Deuteronomy 23:18

Misinterpretations often take 'price of a dog' literally as earnings from selling animals, overlooking the biblical idiom for male sodomy or prostitution in temple rituals; others broadly apply it to reject modern tithing from any sinful income like gambling winnings, ignoring its specific prohibition against funds linked to Canaanite idolatry infiltrating Israelite sacred space; some dismiss it as outdated hygiene rules, missing its core theological demand for moral integrity in approaching God.

This Mosaic law prohibits bringing into the tabernacle or temple any money earned through prostitution, whether from a woman ('hire of a whore') or a man ('price of a dog,' referring idiomatically to male cult prostitutes), as payment for vows or offerings, declaring such funds an abomination to God. It emphasizes the necessity of purity in worship, ensuring that devotion to Yahweh remains untainted by the immoral practices associated with pagan fertility cults prevalent in Canaan.