Deuteronomy 14: A Holy People, A Generous Table
Israel's identity as God's chosen children shapes how she mourns, what she eats, and how her tithes provide for the Levite, the stranger, and the poor.
Deuteronomy 14 (WEB)
1 You are the children of Yahweh your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
2 For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
3 You shall not eat any abominable thing.
4 These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the chamois.
6 Every animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof cloven in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that may you eat.
7 Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof cloven: the camel, the hare, and the rabbit. Because they chew the cud but don’t part the hoof, they are unclean to you.
8 The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses.
9 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales may you eat.
10 You shall not eat whatever doesn’t have fins and scales. It is unclean to you.
11 Of all clean birds you may eat.
12 But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,
13 the red kite, the falcon, the kite after its kind,
14 every raven after its kind,
15 the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the hawk after its kind,
16 the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl,
17 the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant,
18 the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
19 All winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten.
20 Of all clean birds you may eat.
21 You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
22 You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year.
23 You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he chooses, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.
24 If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, because the place is too far from you, which Yahweh your God shall choose, to set his name there, when Yahweh your God shall bless you;
25 then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose.
26 You shall trade the money for whatever your soul desires, for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you; and you shall eat there before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
28 At the end of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall store it within your gates.
29 The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Deuteronomy 14 (KJV)
1 Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
2 For 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.
3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,
5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.
7 Nevertheless 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.
8 And 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.
9 These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:
10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.
11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat.
12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,
14 And every raven after his kind,
15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,
18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
19 And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat.
21 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 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.
22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
23 And 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.
24 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, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:
25 Then 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:
26 And 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,
27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
28 At 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:
29 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 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.
Deuteronomy 14 (ASV)
1 Ye are the children of Jehovah your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
2 For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God, and Jehovah hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
4 These are the beasts which ye may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,
5 the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the antelope, and the chamois.
6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and hath the hoof cloven in two, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat.
7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the coney; because they chew the cud but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you.
8 And the swine, because he parteth the hoof but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you: of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch.
9 These ye may eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales may ye eat;
10 and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye shall not eat; it is unclean unto you.
11 Of all clean birds ye may eat.
12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the ospray,
13 and the glede, and the falcon, and the kite after its kind,
14 and every raven after its kind,
15 and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kind,
16 the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl,
17 and the pelican, and the vulture, and the cormorant,
18 and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
19 And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
20 Of all clean birds ye may eat.
21 Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou mayest give it unto the sojourner that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner: for thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
22 Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year.
23 And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God always.
24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee;
25 then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose:
26 and thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household.
27 And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.
28 At the end of every three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
29 and the Levite, because he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest.
Summary
Moses grounds a series of laws in a single stunning identity: “You are the children of Yahweh your God” (14:1). Because they belong to a holy God who chose them as his treasured possession, Israel is not to mourn the dead with the self-mutilation of the surrounding nations. They are then given lists of clean and unclean animals, fish, and birds, marking out their daily eating as set apart from the peoples around them. Even the kitchen becomes a place where holiness is remembered. The chapter turns to the tithe—a tenth of grain, wine, oil, and firstborn animals—to be eaten before the Lord at the place he chooses, teaching the people to fear him always. When the journey is long, the tithe may be turned into money and joyfully spent there in feasting before God. Israel is warned not to forsake the Levite, who has no inheritance among them. Every third year the tithe is stored locally so that the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow may come and eat and be satisfied. Holiness, in this chapter, is not cold separation but a chosen people whose distinct life overflows in worship and open-handed care for the vulnerable.
Key Figures
- Israel, the children of God — A holy people chosen as God's own possession, whose distinct identity shapes their mourning, eating, worship, and generosity.
- The Levite — The servant of the sanctuary who has no portion or inheritance and must not be forsaken, sustained by the tithes of his brothers.
- The foreigner, fatherless, and widow — The vulnerable within Israel's gates, deliberately included at the table of the third-year tithe so that they may eat and be satisfied.
Key Verse
Deuteronomy 14:2 (WEB)
For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Lessons Learned
- Our identity as God's chosen children is the foundation for every command about how we live.
- Holiness reaches into ordinary life—even what we eat—reminding us daily that we belong to God.
- Worship before God is meant to be joyful, marked by feasting and gladness, not mere obligation.
- A truly holy people makes deliberate room at the table for the Levite, the stranger, and the poor.
- Belonging to God comes before behaving for God. “You are the children of Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1, WEB). The commands flow from a settled identity, not the other way around.
- Holiness touches the everyday. The dietary laws mean Israel cannot eat a single meal without remembering she is “a holy people to Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 14:2, WEB).
- Worship should be glad, not grudging. At the place God chooses, “you shall eat there before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household” (Deuteronomy 14:26, WEB).
- Generosity is built into God's economy. The third-year tithe ensures the Levite, foreigner, fatherless, and widow “shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied” (Deuteronomy 14:29, WEB), with God's blessing attached.
- How does verse 1-2 set the foundation for everything else in the chapter?
- What might it teach a people to remember holiness even in their ordinary eating?
- Why does God want the tithe associated with feasting and rejoicing (14:26)?
- What does the provision for the Levite, foreigner, fatherless, and widow reveal about God's heart (14:27-29)?
- Where might God be inviting you to let your sense of belonging to him reshape an everyday habit or your generosity?
- Verses 1-2 declare Israel God's beloved children and chosen possession before a single rule is given. Identity grounds obedience: they live distinctly not to earn God's love but because they already have it. The same order shapes Christian living—we obey from belonging, not for it.
- By marking certain foods clean and unclean, God ensures that even a meal recalls Israel's calling to be set apart. Daily, tangible reminders keep holiness from drifting into abstraction. The aim is a whole life saturated with awareness of God.
- God ties worship to joy so that fearing him (14:23) is never sour or merely dutiful. The feast pictures fellowship and gladness in his presence, teaching that reverence and delight belong together.
- It shows that God measures holiness partly by how the powerless are cared for. The tithe is not only worship upward but provision outward, ensuring the landless and the vulnerable are satisfied. God's people reflect his character when no one at their table goes hungry.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to pick one ordinary area—a meal, a budget, a habit—and let their identity as God's children reshape it. As leader, keep the tone warm and inviting rather than burdensome.