Deuteronomy 14:14

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, concluding his covenant renewal speech before they cross the Jordan. He lists prohibited birds to distinguish clean from unclean animals for dietary and ritual practice.

The words — The verse highlights עֹרֵב ('o.Rev), meaning "raven," paired with כָּל־לְמִינֹו (kol-leminô), literally "every to its kind." This phrasing groups the raven with other scavenging birds under a single prohibition category.

The thread — The raven appears elsewhere as a scavenger that feeds on carrion, such as in 1 Kings 17:4-6 where it brings bread to Elijah, and in Job 38:41 where it is fed by God in the wild.

Why it lands — The text requires readers to identify and avoid specific unclean birds, establishing a boundary for Israel's communal holiness. It demands practical obedience to dietary distinctions without moralizing the animals themselves.

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.