King James Version

What Does Deuteronomy 14:1 Mean?

Deuteronomy 14:1 in the King James Version says “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the d...” — study this verse from Deuteronomy chapter 14 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.”

Deuteronomy 14:1 · KJV

Context

1

Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

2

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

3

Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

Read Deuteronomy 14 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. Israel's identity as children of the LORD establishes the foundation for distinctive holiness. Covenant relationship demands covenant behavior - God's children must reflect their Father's character.

The prohibitions against cutting flesh and shaving in mourning practices distinguished Israel from pagan neighbors who engaged in these rituals. Canaanite and other ancient Near Eastern peoples mutilated their bodies as expressions of grief or attempts to appease death deities.

God forbids these practices not arbitrarily but because they contradict Israel's identity. Children of the living God need not engage in extreme mourning rituals that suggest hopelessness or fear of death. Their confidence rests in God's sovereignty over life and death.

Reformed theology sees here the principle that gospel identity shapes gospel behavior. What we are determines how we act. Because believers are children of God through adoption in Christ, we conduct ourselves in ways that reflect our Father's character.

KJV Study — Public Domain

Historical & Cultural Context

Pagan mourning practices in the ancient Near East included ritual self-laceration, shaving the head or beard, and other physical expressions of grief. These often connected to ancestor worship or attempts to appease death deities.

God's prohibition set Israel apart visually and culturally from surrounding nations, marking them as a people who worshiped the living God rather than fearing death and the dead.

Reflection Questions

  1. How does identity as children of God shape proper behavior and worship?
  2. Why did God forbid mourning practices that were culturally common among Israel's neighbors?
  3. What does this prohibition teach about the relationship between gospel identity and ethics?
  4. How should Christian confidence in resurrection affect our mourning practices?
  5. What pagan practices do believers today need to reject based on their identity in Christ?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 12 words
בָּנִ֣ים1 of 12

“Ye are the children”

H1121

a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or

אַתֶּ֔ם2 of 12
H859

thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you

לַֽיהוָ֖ה3 of 12

“of the LORD”

H3068

(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god

אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם4 of 12

“your God”

H430

gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of

לֹ֣א5 of 12
H3808

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ6 of 12

“ye shall not cut”

H1413

to crowd; also to gash (as if by pressing into)

וְלֹֽא7 of 12
H3808

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

תָשִׂ֧ימוּ8 of 12

“yourselves nor make”

H7760

to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)

קָרְחָ֛ה9 of 12

“any baldness”

H7144

baldness

בֵּ֥ין10 of 12
H996

between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles); also as a conjunction, either...or

עֵֽינֵיכֶ֖ם11 of 12

“between your eyes”

H5869

an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)

לָמֵֽת׃12 of 12

“for the dead”

H4191

to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill

Study Guide

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Deuteronomy. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Deuteronomy 14:1 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.

Cross-References

Verses related to Deuteronomy 14:1 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Leviticus 21:5Galatians 3:26Romans 9:8Romans 9:26Hosea 1:10John 1:12

Test Your Knowledge

Deuteronomy 14 QuizTest your knowledge of this chapterDeuteronomy Book QuizComprehensive quiz for the entire book

Continue Your Study

Read Deuteronomy 14 with CommentaryAll Deuteronomy ChaptersComplete Deuteronomy QuizBible CharactersNave's Topical BibleAll Bible Quizzes