Deuteronomy 23:18

23:18 You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute ¹  or the wage of a male prostitute ²  into the temple of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the Lord your God.

Ezekiel 16:31

16:31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment. ³ 

Ezekiel 22:13

22:13 “‘See, I strike my hands together ⁴  at the dishonest profit you have made, and at the bloodshed ⁵  they have done among you.

Ezekiel 27:6-36

27:6 They made your oars from oaks of Bashan;

they made your deck ⁶  with cypresses ⁷  from the Kittean isles. ⁸ 

27:7 Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail

to serve as your banner;

blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah ⁹  was used for your deck’s awning.

27:8 The leaders ¹⁰  of Sidon ¹¹  and Arvad ¹²  were your rowers;

your skilled ¹³  men, O Tyre, were your captains.

27:9 The elders of Gebal ¹⁴  and her skilled men were within you, mending cracks; ¹⁵ 

all the ships of the sea and their mariners were within you to trade for your merchandise. ¹⁶ 

27:10 Men of Persia, Lud, ¹⁷  and Put were in your army, men of war.

They hung shield and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.

27:11 The Arvadites ¹⁸  joined your army on your walls all around,

and the Gammadites ¹⁹  were in your towers.

They hung their quivers ²⁰  on your walls all around;

they perfected your beauty.

27:12 “‘Tarshish ²¹  was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise. 27:14 Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers, ²²  and mules for your products. 27:15 The Dedanites ²³  were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they paid ²⁴  you with ivory tusks and ebony. 27:16 Edom ²⁵  was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products. 27:17 Judah and the land of Israel were your clients; they traded wheat from Minnith, ²⁶  millet, honey, olive oil, and balm for your merchandise. 27:18 Damascus was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods and of all your wealth: wine from Helbon, white wool from Zahar, 27:19 and casks of wine ²⁷  from Izal ²⁸  they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise. 27:20 Dedan was your client in saddlecloths for riding. 27:21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your trade partners; for lambs, rams, and goats they traded with you. 27:22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products. 27:23 Haran, Kanneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad were your clients. 27:24 They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work, and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your merchandise. 27:25 The ships of Tarshish ²⁹  were the transports for your merchandise.

“‘So you were filled and weighed down in the heart of the seas.

27:26 Your rowers have brought you into surging waters.

The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.

27:27 Your wealth, products, and merchandise, your sailors and captains,

your ship’s carpenters, ³⁰  your merchants,

and all your fighting men within you,

along with all your crew who are in you,

will fall into the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall.

27:28 At the sound of your captains’ cry the waves will surge; ³¹ 

27:29 They will descend from their ships – all who handle the oar,

the sailors and all the sea captains – they will stand on the land.

27:30 They will lament loudly ³²  over you and cry bitterly.

They will throw dust on their heads and roll in the ashes; ³³ 

27:31 they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth,

and they will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning. ³⁴ 

27:32 As they wail they will lament over you, chanting:

“Who was like Tyre, like a tower ³⁵  in the midst of the sea?”

27:33 When your products went out from the seas,

you satisfied many peoples;

with the abundance of your wealth and merchandise

you enriched the kings of the earth.

27:34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters;

your merchandise and all your company have sunk ³⁶  along with you. ³⁷ 

27:35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you,

and their kings are horribly afraid – their faces are troubled.

27:36 The traders among the peoples hiss at you;

you have become a horror, and will be no more.’”

Hosea 12:7-8

The Lord Refutes Israel’s False Claim of Innocence

12:7 The businessmen love to cheat; ³⁸ 

they use dishonest scales. ³⁹ 

12:8 Ephraim boasts, ⁴⁰  “I am very rich!

I have become wealthy! ⁴¹ 

In all that I have done to gain my wealth, ⁴² 

no one can accuse me of any offense ⁴³  that is actually sinful.” ⁴⁴ 

Micah 1:7

1:7 All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces;

all her metal cult statues will be destroyed by fire. ⁴⁵ 

I will make a waste heap ⁴⁶  of all her images.

Since ⁴⁷  she gathered the metal ⁴⁸  as a prostitute collects her wages,

the idols will become a prostitute’s wages again.” ⁴⁹ 

Micah 3:11

3:11 Her ⁵⁰  leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, ⁵¹ 

her priests proclaim rulings for profit,

and her prophets read omens for pay.

Yet they claim to trust ⁵²  the Lord and say,

“The Lord is among us. ⁵³ 

Disaster will not overtake ⁵⁴  us!”

Micah 3:1

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ⁵⁵  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁵⁶  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ⁵⁷ 

Micah 3:3

3:3 You ⁵⁸  devour my people’s flesh,

strip off their skin,

and crush their bones.

You chop them up like flesh in a pot ⁵⁹  –

like meat in a kettle.

Micah 3:8

3:8 But I ⁶⁰  am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,

and have a strong commitment to justice. ⁶¹ 

This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,

and Israel with its sin. ⁶² 

Micah 3:1

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ⁶³  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁶⁴  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ⁶⁵ 

Micah 5:2

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, ⁶⁶ 

seemingly insignificant ⁶⁷  among the clans of Judah –

from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, ⁶⁸ 

one whose origins ⁶⁹  are in the distant past. ⁷⁰ 

[23:18]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew term זוֹנָה (zonah) refers to a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) female prostitute; see note on the phrase “sacred prostitute” in v. 17.

