38:21 He asked the men who were there,40 “Where is the cult prostitute41 who was at Enaim by the road?” But they replied, “There has been no cult prostitute here.”
tnHeb “the men of her place,” that is, who lived at the place where she had been.
41
sn The Hebrew noun translated “cult prostitute” is derived from a verb meaning “to be set apart; to be distinct.” Thus the term refers to a woman who did not marry, but was dedicated to temple service as a cult prostitute. The masculine form of this noun is used for male cult prostitutes. Judah thought he had gone to an ordinary prostitute (v. 15); but Hirah went looking for a cult prostitute, perhaps because it had been a sheep-shearing festival. For further discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, “Cultic Prostitution,” Orient and Occident (AOAT), 213–23.