Deuteronomy 14:25

Translation
King James Version
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:
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KJV (with Strong's)
Then shalt thou turn H5414 it into money H3701, and bind up H6696 the money H3701 in thine hand H3027, and shalt go H1980 unto the place H4725 which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 shall choose H977:
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Complete Jewish Bible
you are to convert it into money, take the money with you, go to the place which ADONAI your God will choose,
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Berean Standard Bible
then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose.
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American Standard Version
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:
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World English Bible Messianic
then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which the LORD your God shall choose.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Then shalt thou make it in money, and take the money in thine hand, and goe vnto the place which the Lord thy God shall chose.
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Young's Literal Translation
then thou hast given it in money, and hast bound up the money in thy hand, and gone unto the place on which Jehovah thy God doth fix;
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In the KJVVerse 5,316 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Deuteronomy 14:25 presents a divinely inspired and remarkably pragmatic instruction within the broader context of the second annual tithe, often referred to as the "pilgrim tithe." This verse provides a compassionate allowance for Israelites residing far from the central sanctuary to convert their agricultural produce or livestock into money (silver). This provision ingeniously overcomes the logistical challenges of transporting bulky goods over long distances, ensuring that geographical proximity would not hinder any Israelite's ability to participate fully in the commanded communal worship and joyous feasting before the Lord at the divinely chosen place. It beautifully illustrates God's wisdom, foresight, and profound desire for His people's joyful obedience, unity, and unburdened participation in His sacred festivals.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is intricately woven into the fabric of Deuteronomy's legal code, specifically within chapters 12-26, which detail the statutes given by God through Moses for the Israelites' life in the Promised Land. More precisely, Deuteronomy 14:22-29 outlines the regulations for the "second tithe," distinct from the Levitical tithe. The immediate preceding verse, Deuteronomy 14:24, explicitly acknowledges the practical difficulty of transporting large quantities of agricultural goods or livestock over considerable distances. Therefore, Deuteronomy 14:25 emerges as God's gracious and practical solution to this logistical dilemma, ensuring that all Israelites, regardless of their location, could fulfill their obligation to journey to the central sanctuary. The subsequent verse, Deuteronomy 14:26, then elaborates on how this converted money is to be spent on a celebratory meal, reinforcing the joyous and communal nature of the pilgrimage.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Ancient Israel was fundamentally an agrarian society, where wealth was primarily held in the form of crops (grain, wine, oil) and livestock. Travel in this era was arduous, slow, and often dangerous, making the transport of bulky goods over long distances exceptionally challenging, sometimes requiring weeks of travel by foot or with pack animals. The divine command for all Israelite males to appear before the Lord three times a year for major festivals (Exodus 23:14-17) at a single, divinely designated location (which would eventually become Jerusalem) posed a significant logistical hurdle for those living in outlying regions. Economically, coinage was not yet widespread; instead, transactions often involved bartering or the weighing of precious metals, particularly silver, as a medium of exchange. The instruction to "turn it into money" (specifically silver, as indicated by the Hebrew word) provided a universally accepted, portable, and valuable form of currency, reflecting God's profound understanding of the economic realities and practical needs of His people in that historical period. This adaptive provision ensured that worship remained accessible and unburdened for a geographically dispersed population.
