Deuteronomy 14:26

26 You may spend the money for anything {that you desire}, for oxen or for sheep or for wine or for strong drink or for anything {that you desire}, and you shall eat [it] there {before} Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

Deuteronomy 14:26 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 14:26

And thou shall bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul
lusteth after
He might buy what provision he would with it, what he best liked, and was most agreeable to his appetite:

for oxen, or for sheep;
he might purchase beef or mutton, or any other sort of meat that could be got, and was lawful to be eaten, as before directed:

or for wine, or for strong drink;
to drink with his food, whether wine or any other liquor; the Targum of Jonathan is, wine new or old, which he chose; but the latter, strong drink, Aben Ezra says, was a liquor made of honey and of dates, of wheat and of barley:

or for whatsoever thy soul desireth;
whether eatable or drinkable:

and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God;
he having put his name in that place; and dwelling there, as the Lord did in the temple of Jerusalem:

and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household;
eat their food with cheerfulness and gladness, making a feast of it and keeping it as such, he and his whole family, his wife and children, or as many as were with him; and all males were obliged to appear at the three grand yearly festivals, and it was at one of these this was to be done.

Deuteronomy 14:26 In-Context

24 But if {the distance is too great for you}, [so] that you are not able to transport it, because the place that Yahweh your God will choose to set his name there, it is [too] far from you, when Yahweh your God will bless you,
25 then [in that case] {you may exchange for money}, and you shall take the money to your hand and go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose.
26 You may spend the money for anything {that you desire}, for oxen or for sheep or for wine or for strong drink or for anything {that you desire}, and you shall eat [it] there {before} Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
27 And [as to] the Levite who [is] in your {towns}, you shall not neglect him, because there is not a plot of ground for him and an inheritance [along] with you.
28 "At the end of three years you shall bring out all [of] the tithe of your yield for that year, and you shall store [it] in your {towns}.

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Literally "that your soul/inner self desires"
  • [b]. Literally "that your soul/inner self desires"
  • [c]. Literally "to the face of"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.