Moses uniquely combines familial language ("children of the LORD") with covenant terminology ("chosen people") and cultic prohibitions, creating the only passage in Deuteronomy where identity as God's children directly motivates ritual law.
Deuteronomy 14
You Are God's Children
1You are the children of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
2For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Clean and Unclean Foods
3You shall not eat any abominable thing.
4These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
5the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the chamois.
6Every animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
7Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof split: the camel, the hare, and the rabbit. Because they chew the cud but don’t part the hoof, they are unclean to you.
8The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses.
9These you may eat of all that are in the waters: you may eat whatever has fins and scales.
10You shall not eat whatever doesn’t have fins and scales. It is unclean to you.
11Of all clean birds you may eat.
12But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,
13the red kite, the falcon, the kite of any kind,
14every raven of any kind,
15the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the hawk of any kind,
16the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl,
17the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant,
18the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
19All winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten.
20Of all clean birds you may eat.
21You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Regulations for Tithes
22You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year.
23You shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.
24If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it because the place which the LORD your God shall choose to set his name there is too far from you, when the LORD your God blesses you,
25then you shall turn it into money, bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which the LORD your God shall choose.
26You shall trade the money for whatever your soul desires: for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you. You shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
27You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
28At the end of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall store it within your gates.
29The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, as well as the foreigner living among you, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
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Theme
Deuteronomy 14 establishes Israel's distinctive identity as God's chosen people through three key areas of covenant life. Moses first prohibits pagan mourning practices, then provides detailed dietary laws distinguishing clean and unclean animals, and finally outlines tithing regulations for worship at the central sanctuary. These laws collectively emphasize Israel's holiness and separation from surrounding nations while fostering proper worship and stewardship of God's blessings.
Context
This chapter continues Moses' second discourse begun in chapter 12, elaborating on covenant stipulations that will govern Israel's life in the promised land.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-2 Identity as God's Holy People Prohibition of pagan mourning practices based on Israel's chosen status and holiness
- 3-8 Clean Land Animals Permitted animals that both chew cud and have split hooves, with specific exclusions
- 9-10 Clean Sea Creatures Only fish with both fins and scales may be consumed
- 11-20 Clean and Unclean Birds Extensive list of prohibited birds, mostly birds of prey and scavengers
- 21 Additional Dietary Restrictions Prohibitions against eating animals that died naturally and boiling goat in mother's milk
- 22-27 Annual Tithe Regulations Instructions for bringing tithes to the central sanctuary or converting to money for distant travel
- 28-29 Triennial Tithe for the Poor Every third year, tithes should be stored locally to support Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows
You Are God's Children
14:1–14:2 law instruction tender
Declaration of Israel's special status as God's children and chosen people, with prohibitions against pagan mourning practices that would compromise their holy identity.
structural
Moses uniquely combines familial language ("children of the LORD") with covenant terminology ("chosen people") and cultic prohibitions, creating the only passage in Deuteronomy where identity as God's children directly motivates ritual law.
Clean and Unclean Foods
14:3–14:21 law instruction solemn
Detailed dietary laws distinguishing clean and unclean animals, establishing food restrictions that set Israel apart as a holy people to the LORD.
structural
The dietary laws uniquely combine taxonomic precision with theological purpose, using specific anatomical criteria (split hooves, cud-chewing) to create boundaries that physically embody Israel's spiritual separation as God's holy people.
Regulations for Tithes
14:22–14:29 law instruction contemplative
Instructions for tithing agricultural produce and caring for Levites and the needy, emphasizing worship and learning to fear the LORD.
theme_rarity
Deuteronomy's tithe transforms from mere religious duty into joyful communal feasting "before the LORD," uniquely combining economic stewardship with celebratory worship.
Insights
The dietary laws uniquely combine taxonomic precision with theological purpose, using specific anatomical criteria (split hooves, cud-chewing) to create boundaries that physically embody Israel's spiritual separation as God's holy people.
Deuteronomy's tithe transforms from mere religious duty into joyful communal feasting "before the LORD," uniquely combining economic stewardship with celebratory worship.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Deuteronomy 14:1 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:2 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:4 5 references
Lexicals 5
Genesis 30:32 Lexical
I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among…
Leviticus 7:23 Lexical
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of bull, or sheep, or goat.
