Deuteronomy 23:18 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Bible Comments

Their Unclean Money Not To Be Accepted in the House of God (Deuteronomy 23:18).

The comparison here was of not allowing anything unclean in the place where Yahweh dwelt (Deuteronomy 23:10-13).

Deuteronomy 23:18

You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a dog, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow, for even both these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.'

Any attempt to bring money into the Sanctuary which was earned by prostitution (a word which more indicates general prostitution), in respect of a vow, was to be absolutely rejected. The ‘dog' may well signify a male prostitute (such a use is known in external literature). Both male and female prostitutes were an abomination to Yahweh. This would presumably in context refer to foreign prostitutes as Israelite prostitutes have just been forbidden, although it may simply be underlining the actual ban. To introduce their hire would be to condone their profession, while they were actually an abomination to Yahweh.

However, the reference to a dog may have a real dog in mind, possibly a sheep dog or one used for security purposes rather than the semi-wild dogs that hung around outside the camp acting as scavengers. It would then indicate that to introduce a dog's earnings was all one with introducing a dog (which was a ritually unclean animal) itself. This too was an abomination.

Deuteronomy 23:18

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.