Deuteronomy 14 Study Notes
General
According to 14:21, what may an Israelite do with an animal that died on its own, and why may he not eat it?
Answer: Give or sell it to an outsider, since Israel is set apart as holy
An animal found already dead was not to be eaten by an Israelite. Instead it could be given to a foreigner living among them or sold to an outsider, who was free to eat it (14:21). The reason is stated in the same verse: Israel belongs to God as a people set apart. Holy means set apart for God. This shows that the food laws marked Israel's distinct calling as God's people, rather than being a rule for all humanity, for God had separated Israel from other peoples as His own (Leviticus 20:26). In Christ that distinction is removed: Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and God taught Peter not to call impure what He has cleansed (Acts 10:15).
- Deuteronomy 14:21 (BSB)“You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”An animal that died of itself may go to a foreigner, because Israel is holy to the LORD.
- Leviticus 20:26 (BSB)“You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.”God set Israel apart from the nations to be His own, which the food laws marked.
- Mark 7:19 (BSB)“because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)”Jesus declared all foods clean, removing the food distinction.
- Acts 10:15 (BSB)“The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.””Peter learned not to call impure what God has made clean.
Theological
What does 14:21 prescribe for an animal that dies of itself, and what reason does it give?
Answer: It may go to a foreigner by gift or sale, because Israel is holy
Deuteronomy 14:21 forbids Israel to eat an animal that died of itself but permits giving it to the resident foreigner or selling it to an outsider. The stated ground is Israel's holiness as the LORD's people. The food laws were thus covenant boundary markers distinguishing Israel from the nations (Leviticus 20:26), not universal moral law. With the coming of Christ the boundary is removed: Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and Peter's vision taught that what God has cleansed is not to be called impure (Acts 10:15).
- Deuteronomy 14:21 (BSB)“You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”An animal that died of itself may go to a foreigner, because Israel is holy to the LORD.
- Leviticus 20:26 (BSB)“You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.”God set Israel apart from the nations to be His own, which the food laws marked.
- Mark 7:19 (BSB)“because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)”Jesus declared all foods clean, removing the food distinction.
- Acts 10:15 (BSB)“The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.””Peter learned not to call impure what God has made clean.
General
According to 14:2, how did Israel come to be the LORD's prized possession?
Answer: The LORD Himself chose them from among every nation
Before any food law is given, Moses states Israel's identity: they are set apart as holy, and God has chosen them out of all nations to be His treasured possession (14:2). The obedience that follows is the response of a people already chosen, not the way they became God's people. Deuteronomy explains that God set His love on Israel not because they were many but simply because He loved them and kept His oath (7:7-8). The same language of a chosen and holy nation owned by God is applied to believers in Christ (1 Peter 2:9), and Paul says God chose His people in Christ before the world was made, so that they would be holy (Ephesians 1:4). Israel's election, meaning God's choice by grace, was the choosing of a nation for covenant privilege, but the same pattern holds in Christ: God's gracious choice comes first, and holiness follows as its purpose.
- Deuteronomy 14:2 (BSB)“for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.”Before the food laws, Moses restates Israel's identity as God's chosen people.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God chose Israel not for their size but because He loved them and kept His oath.
- 1 Peter 2:9 (BSB)“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”The language of a chosen, holy people belonging to God is applied to believers in Christ.
- Ephesians 1:4 (BSB)“For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love”God chose His people in Christ before creation, with holiness as the goal.
Theological
What does 14:2 identify as the ground of Israel's status as the LORD's treasured possession?
Answer: The LORD's sovereign choice of them out of all nations
Deuteronomy 14:2 grounds Israel's holiness and treasured status in the LORD's election. The dietary laws follow as the expression of a status already conferred, not as its condition. Deuteronomy traces this election to God's unmerited love and covenant oath rather than to Israel's size (7:7-8). This is the national election of Israel to covenant privilege, but the same grace-not-merit pattern underlies election in Christ: Peter applies the language of a chosen, holy people to the church (1 Peter 2:9), and Paul teaches that God chose His people in Christ before creation unto holiness (Ephesians 1:4).
