Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 14:1
You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the assembled Israelites on the plains of Moab, immediately prior to their entry into the Promised Land. He establishes their corporate identity as a distinct covenant community.
The words — תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ (tit.go.de.Du) means “you will cut yourselves,” and בָּנִ֣ים (ba.Nim) means “children.”
The thread — The ban on flesh-cutting for the dead appears in Leviticus 21:5 for priests, while the designation of believers as “sons” is carried forward in Romans 9:8 and Galatians 3:26.
Why it lands — The text commands Israel to abstain from pagan mourning practices and grounds that command in their status as Yahweh’s children. It requires readers to align their physical conduct with their declared covenant identity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 21:5 Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.
- Romans 9:8 So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
- Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
- Romans 9:26 and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
- Jeremiah 16:6 “Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.
- Jeremiah 41:5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their garments, and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and frankincense for the house of the LORD.
- Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’
- John 1:12 But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
- Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
- Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.