Keraia
Deuteronomy 14

Deuteronomy 14:21

Clean and Unclean Animals · Deuteronomy 14:1–21
Read Deuteronomy 14

Translations

Modern
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.
Traditional
Ye 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.
Literal
You shall not eat of any carcass; you may give it to the sojourner 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 YHWH your God. You shall not boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.
Latin
Quidquid autem morticinum est, ne vescamini ex eo. Peregrino, qui intra portas tuas est, da ut comedat, aut vende ei: quia tu populus sanctus Domini Dei tui es. Non coques hædum in lacte matris suæ.

Original

Hebrew
English
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.

Notes

Deuteronomy 14:21

  • God considered animals that died naturally to be ceremonially unclean. This was true even if they were ceremonially clean when alive. This was because they did not slaughter them according to ceremonial rules. They did not properly drain their blood and dispose of it (see 12:23–25).

  • You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk: This pagan practice was improper because it showed insensitivity to the natural bond between mothers and their offspring (see 28:56–57).

Parallels

Leviticus 11:1–47 Acts 10:9–16

Glossary

Archaeology and the Bible Biblical Concept of Law Cleanness and Uncleanness, Regulations Concerning Covenant Deuteronomy, Book of Dietary Laws Food and Food Preparation Foreigner

Topics

Aliens: Partially Exempt from Jewish Law Cooking: A Kid (Young Goat) Must not be Boiled in Its Mother's Milk Milk: Kid (A Baby Goat) not to be Seethed (Boiled) in Its own Mother's Sanitation: Food Strangers in Israel: Laws Respecting: Allowed to Eat What Died of Itself Strangers: Mosaic Law Relating to Sale To, of the Meat of Animals That had Died The Jews: A Holy People