Deuteronomy 14 Study Notes

14:1-2 The Canaanites and other heathen lamented their dead in all kinds of physical ways, including pulling out the hair and lacerating the body, perhaps to gain sympathy from the gods and thus a renewed sense of peace and equilibrium (1Kg 18:28; Jr 47:5; Hs 7:14). Israel, however, must not imitate these pagan practices (Lv 19:27-28). Having been chosen by God above all nations, they must live to reflect his glory and their own uniqueness as bearers of the covenant.

14:3 A detestable thing is anything that the Lord declares to be such, regardless of its nature or character. Whatever God deems to be holy (or acceptable) is, by virtue of his decision, to be viewed as holy. Likewise, what he states to be unholy is unholy because he said so.

14:4-21 This list of clean and unclean animals echoes Lv 11:1-23. Clean and unclean animals symbolize the division between Israel and the rest of the nations.

14:7 Camels, hares (similar to rabbits) and hyraxes (similar to badgers) are not technically ruminants, but the way they chew their food makes it appear that they chew the cud. In this and other cases the Bible reflects the prescientific custom of describing or classifying things by their everyday appearance and not according to exhaustive testing and observation. Rather than seeking to convey to the Hebrews scientific knowledge that would not be discovered until many centuries later, God simply accommodated their commonplace observations (i.e., that hares seemingly “chew the cud”). Such accommodation is an act of grace and love on God’s part, making his revelations comprehensible to the original audience.

14:21 Carcass here means any animal that had died naturally. The reason for the prohibition has to do again with the principle of holiness. God’s people were strictly forbidden to come in contact with the dead lest they become ritually impure (Lv 11:24-40). By eating a carcass they would compromise their status as a holy people belonging to the Lord.

14:22-29 Verses 22-27 contain instructions for the annual tithe, and vv. 28-29 instruct regarding the triennial tithe.

14:22 Paying the tenth is not a practice first instituted in the Mosaic law, but one adopted by that law and mandated as part of the regular worship of the Lord. When Abraham returned from his battle with the kings of the east, he paid Melchizedek a tenth of all he had (Gn 14:20). Likewise, Jacob, having encountered God at Bethel, promised him that if he returned safely from his journey to Haran, he would render to the Lord a tenth of his possessions (Gn 28:18-22). In the context of the Mosaic covenant, the Lord is viewed as the great King to whom tribute is due (Nm 23:21; 31:28).

14:23 Eating the tithe in the presence of the Lord your God would serve to remind Israel of the source of all their provisions.

14:24-25 Grace even in the midst of apparent legalism in the OT is clearly displayed in this concession to allow certain worshipers to offer money instead of animals or produce.

14:26 The practice of buying offerings continued into NT times but came to be abused by money changers who bought low and sold high, turning the sacred precincts of the temple into what Jesus called a “marketplace” (Jn 2:16).

14:27 This verse echoes 12:12,19.

14:28-29 In the absence of a “paid clergy” in ancient Israel, priests and Levites depended on the offerings of the people for their livelihood. Thus, every third year a tenth of all the produce must be stored up for distribution not only to the Levite, but to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow. The more the people cared for the less fortunate, the more they could expect the blessing of the Lord.