Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Heard, Christopher" <Christopher.Heard AT pepperdine.edu>]

In an article in BAR (I think) and then again in Life in Biblical  
Israel, Larry Stager (writing with Philip King in the book) argues that  
"dog" in Deut 23:19 should be taken literally. He cites the presence of  
"dog cemeteries" at certain cultic sites and suggests that  
dogs--literal canines--were believed at those sites to have healing  
powers. For whatever that's worth. The BAR article is referenced in the  
brief section in Life in Biblical Israel, for those interested in  
tracking it down.

On Feb 17, 2005, at 1:00 PM, Dora Smith wrote:

> In Revelation is mentioned people who don't make the cut being stuck  
> outside
> the city with dogs, fornicators,  and other unsavory characters.    
> Robert
> Gagnon read this statement to include homosexuals, and some think he  
> gets
> there from the mention of dogs.
>
> Deuteronomy 23:7-18 includes a passage saying you shall not bring the  
> price
> of a whore or of a dog to the temple.
>
> All other mentions of dogs I can find appear to refer to less than  
> savory
> creatures who get your bones when you are dead - and you don't want to  
> be
> called one if you are a warrior.    Yet sometimes it is better to be  
> one
> than a lion.
>
> The word used is KELEB.   I don't know if there is more than one word  
> in the
> OT for dog.
>
> Strong's says that dog can mean a male prostitute.
>
> The passage in Deuteronomy appears as nearly as I can tell to mean some
> uncooth thing that was done to make money for the temple among other
> things - particularly something cultic.
>
> I vaguely remember that Hurrians sacrificed dogs and donkeys to ratify  
> a
> covenant.
>
> Did dogs have some particular cultic significance in Israel?
>
> Yours,
> Dora Smith
> Austin, Texas
> villandra+AEA-austin.rr.com
>
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--
R. Christopher Heard
Assistant Professor of Religion
Armstrong Fellow in Religion
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90263-4352

Personal web page: http://faculty.pepperdine.edu/cheard
For Hebrew Bible studies on the web: http://www.iTanakh.org