Deuteronomy14
New American Standard
1“You are sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave a bald spot above your forehead for the dead.
2For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
3“You shall not eat any detestable thing.
4These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
5the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
6And any animal that has a divided hoof and has its hoofs split in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, that animal you may eat.
7However, you are not to eat these among the ones that chew the cud, or among those that have the hoof divided in two: the camel, the rabbit, and the rock hyrax, for though they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are unclean to you.
8And the pig, because it has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, nor touch their carcasses.
9“These you may eat of everything that is in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat,
10but anything that does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.
11“You may eat any clean bird.
12But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard,
13and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds,
14and every raven in its kind,
15and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in their kinds,
16the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
17the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,
18the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat.
19And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten.
20You may eat any clean bird.
21“You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a stranger; for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
22“You shall certainly tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes from the field every year.
23You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
24But if the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you,
25then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses.
26And you may spend the money on whatever your heart desires: on oxen, sheep, wine, other strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.
27Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.
28“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and you shall deposit it in your town.
29And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the stranger, the orphan, and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Deuteronomy 14.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The Israelites to distinguish themselves from other nations. (1–21). Respecting the application of tithes. (22–29).
vv1-21
Moses tells the people of Israel how God had given them three distinguishing privileges, which were their honour, and figures of those spiritual blessings in heavenly things, with which God has in Christ blessed us. Here is election; “The Lord hath chosen thee.” He did not choose them because they were by their own acts a peculiar people to him above other nations, but he chose them that they might be so by his grace; and thus were believers chosen, Eph 1:4. Here is adoption; “Ye are the children of the Lord your God;” not because God needed children, but because they were orphans, and needed a father. Every spiritual Israelite is indeed a child of God, a partaker of his nature and favour. Here is sanctification; “Thou art a holy people.” God's people are required to be holy, and if they are holy, they are indebted to the grace God which makes them so. Those whom God chooses to be his children, he will form to be a holy people, and zealous of good works. They must be careful to avoid every thing which might disgrace their profession, in the sight of those who watch for their halting. Our heavenly Father forbids nothing but for our welfare. Do thyself no harm; do not ruin thy health, thy reputation, thy domestic comforts, thy peace of mind. Especially do not murder thy soul. Do not be the vile slave of thy appetites and passions. Do not render all around thee miserable, and thyself wretched; but aim at that which is most excellent and useful. The laws which regarded many sorts of flesh as unclean, were to keep them from mingling with their idolatrous neighbours. It is plain in the gospel, that these laws are now done away. But let us ask our own hearts, Are we of the children of the Lord our God? Are we separate from the ungodly world, in being set apart to God's glory, the purchase of Christ's blood? Are we subjects of the work of the Holy Ghost? Lord, teach us from these precepts how pure and holy all thy people ought to live!
vv22-29
A second portion from the produce of their land was required. The whole appointment evidently was against the covetousness, distrust, and selfishness of the human heart. It promoted friendliness, liberality, and cheerfulness, and raised a fund for the relief of the poor. They were taught that their worldly portion was most comfortably enjoyed, when shared with their brethren who were in want. If we thus serve God, and do good with what we have, it is promised that the Lord our God will bless us in all the works of our land. The blessing of God is all to our outward prosperity; and without that blessing, the work of our hands will bring nothing to pass. The blessing descends upon the working hand. Expect not that God should bless thee in thy idleness and love of ease. And it descends upon the giving hand. He who thus scatters, certainly increases; and to be free and generous in the support of religion, and any good work, is the surest and safest way of thriving.
Key Words
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אֱלֹהִים: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
לֹא: not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
גָּדַד: to crowd; also to gash (as if by pressing into)
שׂוּם: to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
קׇרְחָה: baldness
מוּת: to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
קָדוֹשׁ: sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary
Cross References
Deuteronomy 14The primary parallel passage setting forth the distinction between clean and unclean land beasts.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
The parallel catalog of prohibited unclean birds and flying creatures.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
The original prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother's milk.
Supported by JFB
Repeats the cultic prohibition of seething a kid in its mother's milk.
Supported by JFB
Elaborates on the third-year tithe laid up within the gates for the Levite and poor.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Prohibits rounding the corners of the head or disfiguring oneself in mourning practices.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Forbids priests from making baldness on their heads or incisions in their flesh.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Illustrates pagan mourning rituals of cutting oneself and making baldness.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Depicts pagan idolaters cutting themselves as a standard custom of worship.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament warning against excessive, hopeless grief for the dead.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Connects dietary distinction directly with God's separation of Israel from the nations.
Supported by John Calvin
The parallel priestly instructions for identifying clean and unclean aquatic creatures.
Supported by John Calvin
The parallel categorization of unclean winged insects and creeping things.
Supported by John Calvin
Prescribes cleansing laws for eating animals that die of themselves.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Permits eating clean wild game like the roebuck and hart.
Supported by JFB