- Deuteronomy 14:2 (BSB)“for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.”Before the food laws, Moses restates Israel's identity as God's chosen people.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God chose Israel not for their size but because He loved them and kept His oath.
- 1 Peter 2:9 (BSB)“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”The language of a chosen, holy people belonging to God is applied to believers in Christ.
- Ephesians 1:4 (BSB)“For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love”God chose His people in Christ before creation, with holiness as the goal.
General
Which creatures from seas and rivers does 14:9 permit Israel to eat?
Answer: Those that have both fins and scales
For water creatures, the test is simple: anything with both fins and scales may be eaten, and anything lacking either is unclean (14:9-10). Birds, by contrast, are handled by naming the forbidden kinds one by one rather than by giving a physical test (14:11-18), and every winged insect is forbidden (14:19). Leviticus gives the same rule for water creatures and also lists the forbidden birds by name (Leviticus 11:9; 11:13-19). As with the land animals, the chapter's stated reason is Israel's holiness as God's people (14:21).
- Deuteronomy 14:9-10 (BSB)“Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales, but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.”Moses gives the test for creatures that live in the water.
- Leviticus 11:9 (BSB)“Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat anything with fins and scales.”Leviticus gives the same test for water creatures.
- Leviticus 11:13-19 (BSB)“Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.”Leviticus likewise lists the forbidden birds by name rather than giving a physical test.
Theological
What criterion does 14:9-10 establish for aquatic creatures?
Answer: The possession of both fins and scales
Deuteronomy 14:9-10 permits aquatic creatures possessing both fins and scales and prohibits all others. Birds, by contrast, are regulated by an enumerated list of forbidden kinds rather than a criterion (14:11-18), and flying insects are excluded (14:19). Leviticus 11:9 gives the same aquatic criterion, and Leviticus 11:13-19 likewise enumerates the forbidden birds. The rationale throughout is Israel's consecration to the LORD (14:21).
- Deuteronomy 14:9-10 (BSB)“Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales, but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.”Moses gives the test for creatures that live in the water.
- Leviticus 11:9 (BSB)“Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat anything with fins and scales.”Leviticus gives the same test for water creatures.
- Leviticus 11:13-19 (BSB)“Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.”Leviticus likewise lists the forbidden birds by name rather than giving a physical test.
General
What two features in 14:6 mark a land animal as clean to eat?
Answer: A fully split hoof and chewing the cud
For land animals, Moses gives a two-part test: the animal must have a hoof split fully in two and must chew the cud (14:6). Clean means acceptable for Israel to eat; unclean means forbidden. Animals with only one of these features, such as the camel or the pig, were unclean (14:7-8). The chapter ties these laws to Israel's identity as a people set apart to the LORD (14:2, 21), the same ground Leviticus gives when it repeats the test (Leviticus 11:3, 44). In the New Testament, Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and Paul calls such food rules a shadow whose substance is found in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17).
- Deuteronomy 14:6 (BSB)“You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.”Moses gives the two-part test for clean land animals.
- Leviticus 11:3 (BSB)“You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.”Leviticus gives the same two-part test for land animals.
- Leviticus 11:44 (BSB)“For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.”Leviticus grounds the food laws in the call to be holy because God is holy.
- Mark 7:19 (BSB)“because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)”Jesus declared all foods clean.
- Colossians 2:16-17 (BSB)“Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.”Paul calls such regulations a shadow whose substance belongs to Christ.
Theological
What dual criterion does 14:6 establish for clean land animals?
Answer: A completely cloven hoof together with rumination
Deuteronomy 14:6 requires both a fully divided hoof and rumination; an animal meeting only one criterion, such as the camel or the pig, is unclean (14:7-8). The chapter grounds these distinctions in Israel's consecrated status (14:2, 21), as does the parallel legislation of Leviticus 11:3, 44. Under the new covenant Christ declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and Paul identifies such ordinances as a shadow of which Christ is the substance (Colossians 2:16-17).
- Deuteronomy 14:6 (BSB)“You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.”Moses gives the two-part test for clean land animals.
- Leviticus 11:3 (BSB)“You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.”Leviticus gives the same two-part test for land animals.
- Leviticus 11:44 (BSB)“For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.”Leviticus grounds the food laws in the call to be holy because God is holy.
