Leviticus 19:29 · Bible study
Leviticus 19:29 Commentary: Profaning Daughter Prohibition
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Leviticus 19:29 forbids making a daughter a prostitute, referencing cultic and literal practices.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A prohibition against parents making their daughters prostitutes, whether for economic gain or as part of pagan worship; the act profanes the daughter and defiles the land.
- Key words: chalal (H2490), profane, treat as common; zanah (H2181), commit fornication, be a harlot, also used for cultic prostitution; zimah (H2154), wickedness, lewdness, incest.
- Main debate: Whether the prohibition is aimed primarily at cultic temple prostitution or also includes literal forced prostitution; most commentators (Clarke, Gill, Calvin) see both as in view, since pagan culture often mixed the two.
- Theological theme: God's holiness demands that his people protect the vulnerable, especially daughters, from exploitation; sexual sin pollutes not only individuals but the entire covenant community and the land itself.
- Best use: A foundation for Christian teaching on the protection of children, the sin of human trafficking, and the call to sexual purity that reflects God's character.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“‘Don’t profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to prostitution, and the land become full of wickedness.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Profane not thy daughter, to make her a harlot; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`Thou dost not pollute thy daughter to cause her to go a-whoring, that the land go not a-whoring, and the land hath been full of wickedness.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
— Do not profane thy daughter, to give her up to whoredom; lest the land practise whoredom, and the land become full of infamy.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Make not thy daughter a common strumpet, lest the land be defiled, and filled with wickedness.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No contaminarás tu hija haciéndola fornicar: porque no se prostituya la tierra, y se hincha de maldad.
Não contaminarás tua filha fazendo-a se prostituir: para não se prostitua a terra, e se encha de maldade.
Tu ne profaneras point ta fille en la livrant à la prostitution, de peur que le pays ne se prostitue et ne se remplisse de crimes.
Du sollst deine Tochter nicht zur Hurerei halten, daß nicht das Land Hurerei treibe und werde voll Lasters.
Gij zult uw dochter niet ontheiligen, haar ter hoererij houdende; opdat het land niet hoerere, en het land met schandelijke daden vervuld worde.
Non profanare la tua figliuola, prostituendola, affinché il paese non si dia alla prostituzione e non si riempia di scelleratezze.
Nie podasz na splugawienie córki twej, dopuszczając jej wszeteczeństwa, aby się ziemia nie splugawiła, i nie była napełniona ziemia sprośnością.
Не оскверняй дочери твоей, допуская ее до блуда, чтобы не блудодействовала земля и не наполнилась земля развратом.
「不可 辱沒 你的女兒，使她為娼妓，恐怕 地上 的人專向淫亂，地 就滿了 大惡。
Do not make your daughter common by letting her become a loose woman, for fear that the land may become full of shame.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 19:29
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse prohibits Israelite parents from making their daughters prostitutes, whether for economic gain or pagan worship. The Hebrew verb chalal (H2490) means 'to profane' or 'to treat as common,' indicating that such an act dishonors both the daughter and the covenant community. The root zanah (H2181) appears twice, once in the Hiphil stem ('to make prostitute') and once in the Qal ('to prostitute itself'), connecting the parent’s action to the land’s eventual moral collapse.
Adam Clarke notes that this was 'a very frequent custom' among the Phoenicians and Cyprians, where women prostituted themselves before marriage as a religious act or to gain a dowry. Calvin argues against a purely spiritual interpretation, insisting the command forbids parents from being 'the panders of their daughters' and extends to all unchastity outside marriage. Gill adds that such practices were often done 'under a notion of religion' in Canaanite temples, linking physical and spiritual adultery. The cross-reference to Deuteronomy 23:17, 'There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel', reinforces the absolute ban. The unanimous core: God protects the vulnerable from exploitation and calls his people to sexual purity that shapes the entire land.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal forced prostitution: Leviticus 19:29a explicitly says 'make her a prostitute'; some argue the text condemns any parent who forces a daughter into prostitution for economic reasons (cf. Calvin's warning against being 'panders').
- Cultic temple prostitution: The surrounding context (vv.26–31) lists pagan practices; commentators like Clarke, Gill, and Wesley note that Canaanite religions commonly involved temple prostitution as an act of worship, making this the primary target.
