Deuteronomy 14

“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.

“For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

“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.

“These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“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.

“And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“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.

“And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.” The line’s distinctive content terms include fins, scales, unclean. Its relationship to verses 9 and 11 shows what work it does in this passage.

“Of all clean birds ye shall eat.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,” The line’s distinctive content terms include glede, kind, kite. Its relationship to verses 12 and 14 shows what work it does in this passage.

“And every raven after his kind,” The line’s distinctive content terms include kind, raven. Its relationship to verses 13 and 15 shows what work it does in this passage.

“And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,” The line’s distinctive content terms include hawk, cuckow, kind. Its relationship to verses 14 and 16 shows what work it does in this passage.

“The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,” The line’s distinctive content terms include little, swan. Its relationship to verses 15 shows what work it does in this passage.

“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 the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.” The line’s distinctive content terms include heron, kind, lapwing. Its relationship to verses 17 and 19 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.

“But of all clean fowls ye may eat.” The line’s distinctive content terms include clean, fowls. Its relationship to verses 19 and 21 shows what work it does in this passage.

“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.

“Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“And 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…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“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.

“And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.” Naming Levite keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up…” The number three makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

“And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.