2 Kings 23:7He broke down the houses of the sodomites, that were in the house of Yahweh, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.
The setting
Jerusalem temple complex, 622 BC. Josiah demolishes rooms within the sacred temple where male shrine prostitutes lived and women wove ceremonial clothes for the Asherah goddess. Modern-day Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: documenting shocking corruption with righteous indignation
The original word
qadesh (קָדֵשׁ) — literally 'holy ones,' male shrine prostitutes who performed ritual sex in pagan worship
Why it matters
These rooms were actually inside Solomon's temple - sexual rituals were happening in God's house
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Kings 23:7
The women weren't just sewing - they were weaving sacred garments for fertility goddess worship inside God's temple
Common misconceptionMost people think this happened in separate buildings, but these were rooms INSIDE the temple. For generations, sexual rituals occurred in the same building where people worshipped Yahweh - the ultimate defilement.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Kings 23:7
Bible Genome reading
2 Kings 23:7 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Kings 23:7 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. The setting is the Temple. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include sexual immorality, temple corruption, reform. Notable phrases: broke down the houses; sodomites; wove hangings for the Asherah.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does 2 Kings 23:7 mean to you, today?
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