- Both (the majority view): The language of 'profaning' and the land's defilement suggests that both literal and cultic prostitution are condemned, as they often overlapped in practice and both exploited daughters and corrupted the community.
What is clear: God prohibits the exploitation of daughters through prostitution and warns that such acts defile the land and fill it with wickedness, regardless of whether the prostitution is religious or secular.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of the prohibition | Christians agree that God forbids making a daughter a prostitute, and this is a serious sin against the individual and the community. | Some interpreters (e.g., Calvin) emphasize that the command covers all forms of unchastity outside marriage, while others (e.g., Clarke, Gill) focus on the specific context of cultic temple prostitution among the Canaanites. There is no consensus on whether the primary referent is religious or secular. |
| Connection to the land | All traditions see the land as symbolically participating in the covenant; sexual sin defiles the land and provokes God's judgment. | Some read the land's defilement as literal pollution affecting agricultural fertility (common in Ancient Near Eastern thought), while others understand it metaphorically: the land becomes morally corrupt and inhospitable for God's presence. |
| Application to modern Christians | This verse is widely used to condemn human trafficking, child exploitation, and all forms of forced prostitution. | Some Christians apply it directly as moral law binding on all people, while others see it as part of Israel's civil code and apply it through the New Testament's broader call to holiness (1 Cor 6:15, 20). |
| Parental authority and responsibility | Parents have a duty to protect their children from sexual harm, not to profit from them. | The extent of parental authority in ancient Israel versus modern contexts is debated. Some argue the verse limits a father's absolute power over daughters; others see it as reinforcing that power by restricting its abuse. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Leviticus 19 sits within the Holiness Code (chapters 17, 26), where God commands Israel: 'You shall be holy, for I am holy' (v.2). The surrounding verses forbid pagan practices: eating blood, sorcery, cutting the body for the dead, and consulting mediums (vv.26, 31). Verse 29 stands as a specific prohibition against a known Canaanite custom: temple prostitution in fertility cults. Women were sometimes dedicated to deities like Astarte or Baal and expected to engage in ritual sex as an act of worship or to secure agricultural fertility.
Clarke cites Augustine's City of God to show that Phoenician women 'made a gift to Venus of the gain acquired by the public prostitution of their daughters.' Wesley similarly notes this was done 'for the honour of some of their idols.' The verb 'profane' (chalal) suggests treating something holy as common, daughters, as members of the covenant community, were sacred and not to be exploited for any purpose, religious or economic.
The phrase 'lest the land fall to prostitution' echoes Leviticus 18:25, where the land itself is defiled by the practices of the Canaanites. In Israel's covenant theology, the land was not a passive stage but an agent that could 'vomit out' its inhabitants because of moral corruption (18:28). This verse teaches that sexual exploitation is not a private sin; it poisons the community and the land where God dwells. The command protects daughters, upholds marriage (as Calvin notes), and sets Israel apart from the nations around them.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 19:29. The verse is stable across Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Syriac. There are minor variant readings in surrounding verses (noted by Lange on Lev 19:2, 3, 4, etc.), but nothing that affects the interpretation of verse 29.
Reception History
Early Jewish tradition (e.g., Targum Jonathan) understood this command as forbidding parents from delaying a daughter's marriage, which could lead her to prostitution. The early church Fathers frequently cited the verse to argue against pagan temple prostitution and to uphold the sanctity of the body. During the Reformation, Calvin and others read it as a broad condemnation of all unchastity, while still acknowledging the original context of cultic prostitution. In modern times, Leviticus 19:29 has been reclaimed by Christian anti-trafficking organizations as a biblical foundation for protecting vulnerable women and children from sexual exploitation. The verse continues to challenge readers to consider how holiness touches the most intimate and vulnerable relationships in a community.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The prohibition: Parents must not hand over their daughters for prostitution, whether for money or false worship. The verb 'profane' shows that such acts treat a sacred life as something common.
- The consequence: One act of exploitation multiplies, so the whole land becomes infected with prostitution and wickedness. Sin is communal, not just individual.
- The context: This command sits beside prohibitions against sorcery, pagan mourning, and mediums (vv.26, 31). Holiness touches every area of life, especially how we treat the vulnerable.
