Original Word: קָדֵשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qadesh
Pronunciation: kah-DAYSH
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-dashe')
KJV: sodomite, unclean
NASB: temple prostitute, cult prostitute, cult prostitutes, male cult prostitutes, sodomites, temple prostitutes
Word Origin: [from H6942 (קָדַשׁ - consecrate)]

1. a (quasi) sacred person, i.e. (technically) a (male) devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry

sodomite, unclean

From qadash; a (quasi) sacred person, i.e. (technically) a (male) devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry -- sodomite, unclean.

see HEBREW qadash

Word Origin
from the same as qodesh
Definition
a temple prostitute
NASB Translation
cult prostitute (2), cult prostitutes (2), male cult prostitutes (2), sodomites (1), temple prostitute (3), temple prostitutes (1).

I. קָדֵּשׁ noun masculine temple-prostitute (man) (compare RS^{Proph. ii. N. 19, and} see Assyrian Sub √); — ׳ק Deuteronomy 23:18; collective 1 Kings 14:24; 1 Kings 22:47; plural קְדֵשִׁים 1 Kings 15:12; 2 Kings 23:7; Job 36:14; also feminine קְדֵשָׁה (woman) Deuteronomy 23:18; plural קְדֵשׁוֺת Hosea 4:14; = harlot, feminine singular Genesis 38:21 (twice in verse); Genesis 38:22 (J).

Definition and Scope

The Hebrew term קָדֵשׁ (qā∙dēsh, Strong’s 6945) identifies a male cult-prostitute who served in the fertility rites of Canaanite religions. The word is etymologically linked to the concept of “holy” or “set apart,” but in this context it denotes a counterfeit holiness whereby sexual immorality is offered as worship to pagan deities.

Occurrences in Canon

• Deuteronomy 23:17 forbids any Israelite man or woman from becoming a cult-prostitute, insisting that no such wages be brought “into the house of the LORD your God.”
• 1 Kings 14:24 reports that under Rehoboam “there were also male shrine prostitutes in the land,” signaling Judah’s apostasy.
• 1 Kings 15:12 notes King Asa’s reforms: “He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land.”
• 1 Kings 22:46 records a similar purge under Jehoshaphat.
• 2 Kings 23:7 describes Josiah’s destruction of houses “where the women wove coverings for Asherah.”
• Job 36:14 employs the plural form figuratively: “They die in youth, and their life ends among the male shrine prostitutes.”

Historical Background

Ancient Near-Eastern fertility cults honored gods such as Baal and Asherah through ritualized sexual acts believed to secure agricultural abundance and societal prosperity. Temples or high places commonly maintained both female (qedeshah) and male (qadesh) prostitutes. Israel’s repeated encounters with these practices posed an enduring threat to covenant fidelity. The Mosaic Law therefore legislated against importing such rites into YHWH’s worship, reflecting both moral purity and theological exclusivity.

Theological Significance

1. Holiness versus Profanation: By inverting the root idea of holiness, קָדֵשׁ dramatizes how sin counterfeits sanctity. The true holiness God requires involves moral purity, not merely ritual performance.
2. Idolatry as Spiritual Adultery: The presence of cult-prostitutes embodied Israel’s flirtation with foreign gods. Their removal under righteous kings illustrates repentance and covenant renewal.
3. Divine Justice: Job 36:14 warns that those who resist instruction “die in youth,” equating persistence in sin with the fate of cult-prostitutes whom God judges.

Moral and Social Implications

Scripture consistently links cultic prostitution with social decay. The practice commodified human bodies, blurred gender distinctions, undermined family structures, and sanctioned exploitation under religious guise. By outlawing it, the Law defended personal dignity and safeguarded Israel’s distinct witness among the nations.

Ministerial Applications

• Preachers may employ the qadesh passages to address contemporary forms of sexual idolatry, emphasizing God’s call to holiness of body and spirit.
• Discipleship curricula can contrast Israel’s reforms under Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Josiah with the tolerance exhibited during Rehoboam’s reign, illustrating the ripple effect of leadership choices.
• Counseling ministries may draw on Deuteronomy 23:17–18 to affirm that no profit gained through sexual sin can be sanctified for worship.

Connections to Holiness and Purity

The prohibitions against קָדֵשׁ reinforce the broader biblical motif that true holiness integrates worship and ethics. Leviticus 19:2—“Be holy, because I, the LORD your God, am holy”—finds practical expression in Israel’s rejection of ritual prostitution. Holiness is therefore relational and missional, preserving the community as a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6).

New Testament Echoes

While the specific term does not reappear, the apostolic teaching mirrors its concerns. 1 Corinthians 6:18 warns, “Flee from sexual immorality,” grounding the exhortation in the believer’s bodily sanctity as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Revelation 2:20–22 condemns Jezebel for leading believers into sexual immorality and idolatry, evoking the Old Testament imagery of cultic seduction and divine judgment.

Conclusion

קָדֵשׁ stands as a stark reminder that holiness cannot be divorced from moral integrity. The biblical witness, from the Torah through the prophets and into the wisdom literature, presents cultic prostitution as a grave affront to God’s character and a direct assault on His covenant. The reforms of faithful kings, the warnings of Scripture, and the hope offered through repentance together summon God’s people to an undivided devotion expressed in purity of life and worship.

בַּקְּדֵשִֽׁים׃ בקדשים׃ הַקְּדֵשִׁ֔ים הַקְּדֵשִׁ֖ים הַקָּדֵ֔שׁ הקדש הקדשים קָדֵ֖שׁ קדש bakkedeShim baq·qə·ḏê·šîm baqqəḏêšîm hakkaDesh hakkedeShim haq·qā·ḏêš haq·qə·ḏê·šîm haqqāḏêš haqqəḏêšîm kaDesh qā·ḏêš qāḏêšInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts