Deuteronomy 14:23 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 14:23 Commentary: Eating the Tithe to Learn the Fear of the Lord
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Deuteronomy 14:23 commands eating the tithe at the sanctuary to learn the fear of Yahweh. Discover how festal meals nurture reverence and dependence.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Joyful consumption of tithes and firstlings at the central sanctuary is a means of learning lifelong reverence for God.
- Key words: Tithe (ma'aser), eat (akhal), fear (yare'), place (maqom), cause to dwell (shakhen piel).
- Main debate: Whether this is the second tithe for the owner’s feast or the first tithe for Levites; also how exactly eating cultivates fear.
- Theological theme: The paradox of joyful reverence, celebration and awe are not opposites but companions in covenant worship.
- Best use: Teaching that worship involves the whole person, resources, community, celebration, and awe.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.
WEB World English Bible 2000
You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.
KJV King James Version 1769
And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God always.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and thou hast eaten before Jehovah thy God, in the place where He doth choose to cause His name to tabernacle, the tithe of thy corn, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd, and of thy flock, so that thou dost learn to fear Jehovah thy God all the days.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he will choose to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God continually.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, that his name may be called upon therein, the tithe of thy corn, and thy wine, and thy oil, and the firstborn of thy herds and thy sheep: that thou mayst learn to fear the Lord thy God at all times.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y comerás delante de Jehová tu Dios en el lugar que él escogiere para hacer habitar allí su nombre, el diezmo de tu grano, de tu vino, y de tu aceite, y los primerizos de tus manadas, y de tus ganados, para que aprendas á temer á Jehová tu Dios todos los días.
E comerás diante do SENHOR teu Deus no lugar que ele escolher para fazer habitar ali seu nome, o dízimo de teu grão, de teu vinho, e de teu azeite, e os primogênitos de tuas manadas, e de tuas gados, para que aprendas a temer ao SENHOR teu Deus todos os dias.
Et tu mangeras devant l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, dans le lieu qu’ il choisira pour y faire résider son nom, la dîme de ton blé, de ton moût et de ton huile, et les premiers-nés de ton gros et de ton menu bétail, afin que tu apprennes à craindre toujours l’ Éternel, ton Dieu.
und sollst davon essen vor dem HERRN, deinem Gott, an dem Ort, den er erwählt, daß sein Name daselbst wohne, nämlich vom Zehnten deines Getreides, deines Mostes, deines Öls und von der Erstgeburt deiner Rinder und deiner Schafe, auf daß du lernst fürchten den HERRN, deinen Gott, dein Leben lang.
En voor het aangezicht des HEEREN, uws Gods, ter plaatse, die Hij verkiezen zal, om Zijn Naam aldaar te doen wonen, zult gij eten de tienden van uw koren, van uw most, en van uw olie, en de eerstgeboorten uwer runderen en uwer schapen; opdat gij den HEERE, uw God, leert vrezen alle dagen.
Mangerai, nel cospetto dell’Eterno, del tuo Dio, nel luogo ch’egli avrà scelto per dimora del suo nome, la decima del tuo frumento, del tuo mosto, del tuo olio, e i primi parti de’ tuoi armenti e de’ tuoi greggi, affinché tu impari a temer sempre l’Eterno, l’Iddio tuo.
A będziesz pożywał przed Panem, Bogiem twoim, na miejscu, które obierze, żeby tam mieszkało imię jego, dziesięcin zboża twego, z wina twego, i z oliwy twojej, i z pierworodztwa wołów twoich, i z owiec twoich, abyś się uczył bać Pana, Boga twego, po wszystkie dni.
и ешь пред Господом, Богом твоим, на том месте, которое изберет Он, чтобы пребывать имени Его там; [приноси] десятину хлеба твоего, вина твоего и елея твоего, и первенцев крупного скота твоего и мелкого скота твоего, дабы ты научился бояться Господа, Бога твоего, во все дни.
又要把你的五穀、新酒、和油 的十分之一，並牛群 羊群 中頭生的，吃 在耶和華─你 神 面前，就是他所 選擇 要立 為他名的 居所。這樣，你可以學習 時常 敬畏 耶和華─你的 神。
And make a feast before the Lord your God, in the place which is to be marked out, where his name will be for ever, of the tenth part of your grain and your wine and your oil, and the first births of your herds and your flocks; so that you may have the fear of the Lord your God in your hearts at all times.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 14:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Deuteronomy 14:23 commands the Israelite to bring the tithe of grain, new wine, oil, and the firstborn of herd and flock to the central sanctuary, there to eat a festive meal before Yahweh. Calvin identifies this as the place where God causes His name to dwell, ultimately Jerusalem, and notes that centralizing worship guards against corruption. Keil and Delitzsch emphasize that these meals are occasions of rejoicing, not solemn duty. The Cambridge Bible points out that such regular offerings teach the fear of God by acknowledging that the harvest comes from Him, not human effort. Gill calls this the “second tithe,” citing the Targum of Jonathan, and states plainly that the practice inures the worshiper to constant reverence. Matthew Henry similarly sees the purpose as learning to fear the Lord always. All agree: the end goal is not simply obedience but a formed disposition of worship, fear that is both awe and love.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Second tithe tradition: Jewish sources (Targum, Jarchi) and commentators (Gill) identify this as a distinct tithe for the owner’s festival meal, separate from the Levitical tithe of Numbers 18.
- Single tithe system: Some evangelical interpreters see one tithe that supports both the Levites and the festive meal, with the third-year tithe for the poor. Matthew Henry describes a double tithe but not a separate second tithe.
- Typological reading: Christians across traditions view the feast as prefiguring the Lord’s Supper or the heavenly banquet, with Christ as the firstborn. Emphasis falls on fellowship with God as the goal.
What is clear: The verse commands joyful consumption of tithes and firstlings at the central sanctuary with the stated purpose of cultivating lifelong fear of the Lord.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Which tithe? | This refers to a tithe consumed at the sanctuary by the offerer and household. | Jewish tradition (Targum, Jarchi) identifies it as the second tithe, distinct from the Levitical tithe. Some commentators see it as part of a double tithe system. Others debate whether an animal tithe beyond the firstlings is intended. |
| Purpose of the meal | The stated purpose is to learn to fear Yahweh always. | Keil and Delitzsch see the fear as a sense of dependence and blessedness; Gill emphasizes the formation of a habitual reverence. The Cambridge Bible notes that the regular offering itself acknowledges God as the source of harvest. |
| Central sanctuary | The tithe must be brought to the place God chooses to cause His name to dwell. | Calvin identifies this as Jerusalem. The Cambridge Bible notes that before the temple the tithe was offered at local sanctuaries (Amos 4:4). The timing of centralization is debated. |
| Role of firstlings | Firstlings of herd and flock are included in the command to eat before the Lord. | Some see them as a separate offering (Deut 15:19-20) sacrificed then eaten; Keil and Cambridge treat them as associated with the tithe for the festive meal. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits within Deuteronomy’s laws on holy eating (14:1, 29), which follow the prohibition of unclean foods and lead into instructions for the third-year tithe for the poor. The immediate context demands that the tithe and firstlings be brought to “the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell”, the central sanctuary, as defined in Deuteronomy 12:5. Before Israel entered Canaan, tithes had been offered at local altars (Amos 4:4). Moses now foresees a single sanctuary, later identified with Jerusalem, where God’s presence would be specially marked. The phrase “cause his name to dwell” (le-shakken shemo) is a key Deuteronomistic expression: God does not live in a house, but He stakes His reputation there, making it the proper place for covenant celebration.
The tithe system undergirded both worship and welfare. The “first tithe” (Numbers 18:21, 24) supported the Levites, who had no land inheritance. The tithe in this passage is the “second tithe,” set apart for the owner to eat with his household at the sanctuary. The inclusion of firstlings (Deuteronomy 15:19, 20) ties the meal to the broader pattern of consecrating the first and best to God. The purpose clause, “that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always”, reflects a central theme of Deuteronomy (4:10; 10:12). Fear of the Lord in this book is not cringing terror but covenant loyalty: reverence that expresses itself in obedience, gratitude, and joy. By eating the tithe in God’s presence, the worshiper tangibly acknowledges that the land’s produce is a gift, not a possession. The ritual becomes a school for the heart.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant manuscript variants for this verse. The text is stable across the Hebrew witnesses and the ancient versions (Samaritan, Septuagint, Vulgate).
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this passage was understood as the “second tithe” (ma'aser sheni), to be set aside for a festive meal at Jerusalem. The Mishnah and Talmud elaborate on its details. Christian interpreters have often read the verse as pointing to the joy of fellowship with God in Christ, seeing the sanctuary meal as a type of the Eucharist. Reformation commentators such as Calvin and Luther applied the principle of joyful giving and worship to the life of the church. The practical purpose, learning reverence through celebration, has resonated across traditions.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Bring the best to God’s place. The tithe of grain, wine, oil, and the firstborn are not left at home; they are carried to the sanctuary, the spot God chooses.
