Deuteronomy — Chapter 14

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1Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

2for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

3Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

4These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

5The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.

6And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.

7Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.

8And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

9These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:

10And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.

11Of all clean birds ye shall eat.

12But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and ossifrage, and the ospray,

13And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,

14And every raven after his kind,

15And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

16The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,

17And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,

18And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

19And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.

20But of all clean fowls ye may eat.

21Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

22Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

23And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

24And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

25Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:

26And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

27And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

28At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

29And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

1Ye are the children of Jehovah your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

2For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God, and Jehovah hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.

3Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

4These are the beasts which ye may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

5the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the antelope, and the chamois.

6And every beast that parteth the hoof, and hath the hoof cloven in two, [and] cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat.

7Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the coney; because they chew the cud but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you.

8And the swine, because he parteth the hoof but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you: of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch.

9These ye may eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales may ye eat;

10and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye shall not eat; it is unclean unto you.

11Of all clean birds ye may eat.

12But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the ospray,

13and the glede, and the falcon, and the kite after its kind,

14and every raven after its kind,

15and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kind,

16the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl,

17and the pelican, and the vulture, and the cormorant,

18and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

19And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.

20Of all clean birds ye may eat.

21Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou mayest give it unto the sojourner that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner: for thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother`s milk.

22Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year.

23And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God always.

24And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee;

25then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose:

26and thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household.

27And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.

28At the end of every three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

29and the Levite, because he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest.

1You are children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead bald for the sake of the dead.

2For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. He has chosen you to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.

3You must not eat any forbidden thing.

4These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,

5the ibex, the gazelle, the deer, the wild goat, the antelope, the wild oryx, and the mountain sheep.

6You may eat any animal that has hooves divided into two parts and that chews the cud.

7However, you may not eat the following animals among those that chew the cud or those that have divided hooves: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger. (Although they chew the cud, they do not have divided hooves and are therefore ritually impure to you.)

8Also, the pig is ritually impure to you; though it has divided hooves, it does not chew the cud. You may not eat their meat or even touch their remains.

9These you may eat from among water creatures: anything with fins and scales you may eat,

10but whatever does not have fins and scales you may not eat; it is ritually impure to you.

11All ritually clean birds you may eat.

12These are the ones you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture,

13the kite, the black kite, the dayyah after its species,

14every raven after its species,

15the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the falcon after its species,

16the little owl, the long-eared owl, the white owl,

17the jackdaw, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,

18the stork, the heron after its species, the hoopoe, and the bat.

19And any swarming winged thing is impure to you—they may not be eaten.

20You may eat any winged creature that is clean.

21You may not eat any corpse, though you may give it to the resident foreigner who is living in your villages and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. You are a people holy to the Lord your God. Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

22You must be certain to tithe all the produce of your seed that comes from the field year after year.

23In the presence of the Lord your God, in the place he chooses to locate his name, you must eat from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.

24When he blesses you, if the place where he chooses to locate his name is distant,

25you may convert the tithe into money, secure the money, and travel to the place the Lord your God chooses for himself.

26Then you may spend the money however you wish for cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or whatever you desire. You and your household may eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and enjoy it.

27As for the Levites in your villages, you must not ignore them, for they have no allotment or inheritance along with you.

28At the end of every three years you must bring all the tithe of your produce, in that very year, and you must store it up in your villages.

29Then the Levites (because they have no allotment or inheritance with you), the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows of your villages may come and eat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work you do.

1You are the children of Yahweh your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

2For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.

3You shall not eat any abominable thing.

4These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,

5the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the chamois.

6Every animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof cloven in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that may you eat.

7Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof cloven: the camel, the hare, and the rabbit. Because they chew the cud but don’t part the hoof, they are unclean to you.

8The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses.

9These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales may you eat.

10You shall not eat whatever doesn’t have fins and scales. It is unclean to you.

11Of all clean birds you may eat.

12But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,

13the red kite, the falcon, the kite after its kind,

14every raven after its kind,

15the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the hawk after its kind,

16the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl,

17the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant,

18the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

19All winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten.

20Of all clean birds you may eat.

21You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

22You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year.

23You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he chooses, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.

24If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, because the place is too far from you, which Yahweh your God shall choose, to set his name there, when Yahweh your God shall bless you;

25then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose.

26You shall trade the money for whatever your soul desires, for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you; and you shall eat there before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

27You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

28At the end of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall store it within your gates.

29The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

God gives dietary laws and commands a tithe of all produce — Israel is a holy people, set apart in what they eat and how they give.