[23:18]  ² tn Heb “of a dog.” This is the common Hebrew term for a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) male prostitute. See note on the phrase “sacred male prostitute” in v. 17.

[16:31]  ³ tn The Hebrew term, which also occurs in vv. 34 and 41 of this chapter, always refers to the payment of a prostitute (Deut 23:19; Isa 23:17; Hos 9:1; Mic 1:7).

[22:13]  ⁴ sn This gesture apparently expresses mourning and/or anger (see 6:11; 21:14, 17).

[22:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “the blood which was in you.”

[27:6]  ⁶ tn Or “hull.”

[27:6]  ⁷ tc The Hebrew reads “Your deck they made ivory, daughter of Assyria.” The syntactically difficult “ivory” is understood here as dittography and omitted, though some construe this to refer to ivory inlays. “Daughter of Assyria” is understood here as improper word division and the vowels repointed as “cypresses.”

[27:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “from the coastlands (or islands) of Kittim,” generally understood to be a reference to the island of Cyprus, where the Phoenicians had a trading colony on the southeast coast. Many modern English versions have “Cyprus” (CEV, TEV), “the coastlands of Cyprus” (NASB), “the coasts of Cyprus” (NIV, NRSV), or “the southern coasts of Cyprus” (NLT).

[27:7]  ⁹ sn This is probably a reference to Cyprus.

[27:8]  ¹⁰ tc The MT reads “the residents of”; the LXX reads “your rulers who dwell in.” With no apparent reason for the LXX to add “the rulers” many suppose something has dropped out of the Hebrew text. While more than one may be possible, Allen’s proposal, positing a word meaning “elders,” is the most likely to explain the omission in the MT from a graphic standpoint and also provides a parallel to the beginning of v. 9. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:81.a parallel to v. 9.

[27:8]  ¹¹ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[27:8]  ¹² sn Sidon and Arvad, like Tyre, were Phoenician coastal cities.

[27:8]  ¹³ tn Or “wise.”

[27:9]  ¹⁴ sn Another Phoenician coastal city located between Sidon and Arvad.

[27:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “strengthening damages.” Here “to strengthen” means to repair. The word for “damages” occurs several times in 1 Kgs 12 about some type of damage to the temple, which may have referred to or included cracks. Since the context describes Tyre in its glory, we do not expect this reference to damages to be of significant scale, even if there are repairmen. This may refer to using pitch to seal the seams of the ship, which had to be done periodically and could be considered routine maintenance rather than repair of damage.

[27:9]  ¹⁶ sn The reference to “all the ships of the sea…within you” suggests that the metaphor is changing; previously Tyre had been described as a magnificent ship, but now the description shifts back to an actual city. The “ships of the sea” were within Tyre’s harbor. Verse 11 refers to “walls” and “towers” of the city.

[27:10]  ¹⁷ sn See Gen 10:22.

[27:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “sons of Arvad.”

[27:11]  ¹⁹ sn The identity of the Gammadites is uncertain.

[27:11]  ²⁰ tn See note on “quivers” in Jer 51:11 on the meaning of Hebrew שֶׁלֶט (shelet) and also M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:553.

[27:12]  ²¹ sn Tarshish refers to a distant seaport sometimes believed to be located in southern Spain (others identified it as Carthage in North Africa). In any event it represents here a distant, rich, and exotic port which was a trading partner of Tyre.

[27:14]  ²² tn The way in which these horses may have been distinguished from other horses is unknown. Cf. ASV “war-horses” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV all similar); NLT “chariot horses.”

[27:15]  ²³ tn Heb “sons of Dedan.”

[27:15]  ²⁴ tn Heb “they returned as your gift.”

[27:16]  ²⁵ tc Many Hebrew mss, Aquila’s Greek translation, and the Syriac version read “Edom.” The LXX reads “man,” a translation which assumes the same consonants as Edom. This reading is supported from the context as the text deals with Damascus, the capital of Syria (Aram), later (in v. 18).

[27:17]  ²⁶ sn The location is mentioned in Judg 11:33.

[27:19]  ²⁷ tc The MT leaves v. 18 as an incomplete sentence and begins v. 19 with “and Dan and Javan (Ionia) from Uzal.” The LXX mentions “wine.” The translation follows an emendation assuming some confusions of vav and yod. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:82.

[27:19]  ²⁸ sn According to L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [WBC], 2:82), Izal was located between Haran and the Tigris and was famous for its wine.

[27:25]  ²⁹ tn Or perhaps “Large merchant ships.” The expression “ships of Tarshish” may describe a class of vessel, that is, large oceangoing merchant ships.

[27:27]  ³⁰ tn Heb “your repairers of damage.” See v. 9.

[27:28]  ³¹ tn Compare this phrase to Isa 57:20 and Amos 8:8. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:561.

[27:30]  ³² tn Heb “make heard over you with their voice.”

