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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:1-21

Moses here tells the people of Israel, I. How God had dignified them, as a peculiar people, with three distinguishing privileges, which were their honour, and figures of those spiritual blessings in heavenly things with which God has in Christ blessed us. 1. Here is election: The Lord hath chosen thee, Deut. 14:2. Not for their own merit, nor for any good works foreseen, but because he would magnify the riches of his power and grace among them. He did not choose them because they were by their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:1

Ye are the children of the Lord your God ,.... Some of them were so by the special grace of adoption, and all of them by national adoption; which was the peculiar privilege of the people of Israel, and laid them under great obligation to honour and obey the Lord their God, who stood in the relation of a father to them, and they of children to him, Malachi 1:6 . The Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it "beloved children"; so the apostle calls the saints; the "dear children of God", who... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:2

For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God ,.... Set apart by him from all other people, and devoted to his worship and service, and many of them were sanctified and made holy in a special and spiritual sense; and therefore should not conform to the customs of Gentiles, whether in their extravagant mourning for the dead, or in their religious services; see Deuteronomy 7:6 , and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people, above all the nations that are upon the earth ;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:3

Thou shall not eat any abominable thing. That is so either in its own nature, or because forbidden by the Lord; what are such are declared in the following verses. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:4

These are the beasts which they shall eat ,.... That is, which they might lawfully eat of, which were allowed for their food; for they were not obliged to eat of them if they did not choose it: the ox, the sheep, and the goat ; which were creatures used in sacrifice, and the only ones, yet nevertheless they might be used for food if chosen. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:5

The hart, the roebuck, and the fallow deer ,.... All of the deer kind, and very agreeable food; harts were very common in the land of Canaan and parts adjacent; Aelianus says F21 Hist. Animal. l. 5. c. 56. harts are bred in the great mountains in Syria, Amanus, Lebanon, and Carmel: the roebuck, or "dorcas", from whence a good woman had her name, Acts 9:36 is spoken of by Martial F23 "Delicium parvo", &c.; Epigram. l. 13. 93. as very delicious food, and so are fallow deer;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:6-8

And every beast that parted the hoof ,.... In this and the two following verses two general rules are given, by which it might be known what beasts were fit for food and what not; one is if they parted the hoof, and the other if they chewed the cud, such might be eaten; but such that only chewed the cud, but did not divide the hoof, as the camel, hare, and coney, might not be eaten; and so if they divided the hoof, and did not chew the cud, as the swine, they were alike unlawful; See Gill on... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:9-10

These ye shall eat of, all that are in the waters ,.... The fishes there, even such as have fins and scales, but they that have not were not to be eaten: See Gill on Leviticus 11:9 , Leviticus 11:10 , Leviticus 11:11 , Leviticus 11:12 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:11

Of all clean birds ye shall eat. Which the Targum of Jonathan describes, everyone that has a craw, and whose crop is naked, and has a superfluous talon, and is not rapacious; but such as are unclean are expressed by name in the following verses, so that all except them might be reckoned clean and fit for food. Maimonides F16 Hilchot. Maacolot Asurot, c. 1. sect. 14. observes, that only the number of the unclean are reckoned, so that all the rest are free. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:12-18

But these are they of which they shall not eat ,.... Jarchi observes, that the unclean birds are particularly mentioned, to teach that the clean sort are more than the unclean, and therefore the particulars of the fewest are given: these are all the same names as in Leviticus 11:13 , excepting one, "the glede", Deuteronomy 14:13 which is a kind of kite or puttock; the Jerusalem Targum renders it the vulture, and the Targum of Jonathan the white "dayetha" or vulture; and Aristotle says ... read more

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