God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 23:18
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.
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 stay with you ⌞and live⌟ among your people wherever he chooses, in any of your cities that seems best to him. Never mistreat him. 17No Israelite man or woman should ever become a temple prostitute. Never 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. 20You may charge a foreigner interest, but not an Israelite. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do once you’ve entered the land and taken possession of it.
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 16:33All prostitutes get paid. But you give gifts to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all directions to have sex with you.
- Psalms 22:16Dogs have surrounded me. A mob has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
- Proverbs 26:11As a dog goes back to its vomit, ⌞so⌟ a fool repeats his stupidity.
- Isaiah 56:10⌞Israel’s⌟ watchmen are blind. None of them know anything. All of them are like dogs that are unable to bark. They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep.
- Matthew 7:6“Don’t give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces.
- Philippians 3:2Beware of dogs! Beware of those who do evil things. Beware of those who insist on circumcision.
- 2 Peter 2:22These proverbs have come true for them: “A dog goes back to its vomit,” and “A sow that has been washed goes back to roll around in the mud.”
- Revelation 22:15Outside are dogs, sorcerers, sexual sinners, murderers, idolaters, and all who lie in what they say and what they do.
- Deuteronomy 23:21If you make a vow to the Lord your God, don’t avoid keeping it. The Lord your God expects you to keep it. You would be guilty of a sin if you didn’t.
- Deuteronomy 12:6Bring him your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, the offerings you vow to bring, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats.
- Leviticus 7:16“If your sacrificial offering is something you vowed or a freewill offering, it must be eaten the day you offer it or the next day.
- Psalms 5:4You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness. Evil will never be your guest.
- Isaiah 61:8I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people’s work. I will make an everlasting promise to them.
- Habakkuk 1:13Your eyes are too pure to look at evil. You can’t watch wickedness. Why do you keep watching treacherous people? Why are you silent when wicked people swallow those who are more righteous than they are?
- Malachi 1:14“Cheaters are under a curse. They have male animals in their flocks that they vow to give ⌞as a sacrifice⌟. But they sacrifice second-rate ones to the Lord instead. I am a great king,” says the Lord of Armies. “Among the nations my name is respected.
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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