Deuteronomy Chapter 14

Updated: September 14, 2025

Clean and Unclean Animals

(Leviticus 11:1-47; Acts 10:9-16)

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.

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, 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.

Giving Tithes

(Leviticus 27:30-34; Deuteronomy 26:1-15; Nehemiah 13:10-14)

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: 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.

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Clean and Unclean Animals
(Leviticus 11:1–47; Acts 10:9–16)

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, and the goat, 5 the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the ibex, and 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, and 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: of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch.

9 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales may you eat; 10 and whatever doesn’t have fins and scales you shall not eat; 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, and the vulture, and the osprey, 13 and the red kite, and the falcon, and the kite after its kind, 14 and every raven after its kind, 15 and the ostrich, and the owl, and the seagull, 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 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.

Giving Tithes
(Leviticus 27:30–34; Deuteronomy 26:1–15; Nehemiah 13:10–14)

22 You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes forth from the field year by year. 23 You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he shall choose, 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 and you shall bestow 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 The Levite who is within your gates, you shall not forsake him; for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

28 At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall lay it up within your gates: 29 and 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.

Clean and Unclean Animals
(Leviticus 11:1–47; Acts 10:9–16)

1 You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead, 2 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.

3 You must not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals that you may eat: a

The ox, the sheep, the goat,

5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer,

the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope,

and the mountain sheep.

6 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.

7 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. b

Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, 8 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.

9 Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales, 10 but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.

11 You may eat any clean bird, 12 but these you may not eat:

the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,

13 the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite,

14 any kind of raven,

15 the ostrich, c the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,

16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,

17 the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant,

18 the stork, any kind of heron,

the hoopoe, or the bat.

19 All flying insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten. 20 But you may eat any clean bird.

21 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.

Giving Tithes
(Leviticus 27:30–34; Deuteronomy 26:1–15; Nehemiah 13:10–14)

22 You must be sure to set aside a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your fields. 23 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.

24 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, 25 then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 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. 27 And do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

28 At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates. 29 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.

Footnotes:

4 a The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.
7 b Or the coney  or the hyrax
15 c Literally the daughter of the ostrich  or the daughter of the owl

Clean and Unclean Animals

(Leviticus 11:1-47; Acts 10:9-16)

1Sons ye are to Jehovah your God; ye do not cut yourselves, nor make baldness between your eyes for the dead; 2for a holy people art thou to Jehovah thy God, and on thee hath Jehovah fixed to be to Him for a people, a peculiar treasure, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the ground.

3'Thou dost not eat any abominable thing; 4this is the beast which ye do eat: ox, lamb of the sheep, or kid of the goats, 5hart, and roe, and fallow deer, and wild goat, and pygarg, and wild ox, and chamois; 6and every beast dividing the hoof, and cleaving the cleft into two hoofs, bringing up the cud, among the beasts -- it ye do eat. 7Only, this ye do not eat, of those bringing up the cud, and of those dividing the cloven hoof: the camel, and the hare, and the rabbit, for they are bringing up the cud but the hoof have not divided; unclean they are to you; 8and the sow, for it is dividing the hoof, and not bringing up the cud, unclean it is to you; of their flesh ye do not eat, and against their carcase ye do not come.

9This ye do eat of all that are in the waters; all that hath fins and scales ye do eat; 10and anything which hath not fins and scales ye do not eat; unclean it is to you.

11'Any clean bird ye do eat; 12and these are they of which ye do not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 13and the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after its kind, 14and every raven after its kind; 15and the owl, and the night-hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after its kind; 16the little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, 17and the pelican, and the gier-eagle, and the cormorant, 18and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the lapwing, and the bat; 19and every teeming thing which is flying, unclean it is to you; they are not eaten; 20any clean fowl ye do eat.

21Ye do not eat of any carcase; to the sojourner who is within thy gates thou dost give it, and he hath eaten it; or sell it to a stranger; for a holy people thou art to Jehovah thy God; thou dost not boil a kid in its mother's milk.

Giving Tithes

(Leviticus 27:30-34; Deuteronomy 26:1-15; Nehemiah 13:10-14)

22'Thou dost certainly tithe all the increase of thy seed which the field is bringing forth year by year; 23and thou hast eaten before Jehovah thy God, in the place where He doth choose to cause His name to tabernacle, the tithe of thy corn, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd, and of thy flock, so that thou dost learn to fear Jehovah thy God all the days. 24'And when the way is too much for thee, that thou art not able to carry it -- when the place is too far off from thee which Jehovah thy God doth choose to put His name there, when Jehovah thy God doth bless thee; -- 25then thou hast given it in money, and hast bound up the money in thy hand, and gone unto the place on which Jehovah thy God doth fix; 26and thou hast given the money for any thing which thy soul desireth, for oxen, and for sheep, and for wine, and for strong drink, and for any thing which thy soul asketh, and thou hast eaten there before Jehovah thy God, and thou hast rejoiced, thou and thy house. 27As to the Levite who is within thy gates, thou dost not forsake him, for he hath no portion and inheritance with thee.

28At the end of three years thou dost bring out all the tithe of thine increase in that year, and hast placed it within thy gates; 29and come in hath the Levite (for he hath no part and inheritance with thee), and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within thy gates, and they have eaten, and been satisfied, so that Jehovah thy God doth bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou dost.

