Do Not Offer Prostitutes’ Earnings

Do Not Offer Prostitutes’ Earnings is a rule governing vows and offerings: money associated with prostitution, or the price of a dog, may not be brought into the house of the LORD to fulfill a vow. The prohibition places limits on what can be dedicated, distinguishing the making of a vow from the acceptability of the means used to discharge it.

The Prohibition

The rule names two prohibited sources of payment: the hire of a prostitute and the price of a dog. Neither may be brought into the house of the LORD for any vow; the text declares both an abomination to the LORD. Its scope is thus specific: it bars these proceeds from a religious offering made in fulfillment of a vow, rather than setting out a general account of property or exchange.

Vows and Religious Obligation

The prohibition appears alongside instructions on vows. A person who vows to the LORD must not delay payment, since failure to fulfill the vow becomes sin; refraining from making a vow, by contrast, is not itself sinful. What has been spoken freely must be observed and done. The rule about prohibited proceeds qualifies that obligation: a vow creates a duty to fulfill what was promised, but does not make every source of payment acceptable.

Meaning and Narrative Context

By specifying the destination as the house of the LORD and condemning the proceeds as an abomination, the rule marks a boundary around religious dedication. It concerns not only whether a vow is paid, but what may be presented in that sacred setting. The surrounding passage also addresses camp holiness, the treatment of an escaped bondman, and interest charged to a fellow Israelite, placing the offering rule within a broader collection of obligations governing communal and religious life.