1 Ye are the children H1121 of the LORD H3068 your God: H430 ye shall not cut H1413 yourselves, nor make H7760 any baldness H7144 between your eyes H5869 for the dead. H4191
2 For thou art an holy H6918 people H5971 unto the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 and the LORD H3068 hath chosen H977 thee to be a peculiar H5459 people H5971 unto himself, above all the nations H5971 that are upon H6440 the earth. H127
3 Thou shalt not eat H398 any abominable thing. H8441
4 These are the beasts H929 which ye shall eat: H398 the ox, H7794 the sheep, H7716 H3775 and the goat, H5795
5 The hart, H354 and the roebuck, H6643 and the fallow deer, H3180 and the wild goat, H689 and the pygarg, H1788 and the wild ox, H8377 and the chamois. H2169
6 And every beast H929 that parteth H6536 the hoof, H6541 and cleaveth H8157 the cleft H8156 into two H8147 claws, H6541 and cheweth H5927 the cud H1625 among the beasts, H929 that ye shall eat. H398
7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat H398 of them that chew H5927 the cud, H1625 or of them that divide H6536 the cloven H8156 hoof; H6541 as the camel, H1581 and the hare, H768 and the coney: H8227 for they chew H5927 the cud, H1625 but divide H6536 not the hoof; H6541 therefore they are unclean H2931 unto you.
8 And the swine, H2386 because it divideth H6536 the hoof, H6541 yet cheweth not the cud, H1625 it is unclean H2931 unto you: ye shall not eat H398 of their flesh, H1320 nor touch H5060 their dead carcase. H5038
9 These ye shall eat H398 of all that are in the waters: H4325 all that have fins H5579 and scales H7193 shall ye eat: H398
10 And whatsoever hath not fins H5579 and scales H7193 ye may not eat; H398 it is unclean H2931 unto you.
11 Of all clean H2889 birds H6833 ye shall eat. H398
12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: H398 the eagle, H5404 and the ossifrage, H6538 and the ospray, H5822
13 And the glede, H7201 and the kite, H344 and the vulture H1772 after his kind, H4327
14 And every raven H6158 after his kind, H4327
15 And the owl, H1323 H3284 and the night hawk, H8464 and the cuckow, H7828 and the hawk H5322 after his kind, H4327
16 The little owl, H3563 and the great owl, H3244 and the swan, H8580
17 And the pelican, H6893 and the gier eagle, H7360 and the cormorant, H7994
18 And the stork, H2624 and the heron H601 after her kind, H4327 and the lapwing, H1744 and the bat. H5847
19 And every creeping thing H8318 that flieth H5775 is unclean H2931 unto you: they shall not be eaten. H398
20 But of all clean H2889 fowls H5775 ye may eat. H398
21 Ye shall not eat H398 of any thing that dieth of itself: H5038 thou shalt give H5414 it unto the stranger H1616 that is in thy gates, H8179 that he may eat H398 it; or thou mayest sell H4376 it unto an alien: H5237 for thou art an holy H6918 people H5971 unto the LORD H3068 thy God. H430 Thou shalt not seethe H1310 a kid H1423 in his mother's H517 milk. H2461
22 Thou shalt truly H6237 tithe H6237 all the increase H8393 of thy seed, H2233 that the field H7704 bringeth forth H3318 year H8141 by year. H8141
23 And thou shalt eat H398 before H6440 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 in the place H4725 which he shall choose H977 to place H7931 his name H8034 there, the tithe H4643 of thy corn, H1715 of thy wine, H8492 and of thine oil, H3323 and the firstlings H1062 of thy herds H1241 and of thy flocks; H6629 that thou mayest learn H3925 to fear H3372 the LORD H3068 thy God H430 always. H3117
24 And if the way H1870 be too long H7235 for thee, so that H3588 thou art not able H3201 to carry H5375 it; or if the place H4725 be too far H7368 from thee, which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 shall choose H977 to set H7760 his name H8034 there, when the LORD H3068 thy God H430 hath blessed H1288 thee:
25 Then shalt thou turn H5414 it into money, H3701 and bind up H6696 the money H3701 in thine hand, H3027 and shalt go H1980 unto the place H4725 which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 shall choose: H977
26 And thou shalt bestow H5414 that money H3701 for whatsoever thy soul H5315 lusteth after, H183 for oxen, H1241 or for sheep, H6629 or for wine, H3196 or for strong drink, H7941 or for whatsoever thy soul H5315 desireth: H7592 and thou shalt eat H398 there before H6440 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 and thou shalt rejoice, H8055 thou, and thine household, H1004
27 And the Levite H3881 that is within thy gates; H8179 thou shalt not forsake H5800 him; for he hath no part H2506 nor inheritance H5159 with thee.
28 At the end H7097 of three H7969 years H8141 thou shalt bring forth H3318 all the tithe H4643 of thine increase H8393 the same year, H8141 and shalt lay it up H3240 within thy gates: H8179
29 And the Levite, H3881 (because he hath no part H2506 nor inheritance H5159 with thee,) and the stranger, H1616 and the fatherless, H3490 and the widow, H490 which are within thy gates, H8179 shall come, H935 and shall eat H398 and be satisfied; H7646 that the LORD H3068 thy God H430 may bless H1288 thee in all the work H4639 of thine hand H3027 which thou doest. H6213
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Deuteronomy 14
Commentary on Deuteronomy 14 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The Israelites were not only to suffer no idolatry to rise up in their midst, but in all their walk of life to show themselves as a holy nation of the Lord; and neither to disfigure their bodies by passionate expressions of sorrow for the dead (Deuteronomy 14:1 and Deuteronomy 14:2), nor to defile themselves by unclean food (vv. 3-21). Both of these were opposed to their calling. To bring this to their mind, Moses introduces the laws which follow with the words, “ye are children to the Lord your God.” The divine sonship of Israel was founded upon its election and calling as the holy nation of Jehovah, which is regarded in the Old Testament not as generation by the Spirit of God, but simply as an adoption springing out of the free love of God, as the manifestation of paternal love on the part of Jehovah to Israel, which binds the son to obedience, reverence, and childlike trust towards a Creator and Father, who would train it up into a holy people. The laws in Deuteronomy 14:1 are simply a repetition of Leviticus 19:28 and Leviticus 21:5. למת , with reference to, or on account of, a dead person, is more expressive than לנפשׁ (for a soul) in Leviticus 19:28. The reason assigned for this command in Deuteronomy 14:2 (as in Deuteronomy 7:6) is simply an emphatic elucidation of the first clause of Deuteronomy 14:1. (On the substance of the verse, see Exodus 19:5-6).
