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Deuteronomy 14

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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.

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Deuteronomy 14:1-21 Verses 1-21

Moses tells the people of Israel how God had given them three distinguishing privileges, which were their honour, and figures of those spiritual blessings in heavenly things, with which God has in Christ blessed us. Here is election; "The Lord hath chosen thee." He did not choose them because they were by their own acts a peculiar people to him above other nations, but he chose them that they might be so by his grace; and thus were believers chosen, Eph 1:4. Here is adoption; "Ye are the children of the Lord your God;" not because God needed children, but because they were orphans, and needed a father. Every spiritual Israelite is indeed a child of God, a partaker of his nature and favour. Here is sanctification; "Thou art a holy people." God's people are required to be holy, and if they are holy, they are indebted to the grace God which makes them so. Those whom God chooses to be his children, he will form to be a holy people, and zealous of good works. They must be careful to avoid every thing which might disgrace their profession, in the sight of those who watch for their halting. Our heavenly Father forbids nothing but for our welfare. Do thyself no harm; do not ruin thy health, thy reputation, thy domestic comforts, thy peace of mind. Especially do not murder thy soul. Do not be the vile slave of thy appetites and passions. Do not render all around thee miserable, and thyself wretched; but aim at that which is most excellent and useful. The laws which regarded many sorts of flesh as unclean, were to keep them from mingling with their idolatrous neighbours. It is plain in the gospel, that these laws are now done away. But let us ask our own hearts, Are we of the children of the Lord our God? Are we separate from the ungodly world, in being set apart to God's glory, the purchase of Christ's blood? Are we subjects of the work of the Holy Ghost? Lord, teach us from these precepts how pure and holy all thy people ought to live!

Deuteronomy 14:22-29 Verses 22-29

A second portion from the produce of their land was required. The whole appointment evidently was against the covetousness, distrust, and selfishness of the human heart. It promoted friendliness, liberality, and cheerfulness, and raised a fund for the relief of the poor. They were taught that their worldly portion was most comfortably enjoyed, when shared with their brethren who were in want. If we thus serve God, and do good with what we have, it is promised that the Lord our God will bless us in all the works of our land. The blessing of God is all to our outward prosperity; and without that blessing, the work of our hands will bring nothing to pass. The blessing descends upon the working hand. Expect not that God should bless thee in thy idleness and love of ease. And it descends upon the giving hand. He who thus scatters, certainly increases; and to be free and generous in the support of religion, and any good work, is the surest and safest way of thriving.

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Adoption: Spiritual Deuteronomy 14:1

You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,

Aliens: Partially Exempt from Jewish Law Deuteronomy 14:21

You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Alms: Commandments and Practices Concerning Deuteronomy 14:28, 29

At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates. / Then the Levite (because he has no portion or inheritance among you), the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands.

Animals: Clean and Unclean Deuteronomy 14:3–20

You must not eat any detestable thing. / These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, / the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

Animals: Ordained As Food for Man Deuteronomy 14:4–6, 9, 11, 20

These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, / the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. / You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.

Beasts: Clean: Chamois Deuteronomy 14:5

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

Beasts: Clean: Fallow Deer Deuteronomy 14:5

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

Beasts: Clean: Goat Deuteronomy 14:4

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

Beasts: Clean: Hart Deuteronomy 14:5

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

Beasts: Clean: Ox Deuteronomy 14:4

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

Beasts: Clean: Pygarg Deuteronomy 14:5

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

Beasts: Clean: Roebuck Deuteronomy 14:5

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

Beasts: Clean: Wild Goat Deuteronomy 14:5

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

Beasts: Clean: Wild Ox Deuteronomy 14:5

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

Beasts: Unclean: Hare Deuteronomy 14:7

But of those that chew the cud or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you,

Being Chosen Deuteronomy 14:2

for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

Birds: Appointed for Food Deuteronomy 14:11–20

You may eat any clean bird, / but these you may not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, / the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite,

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