Deuteronomy 26:14
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This verse highlights that the tithe wasn't just about giving a portion, but also about how and when it was handled. The speaker emphasizes not using sacred offerings during personal grief or for any "unclean" purpose, including funerary customs, showing that faithfulness to God extended even into times of deep sorrow and societal obligation.
I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This declaration comes at the end of a specific ritual where Israelites are presenting their tithes and firstfruits after a three-year cycle. Following this statement of faithfulness, they would pray for God's blessing. The verse is thus a crucial part of this solemn ceremony, demonstrating their obedience before asking for divine favor.
When we give, what we don't do with it matters as much as what we do do. This verse reveals a deep commitment to keeping God's portion holy, even in difficult circumstances.
The declaration in Deuteronomy 26:14 isn't just about giving; it's about how the sacred gifts were handled.
Avoiding Defilement:
The speaker lists specific ways they avoided corrupting the tithe:
The Core Principle:
These specific actions point to a profound understanding: God's portion wasn't just property to be handed over. It was to be kept pure and holy, reflecting His own nature, and used only in ways that honored Him, especially in times of joy and gratitude.
Ask a follow-up
After declaring what they didn't do, the speaker pivots to what they did do. It's a powerful affirmation that true obedience isn't just avoiding sin, but actively following God's commands.
The climax of this declaration isn't a list of what was avoided, but a statement of active obedience.
Listening and Doing:
The verse says, 'but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.' This has two key parts:
The Foundation of Blessing:
This declaration is made as part of a ritual where Israel brings their tithes and offerings to the sanctuary. By affirming their faithful stewardship and obedience, they set the stage to ask for God's blessing (Deuteronomy 26:15). Their honesty and obedience in giving become the foundation upon which they can confidently seek God's favor for themselves and the land.
Understand the original words
tame' · Hebrew Adjective
A ritual state of impurity or defilement that renders a person unfit to enter God's presence or handle holy things. It often results from contact with death, disease, or certain biological processes.
This passage explains that Aaron's sons, who were disqualified from eating certain holy offerings due to mourning, would have defiled the sacred food, paralleling the prohibition in Deuteronomy against eating tithes during mourning.
Hosea 9:4This verse speaks of the 'bread of sorrow' for mourning, directly connecting the act of eating with mourning to impurity and grief, reinforcing why tithes, meant for joyful occasions, could not be eaten by mourners.
1 Corinthians 10:20-21Paul's warning against sacrificing to demons and sharing in their 'table' echoes the principle of not offering or consuming sacred things with things considered unclean or associated with 'dead' practices, similar to the prohibition against giving tithes to the dead or for unclean uses.
Matthew 23:23Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees for tithing mint, dill, and cumin while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness highlights the importance of the *heart* and *intent* behind religious observance, just as the speaker in Deuteronomy emphasizes their obedience and pure motives in handling tithes.
calvinDeuteronomy 26:12-15: "When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;"
- When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within t…
cambridgeDeuteronomy 26:14: "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."
14 . I have not eaten thereof in my mourning ] Heb. ‘awen , sorrow ; so in Hosea 9:4 , the bread of sorrows is unclean. If the mourner, unclean by contact with the dead, ate part of the tithe, he defiled it all. neither have…
This verse highlights that the tithe wasn't just about giving a portion, but also about how and when it was handled. The speaker emphasizes not using sacred offerings during personal grief or for any "unclean" purpose, including funerary customs, showing that faithfulness to God extended even into times of deep sorrow and societal obligation.
This declaration comes at the end of a specific ritual where Israelites are presenting their tithes and firstfruits after a three-year cycle. Following this statement of faithfulness, they would pray for God's blessing. The verse is thus a crucial part of this solemn ceremony, demonstrating their obedience before asking for divine favor.
This declaration comes at the end of a specific ritual where Israelites are presenting their tithes and firstfruits after a three-year cycle. Following this statement of faithfulness, they would pray for God's blessing. The verse is thus a crucial part of this solemn ceremony, demonstrating their obedience before asking for divine favor.
"I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me." — This verse highlights that the tithe wasn't just about giving a portion, but also about how and when it was handled. The speaker emphasizes not using sacred offerings during personal grief or for…
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Last reviewed October 2026
