Deuteronomy14
New International Version
1You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead,
2for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
3Do not eat any detestable thing.
4These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
5the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.
6You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.
7However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you.
8The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.
9Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales.
10But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11You may eat any clean bird.
12But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,
13the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon,
14any kind of raven,
15the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,
16the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
17the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant,
18the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
19All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them.
20But any winged creature that is clean you may eat.
21Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
22Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
23Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.
24But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away),
25then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose.
26Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.
27And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.
28At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,
29so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
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