Leviticus 22:27 Lexical
“When a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother. From the eighth day on it shall be…
Leviticus 17:3 Lexical
Whatever man there is of the house of Israel who kills a bull, or lamb, or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the…
Numbers 18:17 Lexical
“But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy…
Deuteronomy 14:6 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 11:3 Lexical
Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud among the animals, that you may eat.
Leviticus 11:26 Lexical
“‘Every animal which has a split hoof that isn’t completely divided, or doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyon…
Leviticus 11:7 Lexical
The pig, because it has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:5 Lexical
The hyrax, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:4 Lexical
“‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because it…
Deuteronomy 14:7 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 11:4 Lexical
“‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because it…
Leviticus 11:6 Lexical
The hare, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:26 Lexical
“‘Every animal which has a split hoof that isn’t completely divided, or doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyon…
Leviticus 11:7 Lexical
The pig, because it has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:5 Lexical
The hyrax, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
Deuteronomy 14:8 5 references
Lexicals 5
Leviticus 11:7 Lexical
The pig, because it has a split hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:26 Lexical
“‘Every animal which has a split hoof that isn’t completely divided, or doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyon…
Leviticus 11:4 Lexical
“‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because it…
Leviticus 11:6 Lexical
The hare, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:5 Lexical
The hyrax, because it chews the cud but doesn’t have a parted hoof, is unclean to you.
Deuteronomy 14:9 3 references
Lexicals 3
Leviticus 11:10 Lexical
All that don’t have fins and scales in the seas and rivers, all that move in the waters, and all the living creatures th…
Leviticus 11:12 Lexical
Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters is an abomination to you.
Leviticus 11:9 Lexical
“‘You may eat of all these that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the r…
Deuteronomy 14:10 3 references
Lexicals 3
Leviticus 11:9 Lexical
“‘You may eat of all these that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the r…
Leviticus 11:12 Lexical
Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters is an abomination to you.
Leviticus 11:10 Lexical
All that don’t have fins and scales in the seas and rivers, all that move in the waters, and all the living creatures th…
Deuteronomy 14:12 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:13 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:14 1 reference
Lexicals 1
Deuteronomy 14:15 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:16 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:17 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:18 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:21 5 references
Lexicals 5
Exodus 34:26 Lexical
“You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground to the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a y…
Exodus 23:19 Lexical
You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a…
Leviticus 25:47 Lexical
“‘If an alien or temporary resident with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him has grown poor, and sells himself…
Isaiah 50:1 Lexical
The LORD says, “Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce, with which I have put her away? Or to which of my creditors…
Deuteronomy 24:14 Lexical
You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the foreigners…
Deuteronomy 14:22 2 references
Lexicals 2
Deuteronomy 14:23 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 12:17 Lexical
You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or the firstborn of your…
Jeremiah 31:12 Lexical
They will come and sing in the height of Zion, and will flow to the goodness of the LORD, to the grain, to the new wine,…
Nehemiah 13:5 Lexical
had prepared for him a great room, where before they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tit…
2 Chronicles 31:5 Lexical
As soon as the commandment went out, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil,…
Nehemiah 13:12 Lexical
Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the treasuries.
Deuteronomy 14:24 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:26 2 references
Deuteronomy 14:27 4 references
Lexicals 4
Deuteronomy 12:12 Lexical
You shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, and your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants,…
Joshua 18:7 Lexical
However, the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and th…
Deuteronomy 10:9 Lexical
Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD your…
Deuteronomy 18:1 Lexical
The priests and the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the…
Deuteronomy 14:28 1 reference
Deuteronomy 14:29 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 26:12 Lexical
When you have finished tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then you…
Deuteronomy 24:19 Lexical
When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It…
Deuteronomy 16:11 Lexical
You shall rejoice before the LORD your God: you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Le…
Deuteronomy 16:14 Lexical
You shall rejoice in your feast, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, the f…
Deuteronomy 26:13 Lexical
You shall say before the LORD your God, “I have put away the holy things out of my house, and also have given them to th…
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