4 `this `is' the beast which ye do eat: ox, lamb of the sheep, or kid of the goats,
`Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, This `is' the beast which ye do eat out of all the beasts which `are' on the earth: any dividing a hoof, and cleaving the cleft of the hoofs, bringing up the cud, among the beasts, it ye do eat. `Only, this ye do not eat -- of those bringing up the cud, and of those dividing the hoof -- the camel, though it is bringing up the cud, yet the hoof not dividing -- it `is' unclean to you; and the rabbit, though it is bringing up the cud, yet the hoof it divideth not -- unclean it `is' to you; and the hare, though it is bringing up the cud, yet the hoof hath not divided -- unclean it `is' to you; and the sow, though it is dividing the hoof, and cleaving the cleft of the hoof, yet the cud it bringeth not up -- unclean it `is' to you. `Of their flesh ye do not eat, and against their carcase ye do not come -- unclean they `are' to you. `This ye do eat of all which `are' in the waters; any one that hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the brooks, them ye do eat; and any one that hath not fins and scales in the seas, and in the brooks, of any teeming creature of the waters, and of any creature which liveth, which `is' in the waters -- an abomination they `are' to you; yea, an abomination they are to you; of their flesh ye do not eat, and their carcase ye abominate. `Any one that hath not fins and scales in the waters -- an abomination it `is' to you. `And these ye do abominate of the fowl; they are not eaten, an abomination they `are': the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, and the vulture, and the kite after its kind, every raven after its kind, and the owl, and the night-hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after its kind, and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, and the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. `Every teeming creature which is flying, which is going on four -- an abomination it `is' to you. `Only -- this ye do eat of any teeming thing which is flying, which is going on four, which hath legs above its feet, to move with them on the earth; these of them ye do eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the beetle after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind; and every teeming thing which is flying, which hath four feet -- an abomination it `is' to you. `And by these ye are made unclean, any one who is coming against their carcase is unclean till the evening; and anyone who is lifting up `aught' of their carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean till the evening: -- even every beast which is dividing the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, and the cud is not bringing up -- unclean they `are' to you; any one who is coming against them is unclean. `And any one going on its paws, among all the beasts which are going on four -- unclean they `are' to you; any one who is coming against their carcase is unclean until the evening; and he who is lifting up their carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean until the evening -- unclean they `are' to you. `And this `is' to you the unclean among the teeming things which are teeming on the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after its kind, and the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole; these `are' the unclean to you among all which are teeming; any one who is coming against them in their death is unclean till the evening. `And anything on which any one of them falleth, in their death, is unclean, of any vessel of wood or garment or skin or sack, any vessel in which work is done is brought into water, and hath been unclean till the evening, then it hath been clean; and any earthen vessel, into the midst of which `any' one of them falleth, all that `is' in its midst is unclean, and it ye do break. `Of all the food which is eaten, that on which cometh `such' water, is unclean, and all drink which is drunk in any `such' vessel is unclean; and anything on which `any' of their carcase falleth is unclean (oven or double pots), it is broken down, unclean they `are', yea, unclean they are to you. `Only -- a fountain or pit, a collection of water, is clean, but that which is coming against their carcase is unclean; and when `any' of their carcase falleth on any sown seed which is sown -- it `is' clean; and when water is put on the seed, and `any' of its carcase hath fallen on it -- unclean it `is' to you. `And when any of the beasts which are to you for food dieth, he who is coming against its carcase is unclean till the evening; and he who is eating of its carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean till the evening; and he who is lifting up its carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean till the evening. `And every teeming thing which is teeming on the earth is an abomination, it is not eaten; any thing going on the belly, and any going on four, unto every multiplier of feet, to every teeming thing which is teeming on the earth -- ye do not eat them, for they `are' an abomination; ye do not make yourselves abominable with any teeming thing which is teeming, nor do ye make yourselves unclean with them, so that ye have been unclean thereby. `For I `am' Jehovah your God, and ye have sanctified yourselves, and ye have been holy, for I `am' holy; and ye do not defile your persons with any teeming thing which is creeping on the earth; for I `am' Jehovah who am bringing you up out of the land of Egypt to become your God; and ye have been holy, for I `am' holy.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 14
Commentary on Deuteronomy 14 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 14
De 14:1, 2. God's People Must Not Disfigure Themselves in Mourning.
