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Deuteronomy 14

1

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

2

For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

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3

Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

4

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

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5

The hart, and the roebuck, 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 cleaveth 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.

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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.

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9

These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:

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

11

Of all clean birds ye shall eat.

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

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And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,

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And every raven after his kind,

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And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

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The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,

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And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,

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18

And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

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And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.

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20

But of all clean fowls ye may eat.

21

Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

22

Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

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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.

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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:

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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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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.

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At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

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And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, 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.

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Deuteronomy 14

The mourning prohibitions grounded in the assertion that Israel is children of the LORD establish a distinctive identity set apart from surrounding practices—cutting oneself or shaving the forehead were mourning rites in pagan worship. The clean and unclean food categories, paralleling Leviticus 11 with extensive repetition, create daily practice as a means of boundary maintenance and covenant consciousness, making the dinner table a space where Israelite identity is reinforced through prohibited and permitted animals. The annual tithe at the central sanctuary and the triennial tithe for Levites, foreigners, fatherless, and widows institutionalize social care and priestly provision within the worship system, making covenant obligation extend to the marginalized and establishing redistribution as integral to Israel's religious practice. This chapter weaves dietary, mourning, and economic practices together as the practical outworking of covenantal election and responsiveness to God's holiness.

Deuteronomy 14:29

This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan they made to their fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed — the loan forgiveness is presented as divine decree (the LORD's time), not optional charity. The community recognizes the LORD's ownership of all economic relationships.

Deuteronomy 14:4

These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat — the domestic livestock permitted for food are the foundational herds.

Deuteronomy 14:5

The deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep — the wild ruminants permitted for Israel's consumption suggest that hunting (in addition to pastoralism) is legitimate food procurement.

Deuteronomy 14:6

Any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud, that you may eat — the dual criterion (split hooves and cud-chewing) establishes the animals' suitability. Both characteristics must be present.

Deuteronomy 14:28

Every seventh year you shall cancel debts — the sabbatical year (shemitah) brings economic reset: loans are forgiven, establishing social equity.

Deuteronomy 14:3

Do not eat anything detestable — the dietary law is grounded in holiness: holy people eat clean foods, avoiding pagan contamination. The permitted and forbidden animals correspond to spiritual purity.

Deuteronomy 14:7

However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit and the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you — the exceptions (camel, rabbit, hyrax) chew the cud but lack split hooves. Their partial compliance renders them unclean. The law's precision requires full compliance.

Deuteronomy 14:8

The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses — the pig's partial compliance (split hoof but no cud-chewing) makes it paradigmatically unclean. The prohibition extends beyond eating to touching carcasses.

Deuteronomy 14:9

Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales — the aquatic criterion is fins and scales, permitting fish but excluding shellfish, which lack these features.

Deuteronomy 14:10

But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean — shellfish (lacking fins and scales) are prohibited, establishing the dietary boundary between clean and unclean aquatic creatures.

Deuteronomy 14:11

You may eat any clean bird — the birds permitted are those designated as clean by the community's tradition.

Deuteronomy 14:12

But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture — the prohibited birds begin with raptors (eagle, vultures), creatures that kill and consume flesh.

Deuteronomy 14:13

The red kite, any kind of black kite, the raven of any kind — more predators and scavengers are prohibited.

Deuteronomy 14:14

The horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk — nocturnal and aquatic predatory birds are unclean.

Deuteronomy 14:15

The little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey and the cormorant — more raptors and fish-eating birds are listed.

Deuteronomy 14:16

The stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat — the stork and heron (wading birds), the hoopoe (a ground bird), and the bat (a mammal mistakenly classified as bird in ancient taxonomy) are prohibited.

Deuteronomy 14:17

All flying insects are unclean for you; do not eat them — insects are universally prohibited.

Deuteronomy 14:18

But any winged creature that is clean you may eat — the exception allows clean winged creatures (likely locusts and certain grasshoppers, which were eaten in the ancient Near East).

Deuteronomy 14:19

Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he or she may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk — the carrion prohibition (eating already-dead animals) protects holiness. Foreigners and aliens may eat such meat (they are not bound by Israel's holiness laws), and commerce in carrion is permitted. The final prohibition (cooking a goat in mother's milk) is enigmatic but appears to forbid mixing life-giving substance with the consumed young, or perhaps to prohibit pagan ritual practice.

Deuteronomy 14:20

Tithe all the produce of your seed that comes up in the field — the tithe law requires setting apart one-tenth of agricultural produce annually.

Deuteronomy 14:21

Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks at the place the LORD your God will choose to put his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always — the tithe-eater is commanded to journey to the central sanctuary and consume the tithe there in covenant meal. The purpose is learning reverence through shared consumption before the LORD.

Deuteronomy 14:22

But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God so that you cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away) — the exception acknowledges geographical difficulty: if the central sanctuary is distant and the tithe cannot be transported, alternative provision is made.

Deuteronomy 14:23

Then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose — the tithe may be converted to monetary value (the Hebrew keseph, silver), facilitating transport and later reconversion to produce at the sanctuary.

Deuteronomy 14:24

Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there at the place the LORD your God will choose and rejoice — the tithe-money is used to purchase food for the covenant meal. The emphasis on rejoicing (the Hebrew simchah) emphasizes that the tithe-meal is occasion for joy.

Deuteronomy 14:25

And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own — the Levites' economic dependence on the community is reiterated. Their inclusion in covenant meals is obligatory.

Deuteronomy 14:26

At the end of every three years, bring all the tithe of that year's produce and store it in your towns — the triennial tithe law: every third year, the tithe remains in the community rather than being transported to the sanctuary.

Deuteronomy 14:27

So that the Levite (who has no allotment or inheritance of his own) and the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow living in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands — the triennial tithe supports the marginalized (Levites, foreigners, orphans, widows) locally. Divine blessing is tied to the community's provision for the vulnerable.

Deuteronomy 14:1

You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads on behalf of the dead — the prohibition against self-laceration and head-shaving for mourning distinguishes Israel from pagan grief practices. Children of the LORD do not modify their bodies in mourning rituals.

Deuteronomy 14:2

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession — holiness (the Hebrew qadosh) means separation and consecration. Israel's election by the LORD establishes their peculiar status among the nations.