  • Key Themes: Deuteronomy 14:25 significantly contributes to several profound themes woven throughout the book of Deuteronomy and the broader Pentateuch. It powerfully illustrates Divine Accommodation and Pragmatism, showcasing God's compassionate understanding of human limitations and His willingness to provide flexible, yet faithful, means for His people to obey His commands. The recurring emphasis on "the place which the LORD thy God shall choose" reinforces the critical theme of Centralized Worship and National Unity, highlighting the importance of a singular sanctuary as the spiritual and national focal point for Israel's identity and worship, a concept extensively developed in Deuteronomy 12. This provision also underscores the theme of Joyful Obedience and Feasting, as the converted money was not merely for temple maintenance but specifically for purchasing items to be consumed in a celebratory meal before the Lord, transforming a religious obligation into an occasion for communal joy and fellowship, as explicitly detailed in Deuteronomy 14:26. Finally, the careful handling of the money points to the enduring principle of Stewardship and Trust, reminding the Israelites to faithfully manage and bring what God had blessed them with, trusting in His overarching provision and wisdom.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Money (Hebrew, keçeph', H3701): This Hebrew word (H3701) directly translates to "silver" and, by implication, "money." In ancient Israel, before the widespread use of coinage, silver was the primary medium of exchange, often weighed out in transactions. The instruction to "turn it into money" therefore means to convert the value of agricultural produce or livestock into its equivalent in silver. This highlights God's practical provision for a standardized, portable, and universally accepted form of currency, enabling pilgrims to travel long distances without the burden of bulky goods, thereby facilitating both commerce and religious obligation. It emphasizes a reliable and fungible asset for sacred purposes.
  • Bind up (Hebrew, tsûwr', H6696): The verb tsûwr (H6696) means "to cramp," "confine," "bind (up)," or "put up in bags." In this context, "bind up the money in thine hand" implies carefully securing the silver, likely in a cloth or pouch, to prevent loss or theft during the arduous journey. This detail underscores the preciousness and sacred nature of the consecrated funds, and the seriousness with which they were to be handled. It speaks to a deliberate act of safeguarding resources intended for sacred use, reflecting both practical wisdom and profound reverence for the tithe.
  • Go (Hebrew, hâlak', H1980): The verb hâlak (H1980) is a primitive root meaning "to walk" or "to go," used in a wide variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, including "travel" or "march." Here, it signifies the physical act of journeying to the designated central sanctuary. This word emphasizes the active participation and effort required for the pilgrimage. It is not merely a passive act but a deliberate movement towards the place of worship, highlighting the commitment and intentionality inherent in fulfilling the divine command.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Then shalt thou turn [it] into money": This initial clause provides the pragmatic and compassionate solution to the logistical challenges faced by distant Israelites. It grants explicit permission to sell the tithed produce or livestock locally, converting its value into silver. This demonstrates God's profound understanding of human practicalities and His gracious provision of an alternative method that still honored the spirit and intent of the law, ensuring that geographical distance would not become an impediment to joyful obedience and worship. It beautifully illustrates divine flexibility within the framework of divine command.
  • "and bind up the money in thine hand": This instruction underscores the importance of careful and responsible stewardship of the consecrated funds. "Binding up" suggests securing the silver, likely in a cloth or pouch, to protect it from loss or theft during the pilgrimage. This detail highlights the value and sacred purpose of the money, which was not for personal gain but specifically for use in the presence of the Lord at the chosen place. It implies a deliberate act of safeguarding resources dedicated to God, reflecting both practical wisdom and deep reverence for His provisions.
  • "and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose": This final clause articulates the ultimate purpose and destination of the entire process: the pilgrimage to the divinely designated central sanctuary. This command powerfully reinforces the theme of centralized worship, promoting national unity and a singular focus for Israel's religious life. The ability to convert bulky produce into portable money facilitated this essential pilgrimage for all, ensuring that every Israelite could participate in the communal feasts and worship at the place where God chose to make His name dwell, thereby fostering a shared spiritual experience, identity, and profound connection with the Almighty.

