Deuteronomy Chapter 14 in Simple English

Read Deuteronomy Chapter 14

1You are the children of the LORD your God. You must not cut yourselves, or shave the hair between your eyes, for the dead.

2For you are a holy people to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you out of all the nations on the earth to be his own special people.

3You must not eat anything that is detestable.

4These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

5the hart, the roebuck, the fallow deer, the wild goat, the pygarg, the wild ox, and the chamois.

6You may eat every animal that has a split hoof, divided into two parts, and that chews the cud.

7But of those that chew the cud or have a split hoof, you must not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the coney. They chew the cud, but their hoofs are not split. They are unclean for you.

8And the pig is unclean for you, because its hoof is split but it does not chew the cud. You must not eat their meat or touch their dead bodies.

9Of all that live in the water you may eat these: anything that has fins and scales you may eat.

10But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat. It is unclean for you.

11You may eat any clean bird.

12But these are the ones you must not eat: the eagle, the ossifrage, and the ospray,

13the glede, the kite, and every kind of vulture,

14every kind of raven,

15the owl, the night hawk, the cuckow, and every kind of hawk,

16the little owl, the great owl, and the swan,

17the pelican, the gier eagle, and the cormorant,

18the stork, every kind of heron, the lapwing, and the bat.

19Every creeping thing that flies is unclean for you. They must not be eaten.

20But you may eat all clean birds.

21You must not eat anything that dies by itself. You may give it to the stranger who lives in your towns, 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 must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

22You must faithfully give a tenth of all that your seed produces, which the field brings forth year by year.

23You are to eat it in front of the LORD your God, in the place he chooses to put his name: the tenth of your grain, your wine, and your oil, and the firstborn of your herds and your flocks. Then you will learn to fear the LORD your God always.

24But the journey may be too long for you, so that you cannot carry it, because the place the LORD your God chooses to put his name is too far away, when the LORD your God has blessed you.

25Then you are to turn it into money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses.

26And you may spend that money on whatever you long for: oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or anything your soul desires. You are to eat it there in front of the LORD your God, and you will rejoice, you and your household.

27And do not forget the Levite who lives in your towns. Do not leave him out, for he has no share or inheritance with you.

28At the end of every three years you are to bring out all the tenth of your produce for that year, and store it in your towns.

29Then the Levite (because he has no share or inheritance with you), and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow who live in your towns, shall come and eat and be satisfied. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all the work your hands do.

Explanation

Deuteronomy 14

In short

This chapter sets rules for how Israel should live as God's chosen people. It forbids certain mourning practices, lists which animals they may and may not eat, and explains how they must set aside a tithe (a tenth) of their produce and animals to eat in God's presence and to share with those in need.

Context

Moses is speaking to Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. Earlier in Deuteronomy he has already given them God's laws. This chapter continues that instruction, focusing on practical rules that will mark them out as a holy people set apart for God. The rules about food and tithes are not new to Israel, but Deuteronomy presents them again as Moses prepares the people to live in their new home.

What the text says

Verses 1-2 open by stating that Israel are God's children and a holy people chosen above all other nations. Because of this status, verse 1 forbids them to cut themselves or shave their heads in mourning for the dead, as other peoples do.

Verses 3-20 list clean and unclean animals. Verses 4-8 cover land animals: those that both split the hoof and chew the cud are clean (cattle, sheep, goats, deer); those lacking one of these traits are unclean (pigs, camels, hares). Verses 9-10 allow eating water animals with fins and scales only. Verses 11-20 permit clean birds but name many birds that are unclean.

Verse 21 forbids eating anything that dies of itself; such meat may be given to a resident foreigner or sold to an alien. The same verse also forbids cooking a young goat in its mother's milk.

Verses 22-27 address the annual tithe. Israelites must tithe all their produce and give the firstlings of their herds. They must eat this tithe before the Lord in the place God chooses, bringing their households and the Levites. If the journey is too far, they may convert the tithe to money, travel to God's chosen place, and buy whatever they wish to eat there, still eating it before the Lord and sharing with Levites.

Verses 28-29 describe a third-year tithe: every three years, the tithe must be stored locally and given to Levites, strangers, the fatherless, and widows so they may eat and be satisfied.

Takeaways

Being God's chosen people means following specific rules about food, mourning, and giving that set them apart from other nations.
The tithe system both honors God through worship and provides for those with no land or inheritance.
Obedience to these rules is presented as a way to learn to fear and honor God.

Deuteronomy 14 - Simple English