Deuteronomy 14:11-29

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:22-29

We have here a part of the statute concerning tithes. The productions of the ground were twice tithed, so that, putting both together, a fifth part was devoted to God out of their increase, and only four parts of five were for their own common use; and they could not but own they paid an easy rent, especially since God's part was disposed of to their own benefit and advantage. The first tithe was for the maintenance of their Levites, who taught them the good knowledge of God, and ministered to... 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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:19

And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean ,.... Which the Targum of Jonathan thus paraphrases;"all flies and wasps (or hornets), and worms of lentiles and of beans, which are separated from food, and fly as birds, they are unclean;'See Gill on Leviticus 11:20 ; see Gill on Leviticus 11:21 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:20

But of all clean fowls ye may eat. Even of all fowls, but those before excepted; Aben Ezra instances in the locust, as being a clean fowl, that might be eaten; and so the Targum of Jonathan is"every clean locust ye may eat;'see Leviticus 11:22 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:21

Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself ,.... This law is repeated from Leviticus 17:15 ; see Gill on Leviticus 17:15 , thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it ; not to the proselyte of righteousness, for he might not eat of it any more than an Israelite, and if he did, he was obliged to wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and was unclean until the evening, as in Leviticus 17:15 but to a proselyte of the gate, who took upon... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:22

Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed ,.... This was a different tithe from that which was made and given to the Levites, and out of which a tithe was taken and given to the priests, and which they only ate of; but this, as appears by the following verse, was what the owners themselves ate of, and so the tithing was left to be made by them themselves, and which they were to be sure to make, and to make it truly and faithfully: that the field bringeth forth year by year ;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:23

And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there ,.... See Deuteronomy 12:5 there the tithe of all the fruits of the earth was to be eaten; this is the second tithe, as the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi, and which is more particularly described as follows: the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil : see Deuteronomy 12:7 , and the firstlings of thine herds, and of thy flocks ; of which see the note on the above... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 14:24

And if the way be too long for thee ,.... The way from the place where any Israelite might live: to carry it ; the tithe and the firstlings, it would be too expensive or too troublesome in any way that could be devised: or if the place shall be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there ; which by the event appeared to be the city of Jerusalem, and this from some parts of the land of Canaan was very distant: when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee... read more

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