Deuteronomy 14:11 — Word Study
WLCכָּל־ צִפּ֥וֹר טְהֹרָ֖ה תֹּאכֵֽלוּ׃
BSAYou may eatʼâkal▸ [are permitted to] anykôl [all kinds of] cleanṭâhôwr [pure, ceremonially acceptable] birdtsippôwr [little bird, fowl]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| כָּל־ | every | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| צִפּ֥וֹר | bird | Noun common, both singular absolute |
| טְהֹרָ֖ה | clean | Adj |
| תֹּאכֵֽלוּ׃ | you will eat | Verb, Qal, imperfect second person masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You may eat any clean bird, |
| KJV | ¶ Of all clean birds ye shall eat. |
| ASV | Of all clean birds ye may eat. |
| YLT | 'Any clean bird ye do eat; |
| WEB | Of all clean birds you may eat. |
| BBE | All clean birds may be used for food. |
Where they part company is צִפּוֹר — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main verb followed by a noun phrase object, making it clear and direct.
3 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
verbאָכַל
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Deuteronomy 14:11
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Dietary Laws in Deuteronomygenerated
Deuteronomy 14:11 is part of a larger section detailing the dietary laws for the Israelites, distinguishing between clean and unclean animals. This guidance is crucial for maintaining ritual purity and obedience to God's commands. The surrounding verses elaborate on what constitutes clean and unclean creatures, emphasizing the importance of these laws in the community's spiritual life.
Cross References
The Key Word — טְהֹרָ֖ה, te.ho.Rahgenerated
The word טָהוֹר (tahor) means clean or pure, and it encompasses various types of purity, including physical, moral, and ceremonial. In this context, it specifically refers to birds that are acceptable for consumption according to the dietary laws.
This adjective is used frequently in the Hebrew Bible to describe animals that are fit for sacrifice and consumption, reflecting God's standards for holiness among His people.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb תֹּאכֵֽלוּ (to.Khe.lu), meaning 'you will eat', governs the main clause. The structure is straightforward, with the subject implied and the object being the noun phrase כָּל־ צִפּ֥וֹר טְהֹרָ֖ה (kol tzi.Por te.ho.Rah), meaning 'any clean bird'.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the inclusivity of כָּל־ (kol-), indicating that all kinds of clean birds are permitted for consumption.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates טְהֹרָ֖ה as καθαρὸν (katharon), which also means clean or pure. This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, emphasizing the concept of ritual purity.
For צִפּוֹר, the Greek word ὄρνεον (orneon) is used, which specifically refers to birds, maintaining the focus on the same category of animals.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Deuteronomy 14:11 states that the Israelites are permitted to eat any clean bird. This means they can consume birds that are considered pure according to God's dietary laws, while other birds are not allowed.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
A 'clean bird' refers to those birds that are acceptable for eating according to the dietary laws given in the Bible.
Birds are considered unclean based on specific characteristics outlined in the Torah, such as not having fins and scales.
This verse reflects ancient dietary laws that some religious groups still observe today, emphasizing the importance of purity.
Yes, Leviticus 11 also outlines the distinctions between clean and unclean animals, providing further guidance.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What criteria do you think should be used to determine what is clean and unclean today?
- How can understanding these dietary laws enhance your appreciation for the biblical text?
- In what ways do you see the concept of purity applied in your own life?
- How can these ancient laws inform your current choices regarding food and health?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Deuteronomy 14:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleOf all clean birds ye shall eat. Which the Targum of Jonathan describes, everyone that has a craw, and whose crop is naked, and has a superfluous talon, and is not rapacious; but such as are unclean
Read John Gill on Deuteronomy 14 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryOf all clean birds ye shall eat. Of all clean birds ye shall eat - (see the note at Leviticus 11:21.)
Read Robert Jamieson on Deuteronomy 14 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and CollegesOn Clean And Unclean Animals (Deuteronomy 14:3-20) First, some remarks are necessary on the form of the deuteronomic list. While most of the names have been reasonably identified with animals still found in Palestine—the credit of this is largely due to Canon Tristram—yet full success in such identification is not, and may never be, possible. Especially precarious is the equation of the names with single species. The names are generic, not specific. They are popular. They give proofs of a close observation of the structure and habits of the animals. But the statement that the hare and the rock-badger chew the cud is not correct; though Arab hunters still assert this of the rock-badger (see…
Read Cambridge on Deuteronomy 14 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
You may eat any clean bird,
Of all clean birds you may eat.
You may eat any clean bird,
All ritually clean birds you may eat.
Tyndale line
¶ Of all clean birds ye shall eat.
Of all clean birds ye may eat.
Of all clean birds ye may eat.
Of all clean birds ye shall eat.
Of all cleane birdes ye shall eate:
Strictly literal
All clean birds shall ye eat.
'Any clean bird ye do eat;
Any clean bird you eat;
Every clean bird may ye eat.
All clean birds you may eat.
From the Latin
All birds that are clean you shall eat.
Simplified
You are allowed to eat any clean bird.
All clean birds may be used for food.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Samaritan Pentateuch agree word for word on this verse, indicating consistency in the transmission of this dietary law. The Septuagint matches the Hebrew text closely, preserving the meaning while altering the word order.
כָּל־ צִפּ֥וֹר טְהֹרָ֖ה תֹּאכֵֽלוּ׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
כל צפור טהרה תאכלו
Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Deuteronomy 14:11
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
צִפּוֹר (tsippowr) means 'bird' and can refer to a singular bird or birds collectively. It is derived from a root meaning 'to hop' and is associated with small birds like sparrows. The Aramaic equivalent is צְפַר (tse.phar).
צִפּוֹר, צִפֹּר 40 n.f. bird
base
H6833 צִפּוֹר, צִפֹּר bird
6833 tsippowr tsip-pore'
or tsippor {tsip-pore'}; from 6852; a little bird (as
hopping):--bird, fowl, sparrow.
see HEBREW for 06852
צִפּוֹר (tsip.por) — bird.
1) bird, fowl
1a) bird (singular)
1b) birds (coll)
Aramaic equivalent: tse.phar (צְפַר "bird" H6853)
N-cs — Noun common · both singular absoluteHNcbsa
Bird
Birds are divided in the Mosaic law into two classes, (1) the clean (Lev. 1:14-17; 5:7-10; 14:4-7), which were offered in sacrifice; and (2) the unclean (Lev. 11:13-20). When offered in sacrifice, they were not divided as other victims were (Gen. 15:10). They are mentioned also as an article of food (Deut. 14:11). The art of snaring wild birds is referred to (Ps. 124:7; Prov. 1:17; 7:23; Jer. 5:27). Singing birds are mentioned in Ps. 104:12;
טָהוֹר (tahor) means clean or pure, covering physical, ceremonial, and moral senses. It is derived from the root word associated with H2891. The entries emphasize its application in various contexts, including animals and ethical purity.
טָהוֹר adj. clean, pure
base
H2889 טָהוֹר clean, pure
2889 tahowr taw-hore'
or tahor {taw-hore'}; from 2891; pure (in a physical,
chemical, ceremonial or moral sense):--clean, fair,
pure(-ness).
see HEBREW for 02891
טָהוֹר (ta.hor) — pure.
1) pure, clean
1a) clean (ceremonially-of animals)
1b) pure (physically)
1c) pure, clean (morally, ethically)
Adj — AdjHAafsa
klen (Anglo-Saxon cloene, "clear," "pure"): Rendering four Hebrew roots: bar, etc., "purify," "select," "make shining"; zakh, etc., "bright," "clean" "pure"; naqi, "free from," "exempt"; Taher, "clean," "pure," "empty," "bright" (?) the principal root, rendered "clean" 80 times (the King James Version); occurring in all its forms in various renderings about 200 times; also one Greek root, katharos, etc., akin to castus, "chaste," "free from admixture or adhesion of anything that soils, adulterates, corrupts" (Thayer's Lexicon). The physical, ritual, ethical, spiritual, figurative uses continually overlap, especially the last four.
1. Physical:
The physical use is infrequent: "Wash .... with snow water, and make my hands never so clean" (zakhakh, Job 9:30; figurative also); "clean provender" (hamits, the Revised Version (British and…
Clean
The various forms of uncleanness according to the Mosaic law are enumerated in Lev. 11-15; Num. 19. The division of animals into clean and unclean was probably founded on the practice of sacrifice. It existed before the Flood (Gen. 7:2). The regulations regarding such animals are recorded in Lev. 11 and Deut. 14:1-21.
The Hebrews were prohibited from using as food certain animal substances, such as (1) blood; (2) the fat covering the intestines, termed the caul; (3) the fat on the intestines, called the mesentery; (4) the fat of the kidneys; and (5) the fat tail of certain sheep (Ex. 29:13, 22; Lev. 3:4-9; 9:19; 17:10; 19:26).
אָכַל (akal) means 'to eat' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including literal consumption by humans and animals, as well as figurative uses like devouring by fire or destruction. It can describe actions such as feeding or causing to eat, and it also appears in contexts of oppression and destruction. The verb has various forms, indicating different subjects and nuances.
אָכַל 806 vb. eat
Qal
eat, human subject
of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour
fig. of fire, devour, consume
of sword, devour, slay
in genl., devour, consume, destroy
fig. of oppression, devour the poor
Niph.
be eaten by man
be devoured by fire, consumed
be wasted, destroyed, of flesh
Pu. be consumed
Hiph.
cause to eat, feed with
cause to devoure, obj. sword
base
H398 אָכַל eat .. eat, human subject
. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour
. fig. of fire, devour, consume
. of sword, devour, slay
. in genl., devour, consume, destroy
. fig. of oppression, devour the poor
. . be eaten by man
. be devoured by fire, consumed
. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh
. be consumed
. . cause to eat, feed with
. cause to devoure, obj. sword
398 'akal aw-kal'
a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively):--X at
all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up),
feed (with), food, X freely, X in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay)
meat, X quite.
אָכַל (a.khal) — to eat.
1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to eat (human subject)
1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds)
1a3) to devour, consume (of fire)
1a4) to devour, slay (of sword)
1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought)
1a6) to devour (of oppression)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be eaten (by men)
1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire)
1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh)
1c) (Pual)
1c1) to cause to eat, feed with
1c2) to cause to devour
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to feed
1d2) to cause to eat
1e) (Piel)
1e1) consume
Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)
V-Qal-Imperf-2mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine pluralHVqi2mp