, is here forbidden. The word “dog” is figurative (compare Revelation 22:15), and equivalent to the “sodomite” of the verse preceding.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-25Verses 15-25 It is honourable to shelter and protect the weak, provided they are not wicked. Proselytes and converts to the truth, should be treated with particular tenderness, that they may have no temptation to return to the world. We cannot honour God with our substance, unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it. Where the borrower gets, or hopes to get, it is just that the lender…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18male: The Hebrew word used here literally means “dog.” In this context, it was a strong insult. It was used for men who were involved in same-sex acts connected with Canaanite religious practices.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-251-3. He that is wounded ..., shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord--"To enter into the congregation of the Lord" means either admission to public honors and offices in the Church and State of Israel, or, in the case of foreigners, incorporation with that nation by marriage. The rule was that strangers and foreigners, for fear of friendship or marriage connections with them leading the people into idolatry, were not admissible till their…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 23:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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