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קְדֵשָׁה

𐤒𐤃𐤔𐤄

qᵉdêshâh

H6948 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root קדש to be holy, set apart, consecrated

Definition

A woman set apart or dedicated for cultic or ritual purposes, particularly a woman participating in sacred or temple-associated sexual activity, which in some contexts functioned as ritual prostitution. The term identifies such women specifically in connection with non-Israelite religious practices but can hold the broader sense of a temple-associated woman or cultic devotee. In later periods, the word increasingly refers generically to a woman engaged in ritual or commercial sexual activity connected to places of worship.

Semantic Range

female devotee set apart for cultic sexual rites, temple prostitute, woman devoted to the service of a sanctuary, sacred prostitute; later, prostitute (in contexts influenced by changing religious practice)

Root / Etymology

From the root קדש (q-d-sh), meaning 'to be holy, set apart, consecrated.' קְדֵשָׁה (qᵉdêshâ) is the feminine form of קָדֵשׁ (qādēsh), indicating a female person set apart, with the semantic development toward a woman consecrated or dedicated to cultic or religious activity, often involving ritualized sexual practice. The core root meaning 'to separate, set apart' underlies the concept, though the lexical sense of the noun is specialized to cultic sexual roles.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the ancient Near East, cultic prostitution—women (and sometimes men) engaged in sexual acts as part of religious rites—was attested in certain non-Israelite cultures, particularly associated with Canaanite and Mesopotamian temples. The Hebrew Bible references קְדֵשָׁה (qᵉdêshâ) to denote such figures, clearly distinguishing them from ordinary commercial prostitutes, who are typically referred to with זֹנָה (zonah). While both words appear in proximate contexts (e.g., Genesis 38:15-22), their semantic distinction is maintained in narrative and law: קְדֵשָׁה refers to cult functionaries, while זֹנָה denotes secular or commercial sex workers. Over time, especially after the exile and with the decline of such ritual practices, the terms appear to converge in certain textual strata or later translations (Greek ἱέρεια or πόρνη; English 'harlot,' 'temple prostitute,' 'whore'). English translations often collapse the distinction due to limited cultural parallels. There is no evidence that קְדֵשָׁה referred to ordinary Israelite women, nor did it originally carry the later, strictly pejorative sense assigned by some later translators and interpreters.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of קָדֵשׁ; a female devotee (i.e. prostitute); harlot, whore.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קדש (q-d-sh) — to be holy, set apart, consecrated

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6918 קָדוֹשׁ in a set-apart one
H6922 קַדִּישׁ to holy ones of
H6942 קָדַשׁ I will consecrate
H6943 קֶדֶשׁ from Qedesh
H6944 קֹדֶשׁ in the sacred things

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6948-03 קְדֵשָֽׁה qedeshah HAafsa prostitute consecrated woman 3
H6948-01 הַ/קְּדֵשָׁ֛ה haqedeshah HTd/Ncfsa the cult prostitute the consecrated woman 1
H6948-02 הַ/קְּדֵשׁ֖וֹת haqedeshot HTd/Aafpa the temple prostitutes the consecrated cult-prostitutes 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6948-01 Genesis 38:21 הַ/קְּדֵשָׁ֛ה haqedeshah HTd/Ncfsa the cult prostitute the consecrated woman
H6948-03 Genesis 38:21 קְדֵשָֽׁה qedeshah HAafsa prostitute consecrated woman
H6948-03 Genesis 38:22 קְדֵשָֽׁה qedeshah HAafsa prostitute consecrated woman
H6948-03 Deuteronomy 23:18 קְדֵשָׁ֖ה qedeshah HAafsa prostitute consecrated woman
H6948-02 Hosea 4:14 הַ/קְּדֵשׁ֖וֹת haqedeshot HTd/Aafpa the temple prostitutes the consecrated cult-prostitutes
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