- Mark 7:19 (BSB)“because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)”Jesus declared all foods clean.
- Colossians 2:16-17 (BSB)“Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.”Paul calls such regulations a shadow whose substance belongs to Christ.
General
True or False: According to 14:8, the pig is unclean because, although it chews the cud, it lacks a divided hoof.
Answer: False
This is false. It is the reverse: the pig's hoof is split, but it is not a cud-chewer (14:8). The camel, rabbit, and rock badger fail the test the other way, chewing the cud without the divided hoof (14:7). Because the pig meets only one of the two requirements, it was forbidden to Israel, who must neither eat its meat nor touch its dead body. Leviticus states the same rule (Leviticus 11:7). Later, God taught Peter in a vision not to call impure what God has cleansed (Acts 10:15), and Paul was fully convinced, as one who belongs to Christ, that no food is impure in its own nature (Romans 14:14).
- Deuteronomy 14:7-8 (BSB)“But of those that chew the cud or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.”Moses gives examples of animals that meet only one of the two requirements.
- Leviticus 11:7 (BSB)“And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.”Leviticus describes the pig the same way.
- Acts 10:15 (BSB)“The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.””In Peter's vision God declares that what He has cleansed must not be called impure.
- Romans 14:14 (BSB)“I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.”Paul is persuaded in the Lord Jesus that no food is unclean by nature.
Theological
True or False: 14:8 classifies the pig as unclean because it ruminates but lacks a cloven hoof.
Answer: False
This is false. The pig has the cloven hoof but does not ruminate (14:8), whereas the camel, rabbit, and rock badger ruminate without the divided hoof (14:7). Failing one criterion renders an animal unclean, and even contact with the pig's carcass was forbidden. Leviticus 11:7 gives the identical ruling. The new covenant abolishes the distinction: God cleanses what He once called unclean (Acts 10:15), and Paul affirms that no food is impure in its own nature (Romans 14:14).
- Deuteronomy 14:7-8 (BSB)“But of those that chew the cud or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.”Moses gives examples of animals that meet only one of the two requirements.
- Leviticus 11:7 (BSB)“And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.”Leviticus describes the pig the same way.
- Acts 10:15 (BSB)“The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.””In Peter's vision God declares that what He has cleansed must not be called impure.
- Romans 14:14 (BSB)“I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.”Paul is persuaded in the Lord Jesus that no food is unclean by nature.
General
In 14:1, what mourning practices does Moses forbid, and on what basis?
Answer: Gashing skin or shaving the forehead, since they are God's sons
Moses begins by reminding Israel who they are: God's own sons (14:1). Because of that relationship they must not gash their bodies or shave the front of their heads in mourning for someone who has died. The reason given is their identity: they are a people set apart as holy to God, chosen as His treasured possession (14:2; 7:6). Leviticus gives the same prohibition (Leviticus 19:28). God's people still grieve, but Paul says believers do not grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
- Deuteronomy 14:1 (BSB)“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,”Moses forbids certain mourning practices and reminds Israel whose sons they are.
- Leviticus 19:28 (BSB)“You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”Leviticus gives the same prohibition against cutting the body for the dead.
- Deuteronomy 7:6 (BSB)“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.”Moses used the same words earlier: Israel is holy to the LORD and chosen as His prized possession.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (BSB)“Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.”Believers still grieve, but with hope rather than as those who have none.
Theological
What does 14:1 prohibit in mourning, and what grounds the prohibition?
Answer: Self-laceration and shaving the forehead, grounded in sonship
Deuteronomy 14:1 grounds the prohibition of self-laceration and forehead-shaving for the dead in Israel's filial relationship to the LORD. Israel's conduct in grief flows from its identity as God's holy and elect people (14:2; 7:6), a prohibition already given in Leviticus 19:28. The New Testament does not forbid grief but transforms it: believers mourn in hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
- Deuteronomy 14:1 (BSB)“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,”Moses forbids certain mourning practices and reminds Israel whose sons they are.
- Leviticus 19:28 (BSB)“You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”Leviticus gives the same prohibition against cutting the body for the dead.
