Qedeshah
/kəˈdɛʃə/noun
A Hebrew term traditionally translated as a cult prostitute or sacred woman, though its precise ancient social role is debated.
Did you know?The Hebrew root q-d-sh means “holy” or “set apart,” and related Northwest Semitic inscriptions use feminine forms for sacred women or female deities, complicating the traditional translation “cult prostitute.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*q-d-š
“A root associated with holiness, separation, or consecration”
Late Bronze Age
Ugaritic
qdšt
“A feminine sacred title, possibly referring to a goddess or consecrated woman”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
קְדֵשָׁה — qĕdēšāh
“A consecrated woman; traditionally rendered “cult prostitute” in several biblical passages”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Septuagint Greek
πόρνη — pornē
“Prostitute; the Greek translation used in passages where qĕdēšāh occurs”
Late Antiquity
Rabbinic Hebrew
קְדֵשָׁה — qedeshah
“A woman associated with sexual immorality or prostitution in later interpretation”
Modern English
English
qedeshah
“A transliterated biblical and scholarly term whose translation remains debated”