Deuteronomy 23:18
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
When 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.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.

King James Bible
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 King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
You shall not bring the earnings of a prostitute or the money for a dog into the house of the LORD your God as payment for any vowed offering, because both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.

NASB 1995
“You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.

NASB 1977
“You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of Yahweh your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.

Amplified Bible
You shall not bring the wages of a prostitute or the price of a dog [that is, a male prostitute] into the house of the LORD your God as payment for any vow, for both of these [the gift and the giver] are utterly repulsive to the LORD your God.

Christian Standard Bible
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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
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.”

American Standard Version
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the wages of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God for any vow: for even both these are an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD your God is disgusted with men and women who are prostitutes of any kind, and he will not accept a gift from them, even if it had been promised to him.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the wages of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
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.

Good News Translation
Also, no money earned in this way may be brought into the house of the LORD your God in fulfillment of a vow. The LORD hates temple prostitutes.

International Standard Version
Don't bring the earnings of a female prostitute nor the income of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God as payment for any vow. Both of these are detestable to the LORD your God."

Majority Standard Bible
You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.

NET Bible
You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute or the wage of a male prostitute into the temple of the LORD your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the LORD your God.

New Heart English Bible
You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a dog, into the house of the LORD your God for any vow: for even both these are an abomination to the LORD your God.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination to the LORD thy God.

World English Bible
You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a male prostitute, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
you do not bring the wage of a whore or the price of a dog into the house of your God YHWH for any vow; for even both of them [are] an abomination [to] your God YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
thou dost not bring a gift of a whore, or a price of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God, for any vow; for the abomination of Jehovah thy God are even both of them.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, and the price of a dog to the house of Jehovah thy God, for any vow: for these two are also an abomination to Jehovah thy God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not offer the hire of a strumpet, nor the price of a dog, in the house of the Lord thy God, whatsoever it be that thou hast vowed: because both these are an abomination to the Lord thy God.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You shall not offer money from a prostitute, nor the price of a dog, in the house of the Lord your God, no matter what you may have vowed. For both of these are an abomination with the Lord your God.

New American Bible
You shall not offer a prostitute’s fee or a dog’s pay as any kind of votive offering in the house of the LORD, your God; both these things are an abomination to the LORD, your God.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the LORD your God.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
You shall not bring the hire of a whore or the price of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination before the LORD your God.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You shall not bring the fee of a whore or the hire of a dog to the house of LORD JEHOVAH your God for any vow, because they are both defiled before LORD JEHOVAH your God.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow; for even both these are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, nor the price of a dog into the house of the Lord thy God, for any vow; because even both are an abomination to the Lord thy God.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Miscellaneous Laws
17No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute. 18You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God. 19Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan.…

Cross References
Leviticus 18:22-23
You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination. / You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.

Leviticus 19:29
You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.

Leviticus 20:13
If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

1 Kings 14:24
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

1 Kings 15:12
He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

2 Kings 23:7
He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD, where the women had woven tapestries for Asherah.

Hosea 4:14
I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.

Micah 1:7
All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again on a prostitute.

Proverbs 6:26
For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

Proverbs 29:3
A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Romans 1:26-27
For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. / Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 1:9-10
We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, / for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching

Revelation 22:15
But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”


Treasury of Scripture

You shall not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD your God for any vow: for even both these are abomination to the LORD your God.

hire

Ezekiel 16:33
They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.

dog

Psalm 22:16
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Isaiah 56:10,11
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber…

any vow

Deuteronomy 23:21
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

Deuteronomy 12:6
And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

Leviticus 7:16
But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten:

Jump to Previous
Abomination Dog Earnings Harlot Hire House Loose Male Money Oath Offering Pay Payment Price Prostitute Purposes Sex Used Votive Vow Wages Whore Worship
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Abomination Dog Earnings Harlot Hire House Loose Male Money Oath Offering Pay Payment Price Prostitute Purposes Sex Used Votive Vow Wages Whore Worship
Deuteronomy 23
1. Who may or may not enter into the congregation
9. Uncleanness is to be avoided in the host
15. Of the fugitive servant
17. Of filthiness
18. Of abominable sacrifices
19. Of usury
20. Of vows
24. Of trespass














You must not bring
This phrase establishes a clear prohibition, emphasizing the seriousness of the command. The Hebrew root for "bring" is "בּוֹא" (bo), which means to come or to bring. This word is often used in contexts of entering or presenting something before God, highlighting the sanctity and purity required in offerings to the LORD.

the wages of a prostitute
The term "wages" refers to earnings or payment, and in this context, it is linked to "prostitute," which in Hebrew is "זֹנָה" (zonah). Historically, prostitution was prevalent in many ancient cultures, often associated with pagan worship practices. The prohibition underscores the need for moral purity and the rejection of practices that degrade human dignity and defile worship.

or the earnings of a dog
The "earnings of a dog" is a euphemism for male prostitution, as "dog" (כֶּלֶב, kelev) was a derogatory term used in ancient Israel to describe male prostitutes, particularly those involved in pagan rituals. This phrase reinforces the rejection of any form of sexual immorality and its proceeds in the worship of God.

into the house of the LORD your God
The "house of the LORD" refers to the sacred space designated for worship, initially the Tabernacle and later the Temple. This phrase emphasizes the holiness of God's dwelling place, where only offerings that reflect His purity and righteousness are acceptable.

to pay any vow
Vows were solemn promises made to God, often accompanied by offerings. The phrase "to pay any vow" indicates that even if the intention is to fulfill a vow, the source of the offering must be pure. This underscores the principle that the ends do not justify the means in God's economy.

because both are detestable
The word "detestable" (תּוֹעֵבָה, to'evah) is a strong term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe actions that are abominable or repugnant to God. This highlights God's absolute holiness and His rejection of anything that contradicts His nature.

to the LORD your God
This phrase personalizes the relationship between God and His people, reminding them of their covenant with "the LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh), the personal name of God. It emphasizes that their worship and offerings are directed to a holy and personal God who desires purity and righteousness from His people.

(18) The hire of a whore.--Even a lamb or a kid might not be sacrificed for them, if obtained as the wages of sin (Genesis 38:17).

The price of a dog.--The ass might be redeemed with a lamb, and the lamb could be sacrificed. The dog could not be treated thus. Yet "the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." But there is a "dog that turns to his own vcmit again," and of these it is written that "without are dogs and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie" (Revelation 22:15).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You must not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

bring
תָבִיא֩ (ṯā·ḇî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

the wages
אֶתְנַ֨ן (’eṯ·nan)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 868: The wages (of a harlot)

of a prostitute, whether female
זוֹנָ֜ה (zō·w·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

or male,
כֶּ֗לֶב (ke·leḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3611: A dog, a male prostitute

into the house
בֵּ֛ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

to fulfill any
לְכָל־ (lə·ḵāl)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

vow,
נֶ֑דֶר (ne·ḏer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5088: A promise, a thing promised

because
כִּ֧י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

both
שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃ (šə·nê·hem)
Number - mdc | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

are detestable
תוֹעֲבַ֛ת (ṯō·w·‘ă·ḇaṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8441: Something disgusting, an abhorrence, idolatry, an idol

to the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God.
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 23:18 You shall not bring the hire (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 23:17
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