Deuteronomy 23:18
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse isn't just about avoiding "dirty money"; it highlights that how you get your resources matters just as much as what you do with them, especially when it comes to honoring God. The prohibition of "the price of a dog" likely refers not to the animal itself, but to the gains of those engaging in shameless and degrading acts, emphasizing that even the most vile sources of income are fundamentally unacceptable offerings to God.
This passage comes right after instructions on how to treat runaway slaves and is part of a larger section detailing various laws and regulations for Israel. It specifically addresses what is forbidden to be offered to God, especially in fulfillment of a vow, emphasizing that ill-gotten gains from morally reprehensible sources are completely unacceptable.
Why would God care so much about the source of an offering? It turns out, it wasn't just about the money, but about honoring His holiness.
This verse slams the door shut on bringing ill-gotten gains into God's house. Think about it: God is absolutely holy, and His presence is sacred. The Israelites were being told that their sacrifices and offerings, meant to express devotion and thanks, couldn't be funded by the wages of sin.
Wages of Sin
Imagine bringing dirt into a pristine palace. God's temple was meant to be a place of ultimate respect, and this law protected its honor.
This wasn't just about the individual's sin; it was about preserving the sanctity of God's dwelling place – the Tabernacle, and later the Temple.
A Sacred Space
God's presence was uniquely present in the Tabernacle. Therefore, anything offered there needed to reflect His own purity and holiness. Bringing in the 'wages of sin' would have been like smearing mud on the altar. It would have utterly desecrated the holy ground.
The command served as a constant reminder: all aspects of worship, including the financial source, had to be aligned with God's character. It taught the people to value God's presence above tainted profits and to approach Him with clean hands and a pure heart.
Understand the original words
tōʿēbāh · Hebrew Noun
A term often used in the Old Testament to describe religious practices—particularly idolatry, sexual immorality, or ritual impurity—that are fundamentally repulsive and detestable to the holy character of God.
ʾetnān · Hebrew Noun
Refers to gain or income derived from prostitution; such funds were considered 'unclean' and spiritually tainted, making them unfit to be offered as a vow to the Lord.
This passage also condemns the dedication of earnings from prostitution to religious purposes, highlighting the deep moral corruption God abhors. It shows that this prohibition wasn't isolated but part of a larger call to holiness in worship.
Proverbs 15:8This verse directly contrasts the acceptable prayer of the upright with the detestable sacrifice of the wicked, echoing Deuteronomy's theme that the *source* of an offering matters to God. A corrupted offering, regardless of its form, cannot please Him.
Matthew 21:12-13Jesus' cleansing of the temple demonstrates a similar zeal for the sanctity of God's house, driving out those who were corrupting it for profit. This event powerfully illustrates that God cannot tolerate His worship space being defiled by impure gain.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20This passage speaks to the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, urging believers to flee sexual immorality. It connects the purity of the body to the holiness expected in all aspects of life, including how we approach God, reinforcing that even our 'earnings' should be free from such defilement.
Revelation 22:15This verse in Revelation uses the imagery of 'dogs' to refer to those outside the redeemed community, often associated with impurity and evil practices. It provides a symbolic link to Deuteronomy's prohibition, suggesting that those involved in shameful acts or their profits are fundamentally opposed to God's kingdom.
calvinDeuteronomy 23:18: "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."
- Thou shalt not bring the hire. This command has an affinity to the foregoing, for God, rejecting whatever is acquired by illicit and filthy traffic, teaches us that the utmost chastity is to be observed in sacred things; nor does He only refuse the hire of a whore, but also the price of a dog, lest th…
clarkeDeuteronomy 23:18: "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."
The 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.
This verse isn't just about avoiding "dirty money"; it highlights that how you get your resources matters just as much as what you do with them, especially when it comes to honoring God. The prohibition of "the price of a dog" likely refers not to the animal itself, but to the gains of those engaging in shameless and degrading acts, emphasizing that even the most vile sources of income are fundamentally unacceptable offerings to God.
This passage comes right after instructions on how to treat runaway slaves and is part of a larger section detailing various laws and regulations for Israel. It specifically addresses what is forbidden to be offered to God, especially in fulfillment of a vow, emphasizing that ill-gotten gains from morally reprehensible sources are completely unacceptable.
This passage comes right after instructions on how to treat runaway slaves and is part of a larger section detailing various laws and regulations for Israel. It specifically addresses what is forbidden to be offered to God, especially in fulfillment of a vow, emphasizing that ill-gotten gains from morally reprehensible sources are completely unacceptable.
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"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." — This verse isn't just about avoiding "dirty money"; it highlights that how you get your resources matters just as much as what you do with them, especially when it comes to honoring God. The prohib…
