And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.

DEUTERONOMY 14:10KJV
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Deuteronomy 14:10 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 14:10 mean?

Deuteronomy 14:10 says that the Israelites were not allowed to eat any water creatures that did not have both fins and scales; these animals were considered unclean for them. This rule set a clear boundary for what kinds of seafood were permitted in their diet under the law given by Moses.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. He is giving them detailed instructions about which animals are considered clean (acceptable to eat) and unclean (not acceptable to eat) according to the law God gave them. This specific instruction about fins and scales helped the Israelites easily identify which fish and sea creatures they could eat, setting them apart from other nations.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 14:10

  • fins (סְנַפִּיר, s'nappir): This word refers to the appendages fish use to swim. The law required that edible water animals must have these, making it easy to distinguish them from other sea creatures.
  • scales (קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת, qasqeset): This word means the small, hard plates covering the skin of many fish. Both fins and scales had to be present for a fish to be considered clean.
  • eat (אָכַל, akhal): This is the common Hebrew word for eating, used here to set a clear command about what is allowed for food.
  • unclean (טָמֵא, tame): This word means ritually impure or not suitable for the Israelites to eat. It marks a strong boundary, not just about diet, but about religious and cultural identity.

Why Deuteronomy 14:10 matters

  • Deuteronomy 14:10 clarifies that not all seafood was allowed, making the dietary law specific and practical for daily life.
  • This verse emphasizes the importance of ritual purity in Israelite life, showing how even food choices were tied to their relationship with God.
  • The instruction connects to the larger section in Deuteronomy 14, which lists clean and unclean animals, helping the Israelites maintain distinctiveness from surrounding peoples.

Where else these words appear

“fins” Hebrew H5579 · used in 5 verses

  • Leviticus 11:9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
  • Leviticus 11:10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
  • Leviticus 11:12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

“scales” Hebrew H7193 · used in 7 verses

  • Leviticus 11:9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
  • Leviticus 11:12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
  • 1 Samuel 17:5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

“unclean” Hebrew H2931 · used in 78 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 14:40 Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city:
  • Deuteronomy 14:7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.