What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 14:6? You may eat any animal “Every animal with divided hooves and that chews the cud may be eaten.” (Deuteronomy 14:6) • God starts with a positive invitation, highlighting His provision for Israel, just as He told Noah, “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.” (Genesis 9:3) • The permission is framed within covenant boundaries, paralleling Leviticus 11:2–3, where the same allowance is first laid out. • The verse reminds us that God cares for daily needs: “He gives food to every creature.” (Psalm 136:25) • New-covenant believers recognize that “nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” (1 Timothy 4:4) The original command was literal for Israel, yet it still teaches God’s concern for holiness in every area of life. that has a split hoof divided in two • The hoof is an outward, visible marker. Animals whose feet are literally “split in two” picture a separated walk—moving cleanly through the earth without clinging to its filth. • Leviticus 11:4 gives examples of animals lacking this feature and therefore deemed unclean. • Spiritual echo: “Come out from among them and be separate.” (2 Corinthians 6:17) Just as the hoof must be divided, God’s people are to walk distinctly from the world. • The detail “divided in two” underscores completeness; partial conformity (one spiritual foot in the world, one with God) is unacceptable, much like Elijah’s challenge, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21) and that chews the cud • Cud-chewing is an internal process. An animal repeatedly brings up what it has eaten and breaks it down thoroughly. • This portrays meditation on God’s Word: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night.” (Joshua 1:8) • Psalm 1:2 parallels the clean animal: delighting in the law and “meditating on it day and night.” • The requirement guards against superficial intake. Internalizing truth produces practical holiness, just as digestion produces nourishment. Jesus rebuked those who cleaned the outside of the cup while neglecting the inside (Matthew 23:25-26); true purity starts within. Both signs together • An animal had to possess both traits or be forbidden. God joined outward separation and inward reflection. • Leviticus 11:26 confirms that lacking either trait made the animal unclean. • For the believer, faith and obedience must unite: “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26) • The combination protects from extremes—mere externalism or mere contemplation. The clean life walks in the world but keeps unstained, while continually digesting God’s truth. summary Deuteronomy 14:6 literally sets dietary boundaries for Israel: only animals with both a fully split hoof and the practice of chewing the cud were permitted. Outwardly, the split hoof pictures a separated walk; inwardly, chewing the cud pictures continual meditation on God’s Word. Together they form a portrait of comprehensive holiness—external conduct and internal devotion inseparable. Though Christians are not under Mosaic dietary law, the verse still calls us to the same integrated purity: distinct in our walk and saturated with Scripture, trusting the God who lovingly provides and defines what is clean. |
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