1. ye shall not cut yourselves … for the dead—It was a common practice of idolaters, both on ceremonious occasions of their worship (1Ki 18:28), and at funerals (compare Jer 16:6; 41:5), to make ghastly incisions on their faces and other parts of their persons with their finger nails or sharp instruments. The making a large bare space between the eyebrows was another heathen custom in honor of the dead (see on Le 19:27, 28; Le 21:5). Such indecorous and degrading usages, being extravagant and unnatural expressions of hopeless sorrow (1Th 4:13), were to be carefully avoided by the Israelites, as derogatory to the character, and inconsistent with the position, of those who were the people of God [De 14:2].
De 14:3-21. What May Be Eaten, and What Not.
3. Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing—that is, anything forbidden as unclean (see on Le 11:1).
De 14:4-8. Of Beasts.
5. The hart—(see on De 12:15).
fallow deer—The Hebrew word (Jachmur) so rendered, does not represent the fallow deer, which is unknown in Western Asia, but an antelope (Oryx leucoryx), called by the Arabs, jazmar. It is of a white color, black at the extremities, and a bright red on the thighs. It was used at Solomon's table.
wild goat—The word akko is different from that commonly used for a wild goat (1Sa 24:2; Ps 104:18; Pr 5:19), and it is supposed to be a goat-deer, having the body of a stag, but the head, horns, and beard of a goat. An animal of this sort is found in the East, and called Lerwee [Shaw, Travels].
pygarg—a species of antelope (Oryx addax) with white buttocks, wreathed horns two feet in length, and standing about three feet seven inches high at the shoulders. It is common in the tracks which the Israelites had frequented [Shaw].
wild ox—supposed to be the Nubian Oryx, which differs from the Oryx leucoryx (formerly mentioned) by its black color; and it is, moreover, of larger stature and more slender frame, with longer and more curved horns. It is called Bekkar-El-Wash by the Arabs.
chamois—rendered by the Septuagint Cameleopard; but, by others who rightly judge it must have been an animal more familiar to the Hebrews, it is thought to be the Kebsch (Ovis tragelaphus), rather larger than a common sheep, covered not with wool, but with reddish hair—a Syrian sheep-goat.
De 14:11-20. Of Birds.
11-20. Of all clean birds ye shall eat—(See on Le 11:21).
13. glede—thought to be the same as that rendered vulture ( see on Le 11:14).
15. the cuckow—more probably the sea-gull. [See on Le 11:16].
16. the swan—rather, the goose [Michaelis]. [See on Le 11:18].
17. gier eagle—The Hebrew word Rachemah is manifestly identical with Rachamah, the name which the Arabs give to the common vulture of Western Asia and Egypt (Neophron percnopterus). [See on Le 11:18].
cormorant—rather, the plungeon; a seafowl. [See on Le 11:17].
18. the lapwing—the upupa or hoop: a beautiful bird, but of the most unclean habits. [See on Le 11:19].
21. Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself—(See on Le 17:15; Le 22:8).
thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates—not a proselyte, for he, as well as an Israelite, was subject to this law; but a heathen traveller or sojourner.
Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk—This is the third place in which the prohibition is repeated [Ex 23:19; 34:26]. It was pointed against an annual pagan ceremony (see on Ex 23:19; Ex 34:26).
[De 14:22-29. Law of the Tithe].
22-27. Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed—The dedication of a tenth part of the year's produce in everything was then a religious duty. It was to be brought as an offering to the sanctuary; and, where distance prevented its being taken in kind, it was by this statute convertible into money.
28, 29. At the end of three years … the Levite … shall come, &c.—The Levites having no inheritance like the other tribes, the Israelites were not to forget them, but honestly to tithe their increase [Nu 18:24]. Besides the tenth of all the land produce, they had forty-eight cities, with the surrounding grounds [Nu 35:7], "the best of the land," and a certain proportion of the sacrifices as their allotted perquisites. They had, therefore, if not an affluent, yet a comfortable and independent, fund for their support.