Deuteronomy 14:1
New International Version
You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead,

New Living Translation
“Since you are the people of the LORD your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead.

English Standard Version
“You are the sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.

Berean Standard Bible
You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,

King James Bible
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

New King James Version
“You are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead.

New American Standard Bible
“You are sons of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave a bald spot above your forehead for the dead.

NASB 1995
“You are the sons of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead.

NASB 1977
“You are the sons of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead.

Legacy Standard Bible
“You are the sons of Yahweh your God; you shall not gash yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead.

Amplified Bible
“You are the sons of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead,

Christian Standard Bible
“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot on your head on behalf of the dead,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot on your head on behalf of the dead,

American Standard Version
Ye are the children of Jehovah your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

Contemporary English Version
People of Israel, you are the LORD's children, so when you mourn for the dead, you must not cut yourselves or shave your forehead.

English Revised 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You are the children of the LORD your God. So when someone dies, don't [mourn] by cutting yourselves or shaving bald spots on your head.

Good News Translation
"You are the people of the LORD your God. So when you mourn for the dead, don't gash yourselves or shave the front of your head, as other people do.

International Standard Version
"You are children of the LORD your God. You must not lacerate yourselves or shave your foreheads on account of the dead,

Majority Standard Bible
You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,

NET Bible
You are children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead bald for the sake of the dead.

New Heart English Bible
You are the people of the LORD your God: you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

Webster's Bible Translation
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

World English Bible
You are the children of Yahweh your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“You [are] sons of your God YHWH; you do not cut yourselves, nor make baldness between your eyes for the dead;

Young's Literal Translation
Sons ye are to Jehovah your God; ye do not cut yourselves, nor make baldness between your eyes for the dead;

Smith's Literal Translation
Ye the sons of Jehovah your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, and ye shall not put baldness between your eyes for the dead.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Be ye children of the Lord your God: you shall not cut yourselves, no, make any baldness for the dead;

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Be sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make yourselves bald, because of the dead.

New American Bible
You are children of the LORD, your God. You shall not gash yourselves nor shave the hair above your foreheads for the dead.

New Revised Standard Version
You are children of the LORD your God. You must not lacerate yourselves or shave your forelocks for the dead.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
YOU are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not make tattooed patterns in the skin, nor any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
"You are children of LORD JEHOVAH your God; you shall not be tattooed and you shall not make baldness between your eyes for the dead.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not make any baldness between you eyes for the dead.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Clean and Unclean Animals
1You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead, 2for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.…

Cross References
Leviticus 19:28
You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

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.

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.’

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.’”

1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. / Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 John 3:1
Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

2 Corinthians 6:18
And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Galatians 3:26
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

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—

Isaiah 43:6-7
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth— / everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.”

Jeremiah 31:9
They will come with weeping, and by their supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk beside streams of waters, on a level path where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”

Exodus 4:22
Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son,

Psalm 82:6
I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’

Isaiah 1:2
Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.


Treasury of Scripture

You are the children of the LORD your God: you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

the children

Genesis 6:2,4
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose…

Exodus 4:22,23
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: …

Psalm 82:6,7
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High…

Leviticus 19:27,28
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard…

Leviticus 21:5
They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

Jeremiah 16:6
Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:

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Baldness Bodies Brows Children Cut Cuts Dead Eyes Hair Heads Honour Sake Shave Yourselves
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Baldness Bodies Brows Children Cut Cuts Dead Eyes Hair Heads Honour Sake Shave Yourselves
Deuteronomy 14
1. God's children are not to disfigure themselves in mourning
3. What may and may not be eaten
4. of animals
9. of fishes
11. of fowls
21. That which dies of itself may not be eaten
22. Tithes of Divine Service
23. Tithes and firstborns to be eaten before the Lord
28. The third year's tithe of alms and charity














You are the sons of the LORD your God
This phrase establishes a profound identity for the Israelites, emphasizing their unique relationship with God. The Hebrew word for "sons" (בָּנִים, banim) signifies not just offspring but a position of privilege and responsibility. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, being a "son" of a deity was a concept reserved for kings or divine beings, yet here it is applied to the entire nation of Israel. This highlights the intimate and covenantal relationship between God and His people, setting them apart from other nations. The phrase "the LORD your God" (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, YHWH Eloheikhem) underscores the personal and covenantal name of God, YHWH, which is linked to His eternal, self-existent nature and His special relationship with Israel.

Do not cut yourselves
This command is a prohibition against self-mutilation, a practice associated with mourning rituals in various ancient cultures, including those surrounding Israel. The Hebrew verb used here (תִּתְגֹּדְדוּ, titgodedu) implies making incisions or gashes on the body. Such practices were often linked to pagan worship and attempts to appease or communicate with the dead or deities. By forbidding this, God is instructing His people to reject pagan customs and to trust in Him alone, even in times of grief. This command reflects the broader biblical principle of holiness and separation from the practices of surrounding nations.

or shave your foreheads
The act of shaving the forehead, particularly in mourning, was another common pagan ritual. The Hebrew phrase (וְלֹא־תָשִׂימוּ קָרְחָה, velo-tasimu qorchah) refers to creating a bald spot as a sign of mourning or devotion to a deity. This practice was prevalent among the Canaanites and other neighboring peoples. By prohibiting this, God is calling His people to a distinct form of worship and mourning that reflects their unique identity as His chosen people. It is a call to maintain their distinctiveness and to avoid syncretism with pagan practices.

on behalf of the dead
This phrase clarifies the context of the prohibitions, linking them specifically to mourning rituals for the dead. The Hebrew word for "dead" (מֵת, met) is used here to denote those who have passed away. In the ancient world, death was often surrounded by elaborate rituals intended to honor the deceased or to ensure their well-being in the afterlife. However, God instructs His people to mourn in a way that reflects their faith in Him and their hope in His promises, rather than resorting to practices that reflect a lack of trust in His sovereignty over life and death. This command encourages believers to grieve with hope, as later echoed in the New Testament (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

XIV.

(1) Ye are the children of Jehovah.--This fact is made the foundation of all the laws of ceremonial and moral holiness in the Pentateuch, more especially in the Book of Leviticus, where these laws are chiefly to be found.

Ye shall not cut yourselves.--The precept is repeated with little variation from Leviticus 19:28.

Any baldness between your eyes--i.e., apparently, "on your foreheads." The word for baldness in this place is generally used for baldness on the back of the head.

Verse 1. - Ye are the children of Jehovah your God (cf. Exodus 4:22, etc.). As his children, it behooved them to avoid all that would be offensive to him or indicate distrust in him. Ye shall not cut yourselves, etc. (cf. Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 21:5; Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 48:36, 37; Ezekiel 7:18; Ezekiel 27:31). ("Ex hac opinions sunt ilia varia et detestabilia genera lugendi, paedores, muliebres lacerationes genarum, pectoris, feminum, capitis percussiones." Cicero, 'Tusc. Quaest.,' 3:26; see also ' De Legibus,' 2:25.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You
אַתֶּ֔ם (’at·tem)
Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

are sons
בָּנִ֣ים (bā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

of the LORD
לַֽיהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God;
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם (’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

do not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

cut
תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ (ṯiṯ·gō·ḏə·ḏū)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1413: To crowd, to gash

yourselves
וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

or shave
תָשִׂ֧ימוּ (ṯā·śî·mū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

your forehead
בֵּ֥ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

on behalf of the dead,
לָמֵֽת׃ (lā·mêṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 14:1 You are the children of Yahweh your (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 13:18
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