- Deuteronomy 7:6 (BSB)“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.”Moses used the same words earlier: Israel is holy to the LORD and chosen as His prized possession.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (BSB)“Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.”Believers still grieve, but with hope rather than as those who have none.
General
Every third year, who was to eat the tithe stored up in the towns?
Answer: Levites, resident outsiders, orphans, and widows
Every third year the tithe was handled differently. Instead of being eaten at the central place, it was stored in the local towns (14:28) so that the Levite, who had no land of his own, together with the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, could come and eat their fill (14:29). A Levite was a member of the tribe of Levi, set apart for service to God rather than given a territory. God promises to bless the work of the giver's hands. This care for the vulnerable reflects God's own character, for He defends the orphan and widow and loves the foreigner (10:18). Deuteronomy repeats the third-year tithe in 26:12, and James says pure religion includes looking after widows and orphans in their need (James 1:27).
- Deuteronomy 14:28-29 (BSB)“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates. Then the Levite (because he has no portion or inheritance among you), the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands.”Every third year the tithe is stored in the towns for those without land or support.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (BSB)“He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”God Himself defends the fatherless and widow and loves the foreigner.
- Deuteronomy 26:12 (BSB)“When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates.”Deuteronomy repeats the third-year tithe for the same recipients.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”James counts care for orphans and widows as part of pure religion.
Theological
Who are the designated recipients of the third-year tithe in 14:28-29?
Answer: Levites, sojourners, the fatherless, and widows
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 directs the third-year tithe to be stored locally for the landless Levite, the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow, with a promise of blessing on the giver's labor. The provision mirrors the LORD's own character as defender of the orphan and the widow and lover of the sojourner (10:18). The law is restated in 26:12, and James identifies care for widows and orphans as the mark of undefiled religion (James 1:27).
- Deuteronomy 14:28-29 (BSB)“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates. Then the Levite (because he has no portion or inheritance among you), the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands.”Every third year the tithe is stored in the towns for those without land or support.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (BSB)“He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”God Himself defends the fatherless and widow and loves the foreigner.
- Deuteronomy 26:12 (BSB)“When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates.”Deuteronomy repeats the third-year tithe for the same recipients.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”James counts care for orphans and widows as part of pure religion.
General
What did 14:24-26 allow if the place of worship was too far away to carry the tithe?
Answer: Selling it for money, then buying food and drink there to feast
God made provision for families who lived far from the central place of worship. They could exchange the tithe for money, carry the money, and at the chosen place spend it on whatever they wanted, such as cattle, sheep, wine, or strong drink (14:24-26). Then they were to feast before the LORD and rejoice with their household. The tithe here is a joyful meal of thanksgiving in God's presence, echoing the call to feast with gladness in 12:7 and the complete joy of the Feast of Tabernacles in 16:15. They were also not to forget the Levite in their town, a member of the tribe set apart for God's service, who had no land inheritance of his own (14:27; Numbers 18:24).
- Deuteronomy 14:24-26 (BSB)“But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away, then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household.”Those who lived far away could turn the tithe into money and buy what they wanted at the chosen place.
- Deuteronomy 12:7 (BSB)“There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”Worship at the chosen place is marked by eating and rejoicing with one's household.
- Deuteronomy 16:15 (BSB)“For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that your joy will be complete.”The Feast of Tabernacles at the chosen place was to be a time of complete joy.
- Numbers 18:24 (BSB)“For I have given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.””The Levites had no land inheritance because the tithes were their portion.
Theological
What concession does 14:24-26 grant when the chosen place is too distant to transport the tithe?
Answer: Conversion to money, then spending it there on a feast
Deuteronomy 14:24-26 permits the distant worshiper to convert the tithe into money and purchase at the chosen place whatever he desires for a feast before the LORD with his household. The tithe functions as a joyful covenant meal, consistent with the rejoicing commanded at the sanctuary (12:7) and at the Feast of Tabernacles (16:15). The Levite, who had no territorial inheritance and was sustained by the tithes, was not to be neglected (14:27; Numbers 18:24).
- Deuteronomy 14:24-26 (BSB)“But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away, then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household.”Those who lived far away could turn the tithe into money and buy what they wanted at the chosen place.
