see entry for Q-D-SH
 

V. As nouns, Q-D-SH, feminine Q-D-SH-H, a prostitute, male or female. It is evident from 1 Kings 14:24, 15:12, 2 Kings 23:7, Hosea 4:14, that such wretches were, among the Canaanites and apostate Jews, sacred to their idol a-sh-r-h or Venus, and that they practised their abominable impurities as Acts of Religion. Accordingly the Septuagint renders the masculine noun in 1 Kings 15:12 by tetelesmenes and in 1 Kings 22:46 by tetelesmenon, the initiated, and so the Septuagint translate the feminine noun by tetelesmenon, Hosea 4:14, Compare Deuteronomy 23:18 [KJV 23:17] in the Septuagint. Eusebius in Life of Constantine, book 3, chapter 5.1, expressly informs us, that in that sink of pollution, the temple at Aphac, near mount Libanus, Venus was honoured not only by female but by male prostitutes. Nor have we any reason to doubt of the truth of what Julius Firmicus relates concerning the sodomy practised in his time in some of their temples, particularly those of Juno, which, he says, they were so far from being ashamed of, that they made it the subject of their glorying. The learned Dr. Spenser has shewn, that among the ancient pagan idolaters there were males, as well females, consecrated to their deities, who prostituted themselves in their temples on the sacred festivals, and were thought by so doing to yield them acceptable service; and were wont to dedicate the gains of their prostitution to their gods and goddesses. The like cursed impurities we find practised as acts of religion among the Indians in America, where, to use the words of a pious and learned writer, "they dedicate young boys to sodomy, particularly at Old Port and Puna in Peru, where the Devil so far prevailed in their beastly devotions (as Purchas relates out of Cieza), that there were boys consecrated to serve in the temple, and at the times of their sacrifices and solemn feasts the lords and principal men abused them to that detestable filthiness; and generally in the hill-countries the Devil, under shew of holiness, had brought in that vice. For every temple or principal house of adoration kept one man, or two, or more, which were attired like women, even from the time of their childhood, and spake like them, imitating them in every thing; with whom, under pretext of holiness and religion, their principal men on principal days had that hellish commerce." It is too well known to be insisted on, that among the Greeks, particularly at Corinth, whores were consecrated to Afrodite or Venus. Strabo calls these harlots hierodeles, consecrated servants or votaries, to Venus namely, which very well answers to the Hebrew denomination Q-D-SH-V-TH. And from Gen. 38:21, 22 (cornpare verse 15), it appears that a similar consecration, or rather desecration, was in practice among the Canaanites as early as the days of Judah, and no doubt had gained ground among them before the Israelites came out of Egypt; hence one reason of the law, Deut. 23:18, or 19 [KJV 23:17-18].