complete verse (Deuteronomy 23:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 23:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “No girl of Israel must become a prostitute in a religious place, and no son of Israel must become a person whom other men sexually abuse in a religious place.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “No Israelite man or woman, may do the Temple prostitute.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘There should no Israelinhon, either man or woman, who shall-sell his/her body in the temple as a worship to the gods.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘o not allow any Israeli man or woman to become a prostitute at the temple.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 23:17

With the beginning of a new section, Moses should be reintroduced as the speaker.

Cult prostitute: see also Lev 19.29. In Canaanite religions temple prostitutes had intercourse with the worshipers in order to make sure that their fields and flocks would be fertile.

It is clear from such passages as 1 Kgs 14.24; Hos 4.14; Amos 2.7 that temple prostitution was a problem in Israel. It may be a good idea to use the expression “temple [or, cult] prostitutes,” and provide an explanatory footnote, as follows: “Such a person was found in Canaanite temples, where fertility gods were worshiped. It was believed that intercourse with such a prostitute would make fields and herds fertile.” Many languages will have terms for male and female prostitutes. But in languages where such words are not available, we may say something like “men or women who sell their bodies [or, have sex] in the temple for money.”

Daughters of Israel … sons of Israel: that is, Israelite women or men.

Contemporary English Version has a helpful model for this verse:

• Moses said:

People of Israel, don’t any of you ever be temple prostitutes. [Or one can say “… be prostitutes in the place where Yahweh is worshiped.”]

It gives the following explanatory footnote:

• temple prostitutes: Some Canaanites worshiped by going to their temples and having sex with prostitutes that represented their gods.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .