Deuteronomy 14:16

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, concluding the list of unclean birds within the broader covenant dietary regulations before the conquest.

The words — כּוֹס (kos) = little owl, and יַנְשׁוּף (yan'shuf) = great owl, both preceded by the accusative marker אֵת ('et) to formally designate them as excluded from consumption.

The thread — This verse continues the catalog of prohibited birds in Deuteronomy 14, extending the list from the ostrich, screech owl, and gull in verse 15 to the desert owl and osprey in verse 17.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to identify specific avian species as ritually unclean, establishing a concrete dietary boundary for the covenant community.

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.