The Fifth Book of Moses, Called Deuteronomy

Chapter 14

God's children are not to disfigure themselves in mourning, 1, 2. What may, and what may not be eaten, 3; of beasts, 4-8; of fish, 9, 10; of birds, 11-20. That which dies of itself may not be eaten, 21. Tithes of divine service, 22. Tithes and first-born to be eaten before the Lord, 23-27. The third year's tithe of alms and charity, 28, 29.

1 "You are the children of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. 2 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a peculiar people for himself above all the nations who are upon the earth.

3 "You shall not eat any abominable thing. 4 These are the beasts which you shall eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 The hart, the roebuck, the fallow-deer, the wild-goat, the ibex, the wild ox, and the chamois. 6 And every beast that parts the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud among the beasts, that you shall eat. 7 Nevertheless, these you shall not eat, of those that chew the cud, or of those that divide the cloven hoof: the camel, the hare, and the coney. For they chew the cud, but do not divide the hoof; therefore, they are unclean to you. 8 And the swine, because it divides the hoof, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass.

9 "These you shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales you shall eat. 10 And whatever does not have fins and scales you may not eat. It is unclean to you.

11 "Of all clean birds you shall eat. 12 But these are those of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, 13 The glede, the kite, the falcon after his kind, 14 Every raven after his kind, 15 The owl, the night-hawk, the gull, the hawk after his kind, 16 The little owl, the great owl, the swan, 17 The pelican, the vulture, the cormorant, 18 The stork, the heron after her kind, the lapwing, and the bat. 19 And every creeping animal that flies is unclean to you. They shall not be eaten. 20 But of all clean birds you may eat.

21 "You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You shall give it to the stranger who is in your gates, so 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 kid in his mother's milk.

22 "You shall truly tithe all the increase of your seed that the field brings forth year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place which he chooses to place his name there, the tithe of your grain, of your wine, of your oil, and the first-born of your herds and of your flocks, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. 24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, or if the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses to set his name there, when the LORD your God has blessed you, 25 Then you shall turn it into money, bind up the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. 26 And you shall bestow that money for whatever your soul desires, for oxen, for sheep, for wine, for strong drink, or for whatever your soul desires. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice—you, and your household. 27 And the Levite who is within your gates, you shall not forsake him, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.

28 "At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year and shall lay it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite (because he has no part nor inheritance with you), the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come and shall eat and be satisfied, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do."

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - Deuteronomy, Chapter 14[➚]

Notes

[v.2] - Reference Deuteronomy 7:6, 26:18-19; 1st Peter 2:9.

[v.6] - See the quote from John Bunyan in the comment for Leviticus 11:3.

[v.19] - "creeping animal that flies" - This refers to the insects.

[v.22] - Reference, Genesis 28:18-22; Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21; Deuteronomy 26:12-15; Nehemiah 10:37; Malachi 3:10; Hebrews 7:1-3.

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