God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 23:17
17No Israelite man or woman should ever become a temple prostitute.
Deuteronomy 23:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
- New International Version (NIV)No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one of the sons of Israel.
Context of Deuteronomy 23:17
15If a slave escapes from his master and comes to you, don’t return him to his master. 16Let him stay with you ⌞and live⌟ among your people wherever he chooses, in any of your cities that seems best to him. Never mistreat him. No Israelite man or woman should ever become a temple prostitute. 18Never bring gifts or money earned by prostitution into the house of the Lord your God as an offering you vowed to give. These earnings are disgusting to the Lord your God. 19Never charge another Israelite any interest on money, food, or anything else that is borrowed.
Read all of Deuteronomy 23Deuteronomy 23:17 word by word
לֹא־תִהְיֶ֥ה קְדֵשָׁ֖ה מִבְּנ֣וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה קָדֵ֖שׁ מִבְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 23:17
- Deuteronomy 22:21they must take the girl to the entrance of her father’s house. The men of her city must stone her to death because she has committed such a godless act in Israel: She had sex before marriage, while she was still living in her father’s house. You must get rid of this evil.
- Leviticus 19:29“Never dishonor your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the country will turn to prostitution and be filled with people who are perverted.
- Proverbs 2:16⌞Wisdom will⌟ also save you from an adulterous woman, from a loose woman with her smooth talk,
- Romans 1:26For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Their women have exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
- Genesis 19:4Before they had gone to bed, all the young and old male citizens of Sodom surrounded the house.
- Judges 19:22While they were enjoying themselves, some worthless men from the city surrounded the house and pounded on the door. They told the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so that we can have sex with him.”
- 1 Kings 14:24There were even male prostitutes in the temples of idols throughout the land. The people of Judah did all the disgusting practices done by the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites’ way.
- 1 Kings 15:12He forced the male temple prostitutes out of the land and got rid of the idols his father had made.
- 1 Kings 22:46He rid the land of the male temple prostitutes who were left there from the time of his father Asa.
- 2 Kings 23:7He tore down the houses of the male temple prostitutes who were in the Lord’s temple, where women did weaving for Asherah.
- Romans 1:27Likewise, their men have given up natural sexual relations with women and burn with lust for each other. Men commit indecent acts with men, so they experience among themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9Don’t you know that wicked people won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals,
- 1 Timothy 1:10Laws are intended for people involved in sexual sins, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for those who lie when they take an oath, and for whatever else is against accurate teachings.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 23:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17There shall be no whore - See on Genesis 38:15-21; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Compare the marginal reference. Prostitution was a common part of religious observances among idolatrous nations, especially in the worship of Ashtoreth or Astarte. Compare Micah 1:7; Baruch 6:43.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. 17A temple prostitute was commonly a part of Canaanite religious ceremonies, but they were forbidden in Israel.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 23:17
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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