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses. Deuteronomy is the fifth and final book of the Pentateuch, written at the end of the 40 years of wilderness wandering (approximately 1406 BC). Hebrew title: "Devarim" — "Words/Things." Greek title: "Deuteronomion" — "Second Law" (a repetition/expansion of the Law for the new generation). The book consists of Moses' farewell speeches to Israel on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land. Moses will not enter with them — these are his final words to the nation he has led for 40 years.
Historical Context: Chapter 14 addresses two aspects of Israel's holiness in daily life: dietary laws (vv.1-21) and tithing (vv.22-29). The chapter opens with the foundational identity statement: "Ye are the children of the LORD your God" (v.1) and "thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God" (v.2). Because of WHO they are (God's chosen, holy people), they must live differently — even in what they eat and how they mourn. The dietary laws parallel Leviticus 11 closely, establishing the categories of clean and unclean animals. These laws served multiple purposes: (1) they distinguished Israel from surrounding nations, (2) they required daily obedience in the most basic act of life — eating, (3) they taught the principle of distinction between holy and common. The tithing laws (vv.22- 29) establish three practices: the annual tithe eaten before the LORD at the chosen place (vv.22-27), and the third-year tithe stored locally for Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows (vv.28-29). The tithe was not merely a tax but a worship act — eating before God in joy, learning to fear Him always (v.23). The provision for converting the tithe to money for distant travel (vv.24-26) shows God's practical wisdom. The third-year tithe reveals God's heart for the vulnerable: those without inheritance (Levites), those without homeland (strangers), those without parents (orphans), and those without husbands (widows).
Israel's Identity: Holy People (vv.1-2): "Ye are the children of the LORD your God" (v.1). First prohibition: "ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead" (v.1). These were pagan mourning rituals — self-mutilation and head-shaving for the dead (cf. 1 Kings 18:28 — prophets of Baal cut themselves). Why forbidden? "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations" (v.2). Identity determines behavior. You are God's children — do not act like pagans.
Clean and Unclean Animals — Land (vv.3-8): "Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing" (v.3). Clean land animals: those that part the hoof AND chew the cud (v.6). Permitted: ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, roebuck, wild goat, ibex, antelope, mountain sheep (vv.4-5). Excluded: camel, hare, rock badger/coney — they chew cud but do not part the hoof (v.7). The pig — parts the hoof but does not chew the cud (v.8). "Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch" (v.8).
Clean and Unclean — Water (vv.9-10): Simple rule: "all that have fins and scales shall ye eat" (v.9). "Whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you" (v.10). This excludes shellfish, eels, catfish, and similar creatures.
Clean and Unclean — Birds and Insects (vv.11-20): "Of all clean birds ye shall eat" (v.11). Then a list of prohibited birds — primarily predators and scavengers: eagle, vultures, kites, ravens, owls, hawks, storks, herons, hoopoe, and the bat (vv.12-18). "Every creeping thing that flieth is unclean" (v.19). "But of all clean fowls ye may eat" (v.20).
Animals Found Dead; Kid in Mother's Milk (v.21): "Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself" (v.21a) — because the blood was not properly drained. It may be given to the sojourner or sold to a foreigner — they are not under the same dietary covenant. Reason restated: "for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God" (v.21b). Then: "Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk" (v.21c). This prohibition (also in Exodus 23:19; 34:26) likely forbids a Canaanite fertility ritual. It also embodies the principle: do not use the source of life (mother's milk) as an instrument of death.
The Annual Tithe (vv.22-27): "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year" (v.22). This tithe is eaten "before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose" (v.23) — grain, wine, oil, firstborn of herds and flocks. Purpose: "that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always" (v.23). Tithing teaches the fear of God — acknowledging that all increase comes from Him. If the distance is too great, convert the tithe to money (vv.24-25), travel to the chosen place, and "bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after" (v.26) — oxen, sheep, wine, strong drink, whatever you desire. "Thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household" (v.26). Tithing is feasting and joy! "And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him" (v.27).
The Third-Year Tithe (vv.28-29): "At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates" (v.28). This tithe stays local — for the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (v.29). They "shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied" (v.29). Promise: "that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest" (v.29). Care for the vulnerable brings God's blessing on your labor.

Map & Geography

  • Moses speaks from the plains of Moab. "Within thy gates" (v.29) — the tithe laws anticipate settled life in walled cities throughout the land.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes that the dietary laws were not primarily about health but about holiness — daily reminders that Israel was set apart. He emphasizes that the tithe was eaten joyfully before God, not merely collected as a religious tax. The third-year tithe reveals God's comprehensive care for those without normal means of support.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "The tithe was not a burden but a feast. God commanded His people to eat and rejoice before Him. What a God we serve — who commands joy! The tithe taught Israel that all they had came from God, and that giving back to Him was not loss but celebration. The man who tithes grudgingly has missed the point entirely."

Reflection

  • 1. "Ye are the children of the LORD your God" (v.1). Identity precedes behavior. God does not say "obey these laws and become My children." He says "you ARE My children — now live like it." Under the new covenant, the same principle applies: we obey because we are God's children, not in order to become them (1 John 3:1-3).
  • 2. "Thou art an holy people" (v.2). Holiness means distinction. Israel was to be visibly different — even in diet and mourning customs. The church is called to the same visible distinction from the world (1 Peter 2:9). If our lives are indistinguishable from unbelievers, we have abandoned our calling.
  • 3. "That thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always" (v.23). The purpose of tithing is not institutional funding but personal formation. Giving teaches us that God is the source of all we have. It breaks the grip of materialism and cultivates reverence.
  • 4. "Thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice" (v.26). God commands feasting and joy! Biblical giving is not grim sacrifice but joyful celebration. The tithe was a feast, not a funeral. God delights in His people's joy.
  • 5. "The Levite... the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow" (v.29). God's heart for the vulnerable is woven into the fabric of Israel's worship. Caring for those who cannot provide for themselves is not optional charity but covenant obligation. True religion visits orphans and widows (James 1:27).
  • 6. The dietary laws taught daily discernment. Every meal required asking: "Is this permitted?" This trained Israel to think in categories of holy/common, permitted/forbidden. Christians are freed from dietary law (Mark 7:19; Acts 10) but not from the principle: we must discern what God permits and what He forbids in every area of life.