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The F.O.G Commentary

Deuteronomy 14 – Clean and Unclean: God’s Dinner Table Rules

What’s Deuteronomy 14 about?

This chapter lays out God’s dietary laws for Israel – what animals they can and can’t eat, plus instructions about tithing and caring for the poor. It’s basically God saying, “Here’s how to live as my holy people, from your dinner plate to your wallet.”

The Full Context

Picture this: Moses is giving his final speech to a generation of Israelites who are about to cross into the Promised Land. These aren’t the slaves who left Egypt – those folks died in the wilderness. This is their children, born free but raised on manna and quail for forty years. Now Moses needs to prepare them for life in a land flowing with milk and honey, surrounded by nations with very different ideas about food, worship, and community.

This chapter comes right after Moses reminds them they’re God’s “treasured possession” in Deuteronomy 14:2. The dietary laws aren’t arbitrary rules – they’re part of what makes Israel distinct from the Canaanites they’re about to live among. The chapter flows from food laws to tithing laws, showing how holiness touches everything from what’s on your plate to how you handle your harvest. It’s Moses saying, “Every meal, every transaction, every act of generosity is a chance to remember who you are and whose you are.”

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew word tamei (unclean) and tahor (clean) aren’t about hygiene – they’re about holiness. When God declares certain animals tamei, He’s not saying they’re dirty or diseased. He’s saying they don’t fit the pattern of what His people should eat.

Look at the criteria: land animals must both chew cud AND have split hooves. Fish must have both fins AND scales. It’s almost like God is saying, “I want you to eat creatures that are complete examples of their kind.” The pig has split hooves but doesn’t chew cud – incomplete. The rabbit chews cud but doesn’t have split hooves – also incomplete.

Grammar Geeks

The Hebrew verb ba’al pe’ah (chew the cud) literally means “bring up the cud.” Ancient Israelites would have watched these animals carefully – seeing cattle and sheep methodically re-chewing their food was a daily reminder of thoroughness and completion.

Here’s what gets interesting: the Hebrew word for “abomination” (to’evah) that appears in Deuteronomy 14:3 is the same word used for idolatrous practices. God isn’t just regulating diet – He’s protecting identity.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

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What is the F.O.G?

Imagine you’re an Israelite about to enter Canaan. Your new Canaanite neighbors are going to invite you over for dinner. They’ll serve pork (sacred to their fertility goddesses), shellfish (used in temple rituals), and birds of prey (associated with divination). Every “no thank you” becomes a declaration: “We’re different. We serve a different God.”

The dietary laws created natural boundaries. When you can’t eat what your neighbors eat, you can’t fully integrate into their religious and social systems. It’s brilliant, really – God used food to preserve His people’s distinctiveness.

Did You Know?

Archaeological evidence shows that ancient Israelite settlements can often be identified by the complete absence of pig bones in their refuse pits, while surrounding Canaanite sites are full of them. Even their garbage proclaimed their identity!

But notice something beautiful in Deuteronomy 14:21 – animals that die naturally can be given to foreigners or sold to them. God isn’t saying these animals are inherently evil. He’s saying they’re not appropriate for His covenant people. There’s a difference between “wrong for everyone” and “wrong for you because of who you are.”

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s where it gets puzzling: why these specific animals? Scholars have proposed health reasons – pork can carry trichinosis, shellfish can harbor toxins. But that doesn’t explain why the rabbit is forbidden (it’s perfectly safe to eat) or why birds of prey are off-limits.

Others suggest it’s about death symbolism – pigs roll in mud, vultures eat carrion, carnivorous animals consume blood. Maybe God wanted His people to avoid anything associated with death and decay since He is the God of life.

But honestly? The text doesn’t give us a detailed explanation, and maybe that’s the point. Sometimes obedience means trusting God’s wisdom even when we don’t fully understand His reasons.

Wait, That’s Strange…

Notice that Deuteronomy 14:21 specifically forbids boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk. This seems random until you realize this was a Canaanite fertility ritual. God is saying, “Don’t adopt their magical practices, even for cooking.”

How This Changes Everything

Here’s what blows my mind about this chapter: it’s not just about food – it’s about formation. Every meal becomes a teaching moment. Every grocery trip is a reminder of identity. Every dinner invitation is a chance to live out your values.

The tithing section that follows (Deuteronomy 14:22-29) shows the same principle. God doesn’t just want your diet – He wants your wallet, your celebrations, your care for the poor. He’s shaping a people who think differently about everything.

And here’s the beautiful part: every third year, the tithe goes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). The same God who sets you apart from the nations also makes you responsible for caring for the vulnerable among those nations.

“God doesn’t just want to change what you eat – He wants to change how you think about everything from your pantry to your purpose.”

This is holiness in action – distinct but not disconnected, separate but not selfish. You follow different dietary rules, but you share your abundance. You maintain your identity, but you care for outsiders.

Key Takeaway

God’s rules aren’t just about restriction – they’re about formation. Every boundary He sets is designed to shape you into the kind of person who naturally thinks about others, cares for the vulnerable, and lives with intentional gratitude.

Deuteronomy Chapter 14

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