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.

Israel, A Holy People

1
"You are the people of ADONAI your God. You are not to gash yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead, ​
2
because you are a people set apart as holy for ADONAI your God. ADONAI your God has chosen you to be his own unique treasure out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. ​

Laws of Clean and Unclean Foods

3
"You are not to eat anything disgusting. ​
4
The animals which you may eat are: ox, sheep, goat,
5
deer, gazelle, roebuck, ibex, antelope, oryx and mountain sheep.
6
Any animal that has a separate hoof that is completely divided and also chews the cud, these animals you may eat. ​
7
But you are not to eat those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof. For example, the camel, the hare and the coney are unclean for you because they chew the cud but don't have a separate hoof;
8
while the pig is unclean for you because, although it has a separate hoof, it doesn't chew the cud. You are not to eat meat from these or touch their carcasses. ​
9
"Of all that lives in the water, you may eat these: anything in the water that has fins and scales, these you may eat.
10
But whatever lacks fins and scales you are not to eat; it is unclean for you.
11
"You may eat any clean bird;
12
but these you are not to eat: eagles, vultures, ospreys,
13
kites, any kind of buzzard,
14
any kind of raven,
15
ostriches, screech-owls, seagulls, any kind of hawk,
16
little owls, great owls, horned owls,
17
pelicans, barn owls, cormorants,
18
storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes and bats.
19
"All winged swarming creatures are unclean for you; they are not to be eaten;
20
but all clean flying creatures you may eat.
21
"You are not to eat any animal that dies naturally; although you may let a stranger staying with you eat it, or sell it to a foreigner; because you are a holy people for ADONAI your God. "You are not to boil a young animal in its mother's milk. ​

The Annual (Second) Tithe

22
"Every year you must take one tenth of everything your seed produces in the field, ​
23
and eat it in the presence of ADONAI your God. In the place where he chooses to have his name live you will eat the tenth of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, so that you will learn to fear ADONAI your God always. ​
24
But if the distance is too great for you, so that you are unable to transport it, because the place where ADONAI chooses to put his name is too far away from you; then, when ADONAI your God prospers you,
25
you are to convert it into money, take the money with you, go to the place which ADONAI your God will choose,
26
and exchange the money for anything you want - cattle, sheep, wine, other intoxicating liquor, or anything you please - and you are to eat there in the presence of ADONAI your God, and enjoy yourselves, you and your household. ​
27
"But don't neglect the Levi staying with you, because he has no share or inheritance like yours. ​

The Triennial (Poor) Tithe

28
At the end of every three years you are to take all the tenths of your produce from that year and store it in your towns. ​
29
Then the Levi, because he has no share or inheritance like yours, along with the foreigner, the orphan and the widow living in your towns, will come, eat and be satisfied - so that ADONAI your God will bless you in everything your hands produce. ​

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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