Deuteronomy Chapter 14 — Laws of Holiness and Tithing
This chapter outlines dietary laws distinguishing clean and unclean animals and provides instructions for annual and triennial tithing to support the Levites and the needy.
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.
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.
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.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Deuteronomy 14:2
“For 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.”
It establishes the identity of the Israelites as a people set apart for God.
Deuteronomy 14:23
“You shall eat before the LORD your God... the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil... that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”
This verse explains that the purpose of tithing is to cultivate a lifelong reverence for God.
Deuteronomy 14:29
“The Levite... 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.”
It highlights the social responsibility of the community to care for the vulnerable through their offerings.
Chapter Summary
Deuteronomy 14 begins by forbidding the Israelites from following certain pagan mourning rituals, such as cutting themselves or shaving their heads, emphasizing their status as a holy people chosen by God. The chapter then details specific dietary regulations, listing land animals, sea creatures, and birds that are considered clean or unclean for consumption. Only animals that both chew the cud and have split hooves are permitted. Following these laws, the text transitions to the practice of tithing. It instructs the people to set aside a tenth of their produce and livestock to be eaten in the presence of the Lord at a designated place of worship to learn to fear God. If the distance is too great, they are permitted to convert the tithe into money to buy food for a celebration. Additionally, every three years, a special tithe is to be stored locally to provide for the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, ensuring the entire community is sustained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Clean land animals include those that have a split hoof and chew the cud, such as oxen, sheep, goats, and deer. For water creatures, only those with both fins and scales are permitted for food.
The text states that as a holy people chosen by God, they were not to cut themselves or shave their heads for the dead, as these were practices associated with other nations.
The law permitted them to sell their produce for money, travel to the chosen place, and then use that money to purchase food and drink for a celebratory meal before the Lord with their household.
Every third year, the tithe was stored within the local gates specifically to provide food for the Levites, who had no land inheritance, as well as the fatherless, widows, and foreigners.
Study Note
The distinction between clean and unclean animals served as a daily reminder of Israel's distinct identity and calling as a nation set apart for the Lord.
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