Deuteronomy 14:4

4 These are the animals that you may eat: ^[a] The ox, the sheep, the goat,

Deuteronomy 14:4 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 14:4

These are the beasts which they shall eat
That is, which they might lawfully eat of, which were allowed for their food; for they were not obliged to eat of them if they did not choose it:

the ox, the sheep, and the goat;
which were creatures used in sacrifice, and the only ones, yet nevertheless they might be used for food if chosen.

Deuteronomy 14:4 In-Context

2 for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

3 You must not eat any detestable thing.

4 These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat,

5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

6 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.

Footnotes

• [a]. The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.