Five-point outline
- What the text forbids: making a daughter a prostitute, literal or cultic.
- Who is addressed: the parents, especially fathers, who held authority over their children.
- The danger to the land: sexual sin spreads like a contagion across the community (compare Hos 4:12, 14).
- The theological root: God is holy, and his people must reflect that holiness by protecting the weak.
- The gospel connection: Christ redeems those who have been profaned and makes them holy (1 Cor 6:15, 20).
Illustration hooks
- A parent today pressuring a child into a relationship for financial security, a less extreme but real echo of exploiting a daughter for gain.
- How a community covers up or normalizes sexual abuse, slowly becoming 'full of wickedness' as silence spreads.
- The way modern economies still profit from sex trafficking, the same principle of treating human beings as commodities.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse only apply to literal prostitution, or does it cover other forms of exploitation like forced marriage or human trafficking?
- Why does God link the individual act to the whole land becoming corrupt?
- How can we honour this command today when we do not live under Israel’s civil law?
Leading a Discussion
Leviticus 19:29 shocks modern readers. It calls us to consider how the vulnerable, especially daughters, can be exploited by those who should protect them. The command is surrounded by other holiness laws, reminding Israel that their worship and their ethics cannot be separated. As you discuss this verse, pay attention to the strong connection between personal actions and community health.
Discussion questions
- Read Leviticus 19:29 aloud. What stands out about the language used, 'profane,' 'prostitute,' 'land fall to prostitution'?
- The Hebrew verb 'profane' (chalal) means 'to treat as common,' as if something sacred is no longer special. How does that word choice shape your understanding of the sin here?
- Commentator Adam Clarke mentions that some cultures dedicated daughters to temple prostitution as a religious act. Why might a parent think such a practice was acceptable, and how does God respond?
- Verse 29 says the land will 'fall to prostitution' and 'become full of wickedness.' What does this imply about how sin spreads in a community? Are there examples you can think of from Scripture or history?
- How does this command relate to the surrounding verses about sorcery, mediums, and mourning practices (vv.26, 28, 31)? What common thread unites them?
- The cross-reference in Deuteronomy 23:17 says, 'There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel.' Why do you think God repeats this prohibition in different forms?
- How can a church today apply this command to protect vulnerable people, both inside and outside the congregation?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 21:7 | “‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God. |
| Deuteronomy 23:17 | There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel. |
| Deuteronomy 23:18 | You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a male prostitute, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God. |
| Hosea 4:12 | My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God. |
| Hosea 4:14 | I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, nor your brides when they commit adultery; because the men consort with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; so the people without understanding will come to ruin. |
| I Corinthians 6:15 | Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that God's command against prostituting a daughter went directly against common practice in surrounding cultures. He cites historical evidence that Cyprian and Phoenician families routinely prostituted their daughters before marriage, sometimes dedicating the earnings to their goddess Venus.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists this command forbids every sexual relationship outside marriage, not merely spiritual unfaithfulness or public prostitution. Parents must preserve their daughters through chaste education, and the warning that the land would fill with wickedness proves God hates all whoredom, not just adultery.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools notes that this passage contains a collection of practical instructions for daily life. It also points out that when the text speaks of "the land," it means the people living in it, a usage found in other passages as well.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible note warns that making a daughter common leads to the land itself falling into whoredom and becoming full of wickedness. The prohibition aims to keep the entire community, not just the individual, from being corrupted by such sin.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill clarifies that this command is not about delaying a daughter's marriage, as some Jewish interpreters thought, but about a pagan religious practice. Among the Canaanites and Phoenicians, women prostituted themselves in idol temples, and Israel was forbidden to follow that abomination. Such practices would fill the land with both physical and spiritual whoredom.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry reads the command against mixing kinds as a call to honor the order of creation. Because God made each creature after its kind, humans should not seek to combine what God separated. The prohibition targets the desire for unnatural mixtures, which he calls monsters.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley explains that the command against prostitution directly targets the pagan practice where women were consecrated to idols and publicly prostituted for the supposed honor of those false gods. This was a common Gentile custom that he sees as the immediate context for the prohibition.