Deuteronomy 14:1

Deuteronomy 14:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
• New International Version (NIV)You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead,
• English Standard Version (ESV)"You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“You are the children of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead.

Context of Deuteronomy 14:1

“You are the sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead, 2for you are a holy people [set apart] to the Lord your God; and the Lord has chosen you out of all the peoples who are on the earth to be a people for His own possession. 3“You shall not eat anything that is detestable [to the Lord and forbidden by Him].

Deuteronomy 14:1 word by word

בָּנִ֣ים אַתֶּ֔ם לַֽיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם לֹ֣א תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ וְלֹֽא־תָשִׂ֧ימוּ קָרְחָ֛ה בֵּ֥ין עֵינֵיכֶ֖ם לָמֵֽת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• your Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• ye shall not cutגָּדַדgâdad · to cutH1413
• yourselves, nor makeשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• any baldnessקׇרְחָהqorchâh qorchâ' · bald spotH7144
• between your eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• for the deadמוּתmûth · to dieH4191

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 14:1

• Genesis 6:2that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and desirable; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose and desired.
• Exodus 4:22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
• Psalms 82:6I said, “You are gods; Indeed, all of you are sons of the Most High.
• Jeremiah 3:19“Then I said, ‘How [gloriously and honorably] I would set you among My children And give you a pleasant land—a wonderful heritage, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father And not turn away from following Me.’
• Hosea 1:10Yet the number of the sons of Israel Shall be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” It will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.”
• John 1:12But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—
• John 11:52and not only for the nation, but also for the purpose of gathering together into one body the children of God who have been scattered abroad.
• Romans 8:16The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God.
• Romans 9:8That is, it is not the children of the body [Abraham’s natural descendants] who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as [Abraham’s true] descendants.
• 2 Corinthians 6:18And I will be a Father to you, And you will be My sons and daughters,” Says the Lord Almighty.
• Galatians 3:26For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus.
• Hebrews 2:10For it was fitting for God [that is, an act worthy of His divine nature] that He, for whose sake are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the author and founder of their salvation perfect through suffering [bringing to maturity the human experience necessary for Him to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest].
• 1 John 3:1See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
• 1 John 5:2By this we know [without any doubt] that we love the children of God: [expressing that love] when we love God and obey His commandments.
• Leviticus 19:27You shall not trim and round off the side-growth of [the hair on] your heads, nor mar the edges of your beard.
• Leviticus 21:5The priests shall not shave their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts in their body.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 14:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Ye are the children of the Lord - The very highest character that can be conferred on any created beings; ye shall not cut yourselves, i. e., their hair, for it was a custom among idolatrous nations to consecrate their hair to their deities, though they sometimes also made incisions in their flesh.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Make any baldness between your eyes - i. e. by shaving the forepart of the head and the eyebrows. The practices named in this verse were common among the pagan, and seem to be forbidden, not only because such wild excesses of grief (compare 1 Kings 18:28) would be inconsistent in those who as children of a heavenly Father had prospects beyond this world, but also because these usages themselves arose out of idolatrous notions.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The Israelites to distinguish themselves from other nations. (1-21) Respecting the application of tithes. (22-29) Verses 1-21 Moses tells the people of Israel how God had given them three distinguishing privileges, which were their honour, and figures of those spiritual blessings in heavenly things, with which God has in Christ blessed us. Here is election; "The Lord hath chosen thee." He did not choose them because they were by their own acts a peculiar…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1cut yourselves: This pagan custom often linked to mourning ceremonies, possibly to try to get the dead to return to life (see 1 Kings 18:28; Zechariah 13:4–6). shave your foreheads: This practice also related to mourning for the dead (see Leviticus 19:27–28; 21:5–6). But the exact meaning of this ceremony is unclear.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1De 14:1, 2. God's People Must Not Disfigure Themselves in Mourning. 1. ye shall not cut yourselves ... for the dead--It was a common practice of idolaters, both on ceremonious occasions of their worship (1Ki 18:28), and at funerals (compare Jr 16:6; 41:5), to make ghastly incisions on their faces and other parts of their persons with their finger nails or sharp instruments. The making a large bare space between the eyebrows was another heathen custom in…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 14:1

• Adoption
• Baldness
• Cutting
• God
• Idolatry
• Mourning

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Baldness
• Clean
• Cleave
• Cut
• Cutting
• Adoption
• Ashtaroth; Ashteroth-Karnaim; Beeshterah
• Atonement, Day of

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings