Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Leviticus 19:29
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
29. For ‘the land’ in the sense of its inhabitants, cp. Lev 18:25; Jdg 18:30; Hos 1:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 29. Do not prostitute thy daughter] This was a very frequent custom, and with examples of it writers of antiquity abound. The Cyprian women, according to Justin, gained that portion which their husbands received with them at marriage by previous public prostitution. And the Phoenicians, according to Augustine, made a gift to Venus of the gain acquired by the public prostitution of their daughters, previously to their marriage. “Veneri donum dabant, et prostitutiones filiarum, antequam jungerent eas viris.” – De Civit. Del, lib. xviii., c. 5; and see Calmet.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This the Gentiles frequently did for the honour of some of their idols, to whom divers women were consecrated, and publicly prostituted.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore,…. Not by delaying to marry her, which is the sense the Jews give l, but it refers to a wicked practice among the Phoenicians or Canaanites, Athanasius m speaks of, whose women used to prostitute themselves in the temples of their idols; and to such filthy services, in a religious way, the Israelites, in imitation of them, are forbid to expose their daughters: such filthy practices, under a notion of religion, were committed at Babylon, Corinth, and other places;
[See comments on Mic 1:7];
lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness: of the wickedness of whoredom, both corporeal and spiritual, fornication and idolatry; both of which would be promoted by such abominable practices, and in process of time the land be filled with them.
l Targ. Jon. in loc. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 76. 1. m Contra Gentes, p. 21.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verse 29:
The context implies that this law primarily concerns the practice common in pagan worship: the sanctification of sexual immorality by the dedication of young girls to serve as temple prostitutes. In such cases, sexual intercourse was regarded as worship of the pagan deity.
The prohibition extends to every Israeli maiden, and condemns any legal sanction of prostitution, regardless of the purpose. The consequence of ignoring this command: the pollution of the entire land, De 23:17. The term “prostitution” covers all forms of sexual immorality, including sodomy, incest, adultery, bestiality.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
This passage more clearly proves that all unlicensed connections (64) were always unlawful in God’s sight. It is a tame and forced interpretation to apply what is here said to spiritual fornication; and those also, who suppose that public stews only are forbidden, restrict the law too much, whereas God rather gives a general injunction that parents should preserve their daughters by means of a pure and chaste education. But even although we admit that nothing else is prohibited but that parents should be the panders of their daughters, still we gather from the word pollute (65) (for some render the word חלל, chalal, too tamely to make common) that they are contaminated by their whoredom, and the reason given abundantly confirms the fact, that all whoredom is hateful to God, “lest the land fall to whoredom, (He says,) and the land become full of wickedness.” It is plain that adultery is not in question here; but God declares it to be criminal if a man and woman have connection out of wedlock. Consequently, the people are taught in the Seventh Commandment to beware of all unchastity.
(64) “Toute compagnie d’homme et de femme hors le mariage.” — Fr.
(65) Margin A. V. , “profane.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(29) Do not prostitute thy daughter.This refers to the degrading worship of Astarte which prevailed in ancient times, and which at times also broke out among the Jews.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29. Do not prostitute The cursed thirst for gold was the motive which incited fathers to an act so unnatural. This prohibition aims at the practice which prevailed in Phenicia, Babylonia, and Syria, nations soon to be neighbours to Israel.
Full of wickedness Licentiousness is a sin which so corrupts the moral nature that it arouses all the evil passions and breeds all crimes. Herodias was led by evil desire to plot the beheading of John.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Lev 19:29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
Ver. 29. Do not prostitute thy daughter. ] As some of the heathens did in honour of their gods. As the papists do at this day, in their stews and brothel houses. a Their casuists complain of some harlots there so boldly lascivious, as to solicit others, so as to prostitute themselves to all comers; yea, in some Spanish stews to an unnatural filthiness. But what a shameful thing is that which Espencaeus, a Papist, reports with detestation, that in Rome a Jewish maid might not be admitted into the stews of whoredom, unless she would be first baptized. Dici nequit, saith he, b quam incredibili Christianorum tum pudore, tum etiam eorum, qui vere tales sunt, cordollo, ut Iudae filiae scortari non liceat, Dei filiae liceat: What a shameful and sad thing is this, that a Jewess, unless she turn Christian, &c.
a Martin. Vival., in Candelabro, Cap. de Confessione.
b Espenc., De Continent., lib. iii. cap. 4.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
prostitute thy daughter. The common practice, as a religious act, by the Canaanite and other ancient forms of idolatry.
wickedness = lewdness. Hebrew. zimmah. App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
prostitute: Heb. profane
to cause: Lev 21:7, Deu 23:17, Hos 4:12-14, 1Co 6:15
Reciprocal: 1Ki 3:16 – two women
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lev 19:29. Do not prostitute As the Gentiles frequently did for the honour of some of their idols, to whom women were consecrated, and publicly prostituted.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a {m} whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
(m) As did the Cyprians, and Locrenses.