Literary Devices

Deuteronomy 14:25 masterfully employs several key literary devices. Divine Accommodation is profoundly evident in God's willingness to adapt His commands to the practical realities of human life and geographical constraints. Instead of an unyielding, impractical demand, God provides a flexible and gracious solution for tithing, demonstrating His compassionate understanding of His people's limitations. This verse also showcases striking Pragmatism, offering a highly sensible and practical approach to a significant logistical problem, thereby ensuring that the spirit of worship and obedience could be maintained despite physical obstacles. Furthermore, there is a powerful element of Symbolism embedded in the phrase "the place which the LORD thy God shall choose." This recurring Deuteronomic phrase symbolizes God's sovereign presence, His authority in designating a dwelling place for His name, and the essential unity of His people gathered around Him. The very act of binding up the money also carries symbolic weight, representing diligent stewardship, the sacredness of resources dedicated to God, and the intentional preparation required for spiritual pilgrimage.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Deuteronomy 14:25 unveils profound theological truths about God's character and His relationship with His covenant people. It underscores God's immense wisdom and foresight, demonstrating that His commands are never arbitrary but are given with an intimate understanding of human circumstances and practicalities. His gracious provision for converting tithes into money showcases His compassionate and accommodating nature, revealing that He desires not merely outward conformity to a rigid rule, but heartfelt participation and joyful worship, unhindered by logistical burdens. This flexibility in method, while maintaining the unwavering principle of giving and gathering, subtly foreshadows the New Covenant emphasis on the spirit of the law over rigid adherence to its letter. It teaches us that true obedience is often expressed through adaptable faithfulness, prioritizing the heart's intention and the ultimate goal of intimate fellowship with God and vibrant community. The verse also speaks to the enduring principle of stewardship, reminding believers across all ages that all resources are ultimately God's, entrusted to us, and are to be handled with utmost care, intentionality, and reverence for His divine purposes.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Deuteronomy 14:25, though rooted in the specific tithing practices of ancient Israel, offers timeless and universally applicable principles for contemporary believers. It serves as a powerful reminder that our infinitely wise God understands our human limitations and often provides flexible, compassionate means for us to express our faithfulness and worship. Just as He accommodated the Israelites' travel challenges, He continues to meet us where we are, valuing our heartfelt obedience and joyful participation over rigid adherence to a specific method or form. This verse profoundly encourages us to prioritize corporate worship and fellowship with the body of Christ, making intentional efforts to gather with fellow believers, even if it requires careful planning, personal sacrifice, or overcoming various obstacles. Our acts of giving and worship should always be characterized by genuine joy, deep gratitude, and an earnest desire for communion with God and fellow believers, rather than being perceived as a burdensome obligation. Furthermore, the instruction to carefully handle the money underscores the enduring importance of wise and responsible stewardship of all resources God has graciously entrusted to us, recognizing that they are ultimately His and are to be managed with integrity for His glory and His kingdom purposes. We are called to be faithful managers of His abundant blessings, whether they be financial, material, or spiritual gifts.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what specific ways does God's compassionate provision in Deuteronomy 14:25 illuminate His character and His desire for our unburdened worship today?
  • How can we thoughtfully apply the principle of "flexibility in faithfulness" in our modern Christian walk, ensuring we adapt to circumstances without compromising core biblical truths or diminishing our devotion?
  • What practical steps can I personally take this week to ensure my participation in corporate worship, my giving, and my service are characterized by genuine joy and intentionality, rather than mere obligation or routine?
  • How does this passage challenge or affirm my current understanding and practice of stewardship in managing the resources, time, and talents God has entrusted to me?

FAQ

How does the concept of "the place which the LORD thy God shall choose" relate to Christian worship today?

Answer: In the Old Testament, "the place which the LORD thy God shall choose" (e.g., Deuteronomy 12:5) referred to a specific physical location, initially the tabernacle at Shiloh, and later the Temple in Jerusalem. This centralized worship point was absolutely crucial for Israel's national and religious identity, fostering profound unity and a shared experience of God's manifest presence. For Christians today, this concept has been wonderfully transformed and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself declared that true worship is no longer confined to a specific geographical location like Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim, but is to be "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24). The "place" where God's presence now primarily dwells is in the hearts of individual believers, who are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and collectively as the Church, which is the body of Christ and a spiritual dwelling place for God (Ephesians 2:21-22). While we still gather in physical church buildings for corporate worship, the ultimate "place" is the spiritual reality of intimate fellowship with God through Christ, wherever two or three are gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20). Thus, the enduring principle of intentional gathering and joyful worship remains, but its fulfillment is now spiritual, relational, and universally accessible rather than geographically bound to a single earthly sanctuary.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Deuteronomy 14:25, with its practical provision for pilgrimage and joyful feasting, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament command to journey to "the place which the LORD thy God shall choose" powerfully foreshadows the ultimate spiritual pilgrimage of faith to Christ Himself. He is the true and final "place" where God's glorious presence fully dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9), the one through whom we now have direct access to the Father in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). The elaborate system of tithes, sacrifices, and feasts, including the joyful consumption of the tithe before the Lord, all pointed forward to the infinitely superior provision of Christ. He is our ultimate and perfect sacrifice, offered once for all time to perfect those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:10-14), our true spiritual food and drink that gives eternal life (John 6:53-58), and the inexhaustible source of our true joy and unbreakable fellowship with God. We no longer need to convert produce into money to travel to a physical temple, for Christ has inaugurated a new covenant where worship is in spirit and truth, unbound by earthly locations (John 4:23-24), and the indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to draw near to God from anywhere. The burdensome journey of the Old Covenant is replaced by the light yoke and easy burden of Christ (Matthew 11:28-30), and the physical feast is surpassed by the spiritual banquet of His abiding presence and the eternal fellowship we share in Him, a glorious foretaste of the great marriage supper of the Lamb yet to come (Revelation 19:9).