[27:30]  ³³ tn Note a similar expression to “roll in the ashes” in Mic 1:10.

[27:31]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and they will weep concerning you with bitterness of soul, (with) bitter mourning.”

[27:32]  ³⁵ tn As it stands, the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The translation follows the suggestion of M. Dahood, “Accadian-Ugaritic dmt in Ezekiel 27:32,” Bib 45 (1964): 83-84. Several other explanations and emendations have been offered. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:83, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:85-86, for a list of options.

[27:34]  ³⁶ tn Heb “fallen.”

[27:34]  ³⁷ tn Heb “in the midst of you.”

[12:7]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the merchant…loves to cheat.” The Hebrew has singular forms (noun and verb) which are used generically to refer to all Israelite merchants and traders in general. The singular noun II כְּנַעַן (kÿna’an, “a merchant; a trader”; BDB 488 s.v. II כְּנַעַן) is used in a generic sense to refer to the merchant class of Israel as a whole (e.g., Ezek 16:29; 17:4; Zeph 1:11).

[12:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “The merchant – in his hand are scales of deceit – loves to cheat.” The present translation rearranges the Hebrew line division to produce a smoother English rendering.

[12:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “says” (so NAB).

[12:8]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I have found wealth for myself.” The verb מָצַא (matsa’, “to find”) is repeated in 12:8 to create a wordplay that is difficult to reproduce in translation. The Israelites have “found” (מָצַא) wealth for themselves (i.e., become wealthy; v. 8a) through dishonest business practices (v. 7). Nevertheless, they claim that no guilt can be “found” (מָצַא) in anything they have done in gaining their wealth (v. 8b).

[12:8]  ⁴² tc The MT reads the 1st person common singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַי (yÿgi’ay, “my labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 1st person common singular suffix). The LXX’s οἱ πόνοι αὐτοῦ ({oi ponoi autou, “his labors”) assumes a 3rd person masculine singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַיו (yÿgi’av, “his labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix). The BHS editors suggest adopting the LXX reading. The textual decision is based upon whether or not this line continues the speech of Ephraim (1st person common singular suffix) or whether these are the words of the prophet (3rd person masculine singular suffix). See the following translator’s note for the two rival lexical meanings which in turn lead to the textual options for the line as a whole.

[12:8]  ⁴³ tn The phrase מָצָאתִי אוֹן לִי (matsa’ti ’on li, “I have found wealth for myself” = I have become wealthy) forms a wordplay with לֹא יִמְצְאוּ לִי עָוֹן (lo’ yimtsÿ’u li ’avon, “they will not find guilt in me”). The repetition of מָצָא לִי (matsa’ li) is enhanced by the paronomasia between the similar sounding nouns עוֹן (’on, “guilt”) and אוֹן (’on, “wealth”). The wordplay emphasizes that Israel’s acquisition of wealth cannot be divorced from his guilt in dishonest business practices. Israel has difficulty in protesting his innocence that he is not guilty (עוֹן) of the dishonest acquisition of wealth (אוֹן).

[12:8]  ⁴⁴ tc The MT reads “[in] all my gains, they will not find guilt in me which would be sin.” The LXX reflects a Hebrew Vorlage which would be translated “in all his labors, he cannot offset his guilt which is sin.” Some translations follow the LXX: “but all his riches can never offset the guilt he has incurred” (RSV); “None of his gains shall atone for the guilt of his sins” (NEB); “All his gain shall not suffice him for the guilt of his sin” (NAB). Most follow the MT: “In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin” (KJV); “In all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin” (NASB); “With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin” (NIV); “All my gains do not amount to an offense which is real guilt” (NJPS); “No one can accuse us [sic] of getting rich dishonestly” (TEV); “I earned it all on my own, without committing a sin” (CEV). See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:262-63.

[1:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and all her prostitute’s wages will be burned with fire.”

[1:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I will make desolate” (so NASB).

[1:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[1:7]  ⁴⁸ tn No object is specified in the Hebrew text; the words “the metal” are supplied from the context.

[1:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “for from a prostitute’s wages she gathered, and to a prostitute’s wages they will return.” When the metal was first collected it was comparable to the coins a prostitute would receive for her services. The metal was then formed into idols, but now the Lord’s fiery judgment would reduce the metal images to their original condition.

[3:11]  ⁵⁰ sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).

[3:11]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”

[3:11]  ⁵² tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”

[3:11]  ⁵³ tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”

[3:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”

[3:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[3:3]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “who.”

[3:3]  ⁵⁹ tc The MT reads “and they chop up as in a pot.” The translation assumes an emendation of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher, “as”) to כִּשְׁאֵר (kish’er, “like flesh”).

[3:8]  ⁶⁰ sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.

[3:8]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the Lord, and justice and strength.” The appositional phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” explains the source of the prophet’s power. The phrase “justice and strength” is understood here as a hendiadys, referring to the prophet’s strong sense of justice.

[3:8]  ⁶² tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:1]  ⁶³ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[5:2]  ⁶⁶ sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.

[5:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.

[5:2]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”

[5:2]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.

[5:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.