Old Testament Commentary - Deuteronomy 14

by Don R. Hender


Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
             CHAPTER 14            

Israelites are children of the Lord Jehovah—Unclean beasts, fish, and fowl shall not be eaten—Israel shall tithe all the increase of their seed annually.

  1 YE are the achildren of the LORD your God: ye shall bnot ccut yourselves, nor make any baldness dbetween your eyes for the dead.
  2 For thou art an aholy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a bpeculiar people unto himselfa, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
 2a a peculiar people unto himself This characteristic of the Lord's people is expressed in various ways. In the fourth vision of Zechariah of the preexistent determination council between Jesus and Satan, those people who were the people or 'fellows' of the Lord were said to be 'men wondered at' (Zechariah 3:8). Perhaps other words may also suggest the scriptural meaning as the Lord's people are distinctive as to their manner and way of life and in that they walk in the ways of the Lord and live by the Lord's commandments and not the commandments of men. That is they are not a standard unto themselves and their personal desire but are peole who live by a standard, that is by the standard set forth by the Lord their God.
  3 ¶ Thou shalt not aeat any abominable thing.
  4 These are the beasts which ye shall aeat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,
  5 The hart, and the aroebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
  6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and acleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.
  7 Nevertheless 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.
  8 And 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.
  9 ¶ These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:
  10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.
  11 ¶ Of all clean birds ye shall eat.
  12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the aossifrage, and the ospray,
  13 And the aglede, and the kite, and the bvulture after his kind,
  14 And every raven after his kind,
  15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the acuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
  16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the aswan,
  17 And the pelican, and the agier eagle, and the cormorant,
  18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the alapwing, and the bat.
  19 And every acreeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
  20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat.
  21 ¶ Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt agive it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest bsell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not cseethe a kid in his mother's milk.
  22 Thou shalt truly atithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
  23 And 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.
  24 And 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:
  25 Then 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:
  26 And 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,
  27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
  28 ¶ At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the atithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
  29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the awidow, 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.