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Commentary on Deuteronomy 14 verses 22–29

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

We have here a part of the statute concerning tithes. The productions of the ground were twice tithed, so that, putting both together, a fifth part was devoted to God out of their increase, and only four parts of five were for their own common use; and they could not but own they paid an easy rent, especially since God's part was disposed of to their own benefit and advantage. The first tithe was for the maintenance of their Levites, who taught them the good knowledge of God, and ministered to them in holy things; this is supposed as anciently due, and is entailed upon the Levites as an inheritance, by that law, Num 18:24, etc. But it is the second tithe that is here spoken of, which was to be taken out of the remainder when the Levites had had theirs.

I. They are here charged to separate it, and set it apart for God: Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of they seed, Deu 14:22. The Levites took care of their own, but the separating of this was left to the owners themselves, the law encouraging them to be honest by reposing a confidence in them, and so trying their fear of God. They are commanded to tithe truly, that is, to be sure to do it, and to do it faithfully and carefully, that God's part might not be diminished either with design or by oversight. Note, We must be sure to give God his full dues out of our estates; for, being but stewards of them, it is required that we be faithful, as those that must give account.

II. They are here directed how to dispose of it when they had separated it. Let every man lay by as God prospers him and gives him success, and then let him lay out in pious uses as God gives him opportunity; and it will be the easier to lay out, and the proportion will be more satisfying, when first we have laid by. This second tithe may be disposed of,

1.In works of piety, for the first two years after the year of release. They must bring it up, either in kind or in the full value of it, to the place of the sanctuary, and there must spend it in holy feasting before the Lord. If they could do it with any convenience, they must bring it in kind (Deu 14:23); but, if not, they might turn it into money (Deu 14:24, Deu 14:25), and that money must be laid out in something to feast upon before the Lord. The comfortable cheerful using of what God has given us, with temperance and sobriety, is really the honouring of God with it. Contentment, holy joy, and thankfulness, make every meal a religious feast. The end of this law we have (Deu 14:23): That thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always; it was to keep them right and firm to their religion, (1.) By acquainting them with the sanctuary, the holy things, and the solemn services that were there performed. What they read the appointment of their Bibles, it would do them good to see the observance of in the tabernacle; it would make a deeper impression upon them, which would keep them out of the snares of the idolatrous customs. Note, It will have a good influence upon our constancy in religion never to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, Heb 10:25. By the comfort of the communion of saints, we may be kept to our communion with God. (2.) By using them to the most pleasant and delightful services of religion. Let them rejoice before the Lord, that they may learn to fear him always. The more pleasure we find in the ways of religion the more likely we shall be to persevere in those ways. One thing they must remember in their pious entertainments - to bid their Levites welcome to them. Thou shalt not forsake the Levites (Deu 14:27): "Let him never be a stranger to thy table, especially when thou eatest before the Lord."

2.Every third year this tithe must be disposed of at home in works of charity (Deu 14:28, Deu 14:29): Lay it up within they own gates, and let it be given to the poor, who, knowing the provision this law had made for them, no doubt would come to seek it; and, that they might make the poor familiar to them and not disdain their company, they are here directed to welcome them to their houses. "Thither let them come, and eat and be satisfied." In this charitable distribution of the second tithe they must have an eye to the poor ministers and add to their encouragement by entertaining them, then to poor strangers (not only for the supply of their necessities, but to put a respect upon them, and so to invite them to turn proselytes), and then to the fatherless and widow, who, though perhaps they might have a competent maintenance left them, yet could not be supposed to live so plentifully and comfortably as they had done in months past, and therefore they were to countenance them, and help to make them easy by inviting them to this entertainment. God has a particular care for widows and fatherless, and he requires that we should have the same. It is his honour, and will be ours, to help the helpless. And if we thus serve God, and do good with what we have, it is promised here that the Lord our God will bless us in all the work of our hand. Note, (1.) The blessing of God is all in all to our outward prosperity, and, without that blessing, the work of our hands which we do will bring nothing to pass. (2.) The way to obtain that blessing is to be diligent and charitable. The blessing descends upon the working hand: "Except not that God should bless thee in thy idleness and love of ease, but in all the work of they hand." It is the hand of the diligent, with the blessing of God upon it, that makes rich, Pro 10:4, Pro 10:22. And it descends upon the giving hand; he that thus scatters certainly increases, and the liberal soul will be made fat. It is an undoubted truth, though little believed, that to be charitable to the poor, and to be free and generous in the support of religion and any good work, is the surest and safest way of thriving. What is lent to the Lord will be repaid with abundant interest. See Eze 44:30.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 22–29. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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