6945. qadesh
Strong's Lexicon
qadesh: Temple prostitute, cult prostitute, male shrine prostitute

Original Word: קָדֵשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qadesh
Pronunciation: kah-DAYSH
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-dashe')
Definition: Temple prostitute, cult prostitute, male shrine prostitute
Meaning: a, sacred person, a, devotee, to licentious idolatry

Word Origin: Derived from the root קָדַשׁ (qadash), meaning "to be holy" or "to be set apart."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Greek equivalent for "qadesh," related concepts can be found in terms like "πόρνος" (pornos, G4205), meaning "fornicator" or "prostitute," which is used in the New Testament to describe sexual immorality.

Usage: The term "qadesh" refers to a male cult prostitute associated with pagan religious practices, particularly those involving ritualistic sexual acts. These individuals were often linked to the worship of fertility deities in ancient Near Eastern cultures. The term is used in the Hebrew Bible to denote practices that were considered abominable and contrary to the worship of Yahweh.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the ancient Near East, many pagan religions incorporated sexual rites as part of their worship, believing that such acts would ensure fertility and prosperity. The "qadesh" were male prostitutes who served in these religious contexts, often in temples dedicated to deities like Baal and Asherah. These practices were prevalent among the Canaanites and other neighboring cultures, and the Israelites were repeatedly warned against adopting such customs.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
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).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. קָדֵּשׁ noun masculine temple-prostitute (man) (compare RSProph. 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).

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sodomite, unclean

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

see HEBREW qadash

Forms and Transliterations
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 qāḏêš
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Deuteronomy 23:17
HEB: וְלֹֽא־ יִהְיֶ֥ה קָדֵ֖שׁ מִבְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
NAS: of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor
KJV: of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons
INT: nor shall be a cult of the sons of Israel

1 Kings 14:24
HEB: וְגַם־ קָדֵ֖שׁ הָיָ֣ה בָאָ֑רֶץ
NAS: There were also male cult prostitutes in the land.
KJV: And there were also sodomites in the land:
INT: were also male become the land

1 Kings 15:12
HEB: וַיַּעֲבֵ֥ר הַקְּדֵשִׁ֖ים מִן־ הָאָ֑רֶץ
NAS: He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land
KJV: And he took away the sodomites out of the land,
INT: put the male from the land

1 Kings 22:46
HEB: וְיֶ֙תֶר֙ הַקָּדֵ֔שׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְׁאַ֔ר
NAS: The remnant of the sodomites who
KJV: And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained
INT: the remnant of the sodomites who remained

2 Kings 23:7
HEB: אֶת־ בָּתֵּ֣י הַקְּדֵשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית
NAS: the houses of the [male] cult prostitutes which
KJV: the houses of the sodomites, that [were] by the house
INT: broke the houses of the cult which the house

Job 36:14
HEB: נַפְשָׁ֑ם וְ֝חַיָּתָ֗ם בַּקְּדֵשִֽׁים׃
NAS: And their life [perishes] among the cult prostitutes.
KJV: and their life [is] among the unclean.
INT: They and their life the cult

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6945
6 Occurrences


baq·qə·ḏê·šîm — 1 Occ.
haq·qā·ḏêš — 1 Occ.
haq·qə·ḏê·šîm — 2 Occ.
qā·ḏêš — 2 Occ.















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