With reference to food, the Israelites were to eat nothing whatever that was abominable. In explanation of this prohibition, the laws of Lev 11 relating to clean and unclean animals are repeated in all essential points in vv. 4-20 (for the exposition, see at Lev 11); also in Deuteronomy 14:21 the prohibition against eating any animal that had fallen down dead (as in Exodus 32:30 and Leviticus 17:15), and against boiling a kid in its mother's milk (as in Exodus 23:19).
As the Israelites were to sanctify their food, on the one hand, positively by abstinence from everything unclean, so were they, on the other hand, to do so negatively by delivering the tithes and firstlings at the place where the Lord would cause His name to dwell, and by holding festal meals on the occasion, and rejoicing there before Jehovah their God. This law is introduced with the general precept, “ Thou shalt tithe all the produce of thy seed which groweth out of the field ( יצא construes with an accusative, as in Genesis 9:10, etc.) year by year ” ( שׁנה שׁנה , i.e., every year; cf. Ewald , §313, a .), which recalls the earlier laws concerning the tithe (Leviticus 27:30, and Numbers 18:21, Numbers 18:26.), without repeating them one by one, for the purpose of linking on the injunction to celebrate sacrificial meals at the sanctuary from the tithes and firstlings. Moses had already directed (Deuteronomy 12:6.) that all the sacrificial meals should take place at the sanctuary, and had then alluded to the sacrificial meals to be prepared from the tithes, though only causally, because he intended to speak of them more fully afterwards. This he does here, and includes the firstlings also, inasmuch as the presentation of them was generally associated with that of the tithes, though only causally, as he intends to revert to the firstlings again, which he does in Deuteronomy 15:19. The connection between the tithes of the fruits of the ground and the firstlings of the cattle which were devoted to the sacrificial meals, and the tithes and first-fruits which were to be delivered to the Levites and priests, we have already discussed at Deut 12. The sacrificial meals were to be held before the Lord, in the place where He caused His name to dwell (see at Deuteronomy 12:5), that Israel might learn to fear Jehovah its God always; not, however, as Schultz supposes, that by the confession of its dependence upon Him it might accustom itself more and more to the feeling of dependence. For the fear of the Lord is not merely a feeling of dependence upon Him, but also includes the notion of divine blessedness, which is the predominant idea here, as the sacrificial meals were to furnish the occasion and object of the rejoicing before the Lord. The true meaning therefore is, that Israel might rejoice with holy reverence in the fellowship of its God.
In the land of Canaan, however, where the people would be scattered over a great extent of country, there would be many for whom the fulfilment of this command would be very difficult-would, in fact, appear almost impossible. To meet this difficulty, permission was given for those who lived at a great distance from the sanctuary to sell the tithes at home, provided they could not convey them in kind, and then to spend the money so obtained in the purchase of the things required for the sacrificial meals at the place of the sanctuary. ממּך ירבּה כּי , “ if the way be too great (too far) for thee ,” etc., sc., for the delivery of the tithe. The parenthetical clause, “if Jehovah thy God shall bless thee,” hardly means “if He shall extend thy territory” ( Knobel ), but if He shall bless thee by plentiful produce from the field and the cattle.
“ Turn it into money ,” lit., “give it up for silver,” sc., the produce of the tithe; “and bind the silver in thy hand,” const. praegnans for “bind it in a purse and take it in thy hand...and give the silver for all that thy soul desireth, for oxen and small cattle, for wine and strong drink,” to hold a joyous meal, to which the Levite was also to be invited (as in Deuteronomy 12:12, Deuteronomy 12:18, and Deuteronomy 12:19).
Every third year, on the other hand, they were to separate the whole of the tithe from the year's produce (“bring forth,” sc., from the granary), and leaven it in their gates (i.e., their towns), and feed the Levites, the strangers, and the widows and orphans with it. They were not to take it to the sanctuary, therefore; but according to Deuteronomy 26:12., after bringing it out, were to make confession to the Lord of what they had done, and pray for His blessing. “ At the end of three years: ” i.e., when the third year, namely the civil year, which closed with the harvest (see at Exodus 23:16), had come to an end. This regulation as to the time was founded upon the observance of the sabbatical year, as we may see from Deuteronomy 15:1, where the seventh year is no other than the sabbatical year. Twice, therefore, within the period of a sabbatical year, namely in the third and sixth years, the tithe set apart for a sacrificial meal was not to be eaten at the sanctuary, but to be used in the different towns of the land in providing festal meals for those who had no possessions, viz., the Levites, strangers, widows, and orphans. Consequently this tithe cannot properly be called the “third tithe,” as it is by many of the Rabbins, but rather the “poor tithe,” as it was simply in the way of applying it that it differed from the “ second” (see Hottinger, de decimies, exerc. viii. pp. 182ff., and my Arch