Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 15/07/2004 06:37, david.kimbrough AT charter.net wrote:

> ...
>
> The Tanakh editorializes constantly about what is right and 
> wrong.  It never condems a man for the use of a zonah 
> (unless it is associated with worship) but woman who is a 
> zonah (or kadeshah) is always condemned. ...

This is wildly inaccurate. Men are condemned for using a zonah in Gen 
34:31, Jer 5:7, also Num 25:1 in context with the verb ZNH. In Hosea 
4:10-14 the point is made clear that the responsibility is that of the 
men who use prostitutes (masculine verb forms HIZNU v.10 and YEFAREDU 
v.14) rather than the girls themselves; cf 6:10. And Proverbs is packed 
full of instructions to men to avoid the zonah: see 6:26, 7:10. 23:27, 
29:3 in context and many other places where the actual word is not used. 
This is looking only at passages where the context is not strongly 
religious.

> ...  Only in Genesis 
> 38 is the irony of this double standard noted.
>
>  
No, also in Hosea 4.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/