I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

DEUTERONOMY 26:14KJV
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Deuteronomy 26:14 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 26:14 mean?

Deuteronomy 26:14 is a statement the Israelites were to make when presenting their tithe, declaring that they had handled it properly: they had not used any of it during mourning, for unclean purposes, or for the dead, but had obeyed God’s instructions fully. This verse shows the care and respect expected in handling offerings dedicated to God.

In context, Moses is instructing the Israelites on what to say when they bring the tithe of their produce to the sanctuary. The speaker is an Israelite, addressing God, affirming that the tithe was treated with reverence and not misused in ways that would make it ritually impure or disrespectful. This declaration was part of a larger ceremony meant to show both obedience and gratitude to God for His provision.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 26:14

  • "mourning" (אָוֶן, 'aven): This word often means trouble, sorrow, or mourning. Here, it points to a time of grief, when certain ritual restrictions applied, showing that the tithe was not used in a way connected to death or impurity.
  • "unclean" (טָמֵא, tame): This word means ritually impure. The verse emphasizes that none of the tithe was taken for any purpose that would make it unfit for sacred use.
  • "dead" (מֵת, met): Refers to a dead person. In Israelite law, contact with the dead brought ritual impurity, so the verse stresses that the offering was not given in any context associated with death.
  • "hearkened" (שָׁמַע, shama): This word means to listen or obey. The speaker affirms not just hearing God’s command but actively following it, highlighting the importance of obedience in worship.

Why Deuteronomy 26:14 matters

  • This verse clears up that the tithe was not just a casual gift, but something to be handled with careful obedience and respect for God’s holiness.
  • It reveals the emphasis on ritual purity in Israelite worship, showing that offerings to God were to be kept separate from anything associated with death or impurity.
  • In the wider passage, this declaration is part of a public acknowledgment of God’s provision and the people’s faithfulness, reinforcing the covenant relationship between God and Israel.

Where else these words appear

“mourning” Hebrew H205 · used in 78 verses

  • Numbers 23:21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
  • Psalms 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
  • Proverbs 21:15 It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

“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.

“away” Hebrew H1197 · used in 90 verses

  • Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
  • 2 Samuel 22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
  • Isaiah 30:33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.