Deuteronomy 23:17,18
Summary:
Commentators cite Deuteronomy 23:17, 18 as evidence for "male cultic prostitution". While it is unlikely that the qadeshim/qadeshot functioned in that way, it is certain that the Hebrew mind understood it to be so. This might provide background for the prohibition in Leviticus.
Text:
None of the daughters of Israel shall be a qedeshah, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a qedesh. You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God to pay a vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
Terminology:
qedesh (m.; f. qedeshah) - literally "someone who is sacred"; traditionally translated "sodomite"/"male prostitute" (qedeshah as "prostitute"). Masculine form also occurs in 1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; 22:46; and 2 Kings 23:7.
zona - female prostitute
keleb - literally "dog", traditionally thought to refer to male prostitute. The joining of zona (female prostitute) to keleb in this verse suggests a sexual meaning. Of 30 uses or variants of the word in the Hebrew Bible this is the only one that has this connotation. However see the comments on the assinu, below.
It is almost certain that the kelebim (v18) performed sexual services, however it is unclear what the exact nature of these services was, and whether they were homosexual or heterosexual. Therefore the passage should not be regarded as a direct condemnation of homosexual acts.
Qedeshim/qedeshot, idolatry and sexual transgression
qedeshim/qedeshot were connected to the toeba of the dispossessed nations (1 Kings 14:24) and idolatry (1 Kings 15:12); cf 2 Kings 23:7 qedeshim involved in non-Hebrew religious practices in the Temple.
A series of traditions posits sacramental sexual activity in ancient Mediterranean and Mesopotamian societies. Many texts refer to the existence of the assinu, kurgarru and kulu'u -male devotees of Ishtar who took feminine characteristics, and probably performed erotic acts as part of their duties. (Nissinen 1998:28-34, 41) (See also survey in Greenberg 1988:94-99.) Nissinen (1998:41) notes that UR.SAL (the cuneiform sign for assinu) means "dog" or "man/woman".
However there is some doubt as to whether qedeshim/qedeshot were actually cultic prostitutes. Westenholz examines the ancient references to the qdsh (North Syria), the qadishtu-woman (Mesopotamia), and the nu-gig (Sumer) and finds no evidence of illicit sexual activity among their functions. (Westenholz 1989:248) No compound term linking the ideas of cultic service and prostitution is found in any of the cultures in question. (Bird 1997:38)
Bird argues that the terms qedesh and zona are not synonymous. The impression of parallelism in Deut 23:18,19 is created by the occurrence of qdsh-qds and zwnh-klb, in successive verses, in the unusual order of female-male - "a parallelism created by editorial activity" (Bird 1997:48). In this reading v18 proscribes the existence of a "professional class" (qedesh-qedeshot) within the Israelites, where v19 prohibits an action, the dedication of income from sexual commerce (Bird 1997:47).
However the link between sexual transgression and qedeshot exists elsewhere in the Biblical materials. In Hosea 4:14 the parallelism of the verse emphasises the link:
A the daughters will not be punished when they act as zona
B nor the brides when they commit adultery
A1 for the men go with the hazonaot
B1 and offer sacrifices with haqedeshot
Nissinen (1998:40) notes that every biblical occurrence of qedeshah is paralleled with zona (female practicing illicit sex) and sees it as a conscious association of the two terms. Qedeshah is linked to illicit sexual activity in Genesis 38. In the story of Judah and Tamar Judah regards Tamar as a zona (38:15) and has sex with her. He later describes her as a qedeshah (38:21), and her family describe her as a zona in 38:24.
It would be reasonable to conclude that qedesh/qedeshah refer to a functionary of non-Hebrew religions, the exact functions of which are unknown, but concerning which sexual connotations developed in Hebrew thought. It is important to remember that it is the perception of such activity that is significant. The Hebrews believed such an activity to exist, and they condemned it.
LXX
ouk estai porne apo thygateron Israel, kai ouk estai porneuon apo huion Israel;
ouk estai telesphoros apo thygateron Israel, kai ouk estai teliskomenos apo huion Israel.
ou prosoiseis nisthoma pornes, oude allagma kynos eis ton oikon kyriou tou theo
sou pros pasan euchen, hoti bdelygma kyrio to theo sou esti kai amphotera.
None of the daughters of Israel shall be a porne, neither shall any of the sons of Israel be porneuon; none of the daughters of Israel shall be an telesphoros, neither shall of the sons of Israel be a teliskomenos.
You shall not bring the fee of a pornes nor the wages of a kynos into the house of the Lord your God for payment of a vow, for these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
Terminology:
porneuon (m), porne (f) (prostitute, harlot) = qedesh/qedeshah
teliskomenos/telesphoros - "an intitiate" - from telesphoreo, which also means "to pay toll or custom" (Xenophon, Vect. 3.5; noted in LSJ).
The LXX first translates verse 17 then provides an expansion of it, using different terminology that reflects a different interpretation of the text.
In the first part of verse 17 the words qedesh/qedeshah of the original are represented by the feminine porne (BAGD prostitute, harlot), and the masculine form porneuo (BAGD to prostitute, practice prostitution or sexual immorality generally). This implies a sexual element to the translators' understanding of the qedesh/qedeshah.
The verse is then expanded by an almost direct repetition of the first part, but with different words for porne/porneuon.The substitutions have related meanings which provide a link to verse 18 which is not present in the Hebrew original.
Replacing porne is telesphoros, meaning "an initiate". This reflects the religious connotation of qedeshah. But added significance comes from its relation to telesphoreo, of which the alternative meaning "to pay toll or custom" has been noted. (Xenophon, Vect. 3.5). Teliskomenos, substituted for porneuon, also means "an initiate". It has a similar related meaning through its derivation from teleo, which in Classical and Attic usage has the meaning to pay what one owes, or what is due, the latter of which extends to a religious sense. (G. Delling, "teleo", TDNT VIII:57-8). The words were probably chosen to reflect the religious connotations of the translators' conception of the qedesh/qedeshah, however there is an indirect link to the concept of vow-paying mentioned in verse 18. Van der Toorn (1989:198-9) applies the case of the woman of Proverbs 7 to the qedeshah. Proverbs 7:6-23 describes a woman who resorts to prostitution as the only means to pay the money she owes through her vows. The suggestion is that in certain circumstances prostitution may have been regarded by some as an appropriate way to meet votive commitments, as long as the money was designated for the Temple treasury. Thus qedeshim/qedeshot and keleb/zona are not synonyms (as Bird suggests) but parallels - two sets of people having differing reasons to resort to prostitution. (Van der Toorn 1989:200-1)
Verse 18 presents more straightforward terminology. Reflecting the sexual emphasis of the original, it represents zona with pornes "of a harlot", and keleb with kunos "of a dog." The use of kuno to represent a male prostitute in Rev 22:15 suggests that the idiom was current in the 1st century CE.
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