New Living Translation
Deuteronomy 23:17
17“No Israelite, whether man or woman, may 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
15“If slaves should escape from their masters and take refuge with you, you must not hand them over to their masters. 16Let them live among you in any town they choose, and do not oppress them. “No Israelite, whether man or woman, may become a temple prostitute. 18When you are bringing an offering to fulfill a vow, you must not bring to the house of the Lord your God any offering from the earnings of a prostitute, whether a man or a woman, for both are detestable to the Lord your God. 19“Do not charge interest on the loans you make to a fellow Israelite, whether you loan money, or food, or anything else.
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 22:21The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.
- Leviticus 19:29“Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be filled with prostitution and wickedness.
- Proverbs 2:16Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
- Romans 1:26That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
- Genesis 19:4But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house.
- Judges 19:22While they were enjoying themselves, a crowd of troublemakers from the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, “Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him.”
- 1 Kings 14:24There were even male and female shrine prostitutes throughout the land. The people imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.
- 1 Kings 15:12He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made.
- 1 Kings 22:46He banished from the land the rest of the male and female shrine prostitutes, who still continued their practices from the days of his father, Asa.
- 2 Kings 23:7He 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.
- Romans 1:27And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,
- 1 Timothy 1:10The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries