Qedeshah is mistranslated as “cult prostitute” or “temple prostitute” in many English translations of the Bible, as in the quotations below from the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) translation:
Genesis 38:15, 20–21
When Judah saw her, he took her for a harlot (zonah); for she had covered her face.
…
Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to redeem the pledge from the woman; but he could not find her. He inquired of the people of that town, “Where is the cult prostitute (qedeshah), the one at Enaim, by the road?” But they said, “There has been no prostitute (qedeshah) here.”
Deuteronomy 23:18–19 [17–18 English]
No Israelite woman shall be a cult prostitute (qedeshah), nor shall any Israelite man be a cult prostitute (qadesh). You shall not bring the fee of a whore (zonah) or the pay of a dog [i.e., male prostitute] into the House of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both are abhorrent to the Lord your God.
