Genesis 38:21 - Exposition

T hen he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot ,—literally, the consecrated, the prostitute being regarded as "one devoted to the worship of Astarte, a goddess of the Canaanites, the deification of the generative and productive principle of nature," corresponding to the Babylonian Ashtarte, whose worship was of a grossly libidinous character (Herod; 1.199). Cf. Deuteronomy 23:19 ; Numbers 25:1 ; Hosed Numbers 4:14 ; and vide Keil on Deuteronomy 23:19 that was openly by the way side?— or, that was in Enajim on the way, ut supra, Deuteronomy 23:14 ). And they said, There was no harlot (or kedeshah ) in this place.