- Deuteronomy 12:7 (BSB)“There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”Worship at the chosen place is marked by eating and rejoicing with one's household.
- Deuteronomy 16:15 (BSB)“For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place He will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that your joy will be complete.”The Feast of Tabernacles at the chosen place was to be a time of complete joy.
- Numbers 18:24 (BSB)“For I have given to the Levites as their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.””The Levites had no land inheritance because the tithes were their portion.
General
According to 14:23, what purpose did eating the tithe in God's presence serve?
Answer: So Israel would learn to live in reverent awe of God
A tithe means a tenth. Israel was to reserve one tenth of each year's crops (14:22), and the tithe of grain, wine, and oil, along with the firstborn of herds and flocks, was to be eaten by the worshipers themselves in God's presence where He would choose to dwell by His Name (14:23; 12:17-18). The purpose is stated: that they would grow in reverence for the LORD at all times. A regular meal before God, enjoying what He had given, taught reverence. The king was likewise to read the law so that he would learn to fear God (17:19). Leviticus adds that the tithe of the land is holy, the LORD's own (Leviticus 27:30).
- Deuteronomy 14:22-23 (BSB)“You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields. And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”Israel sets aside a tenth each year and eats it before the LORD, with a stated purpose.
- Deuteronomy 12:17-18 (BSB)“Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do,”The tithe was to be eaten in God's presence at the chosen place, with rejoicing.
- Deuteronomy 17:19 (BSB)“It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes.”The king was to read the law for the same purpose of learning to fear the LORD.
- Leviticus 27:30 (BSB)“Thus any tithe from the land, whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.”The tithe of the land belongs to the LORD and is holy to Him.
Theological
What purpose does 14:23 attach to the tithe meal eaten before the LORD?
Answer: Training Israel in continual reverence for the LORD
Deuteronomy 14:22-23 requires an annual tenth of the produce, to be consumed with the firstlings by the worshipers in the LORD's presence at the chosen place (cf. 12:17-18). The stated purpose is pedagogical: that Israel might learn lifelong reverence for the LORD. Covenant fellowship around God's gifts forms reverence, just as the king's daily reading of the law was to teach him the fear of God (17:19). The tithe itself is holy, the LORD's own portion (Leviticus 27:30).
- Deuteronomy 14:22-23 (BSB)“You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields. And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”Israel sets aside a tenth each year and eats it before the LORD, with a stated purpose.
- Deuteronomy 12:17-18 (BSB)“Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do,”The tithe was to be eaten in God's presence at the chosen place, with rejoicing.
- Deuteronomy 17:19 (BSB)“It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes.”The king was to read the law for the same purpose of learning to fear the LORD.
- Leviticus 27:30 (BSB)“Thus any tithe from the land, whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.”The tithe of the land belongs to the LORD and is holy to Him.
General
True or False: Deuteronomy 14:21 forbids cooking a baby goat in the milk of its own mother, a command also found in Exodus.
Answer: True
This is true. The command closes the food laws (14:21) and appears twice in Exodus as well (Exodus 23:19; 34:26). Moses gives the command without spelling out its reason, and the chapter places all these food laws under Israel's calling as God's holy people.
- Deuteronomy 14:21 (BSB)“You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”The command about the young goat closes the food laws.
- Exodus 23:19 (BSB)“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”The same command appears in the Book of the Covenant.
- Exodus 34:26 (BSB)“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.””The command is repeated when the covenant is renewed after the golden calf.
Theological
True or False: The prohibition in 14:21 against cooking a kid in the milk of its mother repeats a command given twice in Exodus.
Answer: True
This is true. The prohibition appears in Exodus 23:19 and 34:26 and is repeated at the close of the dietary laws in Deuteronomy 14:21. No rationale is attached to it; it stands within the chapter's framework of Israel's consecration to the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 14:21 (BSB)“You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”The command about the young goat closes the food laws.
- Exodus 23:19 (BSB)“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”The same command appears in the Book of the Covenant.
- Exodus 34:26 (BSB)“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.””The command is repeated when the covenant is renewed after the golden calf.