Deuteronomy 14

Deuteronomy 14

The big picture

Deuteronomy 14 opens in verse 1 with “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 15 with “And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,”, and closes in verse 29 with “And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, gates, hoof, kind, place. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

Deuteronomy · King James Version · 29

Deuteronomy 14:1-8

1–8: Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves…

Deuteronomy 14:1–8 opens with “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness…” and reaches “And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 14 develops its own movement around LORD, gates, hoof, kind, place, with particular weight carried by hoof, LORD, beasts.

Context that brings the passage to life

“Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.” The line’s distinctive content terms include wild, chamois, deer. Its relationship to verses 4 and 6 shows what work it does in this passage.

Deuteronomy 14:1-8

King James Version

1Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

2For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

3Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

4These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

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

6And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.

7Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.

8And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

Deuteronomy 14:9-16

9–16: These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and…

Deuteronomy 14:9–16 opens with “These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:” and reaches “The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 14 develops its own movement around LORD, gates, hoof, kind, place, with particular weight carried by kind, fins, hawk.

Context that brings the passage to life

“These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

Deuteronomy 14:9-16

King James Version

9These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:

10And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.

11Of all clean birds ye shall eat.

12But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

13And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,

14And every raven after his kind,

15And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

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

Deuteronomy 14:17-24

17–24: The pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,

Deuteronomy 14:17–24 opens with “And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,” and reaches “And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 14 develops its own movement around LORD, gates, hoof, kind, place, with particular weight carried by LORD, place, choose.

Context that brings the passage to life

“And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,” The line’s distinctive content terms include cormorant, eagle, gier. Its relationship to verses 18 shows what work it does in this passage.

“And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

Deuteronomy 14:17-24

King James Version

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

18And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

19And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.

20But of all clean fowls ye may eat.

21Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

22Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

23And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

24And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

Deuteronomy 14:25-29

25–29: Shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and…

Deuteronomy 14:25–29 opens with “Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the…” and reaches “And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Deuteronomy 14 develops its own movement around LORD, gates, hoof, kind, place, with particular weight carried by gates, LORD, money.

Context that brings the passage to life

“Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for…” The verse names God rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.

Deuteronomy 14:25-29

King James Version

25Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:

26And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

27And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

28At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

29And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Details worth noticing

29verses in this reading
4major movements

The opening image

Deuteronomy 14:1 begins with “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.”

Where the chapter turns

Deuteronomy 14:12 forms a natural hinge: “But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,”

The final note

Deuteronomy 14:29 leaves the reader with “And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall…”

A word trail through the chapter

The words LORD, gates, hoof, kind, place, unclean help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.

What contrasts the two royal encounters?

Melchizedek blesses God as the source of victory; Abram refuses a financial arrangement that would let Sodom claim credit for his wealth.

How does Abram treat Lot after their separation?

He risks resources to rescue him rather than treating earlier disagreement as a reason for abandonment.

KJV words made clear

unto
to
thee
you
thou
you
thy
your
hath
has

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.