Deuteronomy 14:26

Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses instructs the Israelites on the plains of Moab regarding the disposal of the annual tithe before they cross the Jordan. He directs them to convert their agricultural yield into currency and carry it to the central sanctuary the LORD will choose.

The words — The phrase וְ/נָתַתָּ֣ה הַ/כֶּ֡סֶף (ve./na.ta.Tah ha./Ke.sef) literally means "and you will exchange the money." It specifies the permitted mechanism for transporting the tithe to the chosen place.

The thread — The allowance to purchase provisions at the sanctuary aligns with Deuteronomy 12:20's permission to acquire meat when territory expands and Deuteronomy 12:7's command to eat and rejoice before the LORD. The pattern of sanctioned consumption at the holy site reappears in Ecclesiastes 9:7 as a directive to eat and drink with a cheerful heart.

Why it lands — The text commands the purchase of cattle, sheep, wine, and strong drink for a communal meal at the sanctuary, explicitly permitting items beyond standard dietary restrictions. It requires the reader to accept that worship includes practical provision and that communal rejoicing is a mandated response to divine presence.

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

וְנָתַתָּ֣הve./na.ta.Tahand/ you will exchange הַכֶּ֡סֶףha./Ke.sefthe/ money בְּכֹל֩be./Kholfor/ all אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-that תְּאַוֶּ֨הte.'a.Vehit will desire נַפְשְׁךָ֜naf.she./Khaappetite/ your בַּבָּקָ֣רba./ba.Karfor <the>/ cattle וּבַצֹּ֗אןu./va./Tzonand/ for <the>/ sheep וּבַיַּ֙יִן֙u./vai./Ya.yinand/ for <the>/ wine וּבַשֵּׁכָ֔רu./va./she.Kharand/ for <the>/ strong drink וּבְכֹ֛לu./ve./Kholand/ for/ all אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherthat תִּֽשְׁאָלְךָ֖tish.'a.le./Khait will ask/ you נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָnaf.She./khaappetite/ your וְאָכַ֣לְתָּve./'a.Khal.taand/ you will eat שָּׁ֗םShamthere לִפְנֵי֙li/f.Nei<to>/ before יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ve./sa.mach.Taand/ you will rejoice אַתָּ֥ה'a.Tahyou וּבֵיתֶֽךָ׃u./vei.Te./khaand/ household/ your

King James Version

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

Cross-references

Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
Deuteronomy 12:7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy 12:20 When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want.
Deuteronomy 26:11 So you shall rejoice—you, the Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you—in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
Psalms 106:14 They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert.
Matthew 21:12 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.
1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.
Deuteronomy 12:12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
Deuteronomy 12:15 But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer,
Ezra 7:15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,