- Eat joyfully before the Lord. This is not a somber obligation but a festal meal, shared with family and the Levite.
- Learn the fear of the Lord. The repeated practice shapes the worshiper into one who lives in constant reverence toward God.
Five-point outline
- Tithing begins with acknowledging God’s ownership, the whole harvest is His.
- Worship is gathered, not scattered; God names a place where His people meet Him.
- The meal is both sacred and celebratory, holiness and happiness belong together.
- Nobody is left out: the household and the Levite share the feast.
- The goal is a formed character: learning to fear the Lord all the days of your life.
Illustration hooks
- A family that sets aside one meal each week to eat together, give thanks, and tell stories of God’s provision, over time, that habit deepens their trust and gratitude.
- A church that hosts a “tithe thanksgiving” dinner once a year, where members share how giving has shaped their view of God.
- The way a spouse learns to love through the daily habit of small acts of kindness, routine shapes the heart.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is my giving supposed to be joyful or simply obedient? Does God care about my attitude?
- How can I “fear the Lord” without feeling afraid? Is fear the same as reverence?
- What does this Old Testament law mean for Christians today? Should we tithe, and if so, how is it different?
Leading a Discussion
This verse connects the way we use our resources with the very core of our relationship with God. The tithe was not handed over in silence; it became a shared meal in God’s presence, with the stated purpose of learning reverence.
Discussion questions
- What does it mean to eat “before the Lord”? Where is God in your daily meals?
- Why do you think God commanded the tithe to be consumed at the sanctuary rather than at home? What does that say about worship?
- How does feasting, celebration with food, teach the fear of the Lord? Does that seem counterintuitive?
- What does it reveal about God that He commands joy as part of worship?
- In what specific ways does your current practice of giving (Sunday offering, charity) help you “learn to fear the Lord”?
- How can we include people without resources, like the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, in our celebrations today?
- This chapter moves from clean/unclean food laws to tithing to care for the poor. What ties these topics together?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 4:10 | the day that you stood before Yahweh your God in Horeb, when Yahweh said to me, “Assemble the people to me, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.” |
| Deuteronomy 12:5 | But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, you shall seek his habitation, and you shall come there. |
| Deuteronomy 12:7 | There you shall eat before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which Yahweh your God has blessed you. |
| Deuteronomy 12:17 | You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, nor any of your vows which you vow, nor your free will offerings, nor the wave offering of your hand; |
| Deuteronomy 12:18 | but you shall eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose: you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates. You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God in all that you put your hand to. |
| Deuteronomy 15:19 | You shall dedicate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock to Yahweh your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. |
| Deuteronomy 15:20 | You shall eat it before Yahweh your God year by year in the place which Yahweh shall choose, you and your household. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin identifies an apparent inconsistency: if all tithes had to be brought to one central sanctuary, the Levites living throughout the land would be left without subsistence. He argues Moses anticipated this problem by later allowing those who lived far away to convert their tithes into money instead.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary stresses that Deuteronomy's tithe law deals only with vegetable produce and firstlings, with no animal tithe. It also notes that the regulation adapts to centralised worship by allowing distant worshippers to convert their tithe into money, a practical concession not found in other Old Testament tithe laws.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that the tithe and firstborn offerings were to be eaten before the Lord in His chosen sanctuary. This act of worship was designed to teach Israel the continuous, reverent fear of God through joyful participation.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees the command to eat tithes and firstborn offerings in God's chosen place as a deliberate training tool. The constant practice of this ritual was designed to instill a lifelong, reverent fear of the Lord, making obedience a habitual teacher of devotion.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch distinguish two sides of sanctifying food: abstaining from unclean things and delivering tithes to the sanctuary for festive meals. The tithe law aims at sacrificial meals where Israel rejoices before God. True fear of the Lord here means joyful reverence in fellowship with Him, not merely a sense of dependence.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the food laws and mourning prohibitions are not merely sanitary or arbitrary but deeply symbolic. They represent Israel's consecration to the living God and a standing protest against sin and death, pointing back to the original creation where death had no place.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry observes that the land's produce was tithed twice, so together a full fifth was given to God, leaving four-fifths for ordinary use. He calls this an easy rent, since what belonged to God was still spent for the people's own benefit and advantage.