Deuteronomy14

Deuteronomy 14 establishes Israel's identity as God's holy and peculiar people, forbidding pagan mourning rites. It then details extensive dietary laws, distinguishing between clean and unclean animals, birds, and aquatic life based on specific physical characteristics. The chapter concludes with instructions on tithing, mandating an annual tithe to be consumed before the Lord and a triennial tithe for the support of Levites, strangers, the fatherless, and widows. These laws aim to reinforce Israel's distinctiveness and foster their reverence for God.

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Israel, A Holy People

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

For 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.

Laws of Clean and Unclean Foods

Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

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

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

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

Nevertheless 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.

And 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.

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

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

Of all clean birds ye may eat.

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

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

and every raven after its kind,

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

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

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

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

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

Of all clean birds ye may eat.

Ye 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.

The Annual (Second) Tithe

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

And 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.

And 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;

then 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:

and 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.

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

The Triennial (Poor) Tithe

At 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:

and 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.

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 14

Verse 1

The prohibition against self-mutilation and specific baldness (making 'baldness between your eyes') targets established pagan mourning rites common in Canaan, emphasizing Israel’s distinct identity as God’s children who trust in divine sovereignty over death.

Verse 2

This verse establishes the theological basis for all subsequent commands in the chapter: Israel’s status as a 'holy people' and a 'peculiar treasure' chosen by God requires maintaining ritual and moral separation from the surrounding nations.

Verse 3

The term 'abominable thing' (Heb. *to’evah*) refers to anything ritually or morally repulsive to God. The dietary laws that follow are primary methods by which Israel maintains its holiness and distinctiveness.

Verse 6

The criteria for clean land animals are dual: they must both chew the cud (ruminate) and have a completely split hoof. This requirement emphasizes the principle of wholeness and clear distinction in creation.

Verse 8

The swine (pig) is singled out because it meets only one of the two criteria (split hoof but does not chew the cud), thus serving as a clear example of an animal that falls outside the boundaries of God's prescribed categories.

Verse 21

This verse contains two distinct laws: first, a provision for the resident alien (stranger) to eat carrion, emphasizing communal care; second, the famous prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother’s milk, likely outlawing a known Canaanite fertility ritual and establishing a principle of not mixing life and death or violating the natural order.

Verse 22

This section introduces the 'Second Tithe,' distinct from the Levite’s tithe (Num. 18). This tithe was meant to be consumed by the worshipper and his household in a celebratory feast at the central sanctuary (Jerusalem) annually.

Verse 23

The primary goal of eating the tithe before the Lord at the sanctuary was pedagogical: 'that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always,' linking material blessing directly to covenant loyalty and worship.

Verse 26

This verse provides flexibility, allowing the tithe to be monetized for long journeys. Crucially, the money is to be used to purchase food and drink, including 'strong drink,' demonstrating God’s approval of joyful, communal feasting as part of worship.

Verse 27

The Levite, lacking land inheritance, must be included in the annual feast. This ensured that those devoted to religious service were maintained by the community’s bounty, reinforcing the covenantal obligation to support ministry.

Verse 28

Every third year, the tithe was not taken to the central sanctuary but stored locally within the town gates. This 'Poor Tithe' served as a welfare fund for the most vulnerable members of society.

Verse 29

The recipients—the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow—represent the four classes most dependent on community charity. This system emphasizes God’s mandate for social justice and compassion as the key to receiving divine blessing.

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Deuteronomy14

Israel, A Holy People

Laws of Clean and Unclean Foods

The Annual (Second) Tithe

The Triennial (Poor) Tithe

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