What Does Deuteronomy 14:23 Mean in the King James?
And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Awe is learned at the table where God’s nature dwells, as provision becomes presence.
THE MEANING
The verse places you before God with the grain, wine, oil, and firstborn from your herds and flocks. In the chosen place where God’s nature dwells, eating becomes a way of learning awe. Reverence takes shape through receiving provision in God’s presence.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that reverence belongs only to inward feeling, detached from food and material life. Here, what sustains you becomes part of how awe is learned.
THE ROOT
לְשַׁכֵּן
le-shakken
GROWS FROM
שׁכן
Dwell, settle, remain; in this form, cause to dwell.
“place his name there” in this verse is le-shakken. The phrase rendered “place his name” speaks of causing God’s name, his nature, to dwell in a chosen place. The meal happens within that presence, so awe is learned through receiving provision before God.
ALSO GROWS
mishkan: Dwelling place; tabernacle.
מִשְׁכָּן
This branch names a dwelling, connecting the chosen place with God’s presence.
shakhen: Neighbor; one who dwells nearby.
שָׁכֵן
The root carries a sense of nearness: the meal is eaten where God’s nature dwells among the people.
תִּלְמַד
tilmad
GROWS FROM
למד
Learn, be taught, or be trained.
“learn” in this verse is tilmad. The verse says awe can be learned; it is not merely an instant feeling. The meal, with its provisions eaten before God, makes reverence embodied and practiced.
ALSO GROWS
lamad: Learn or study.
לָמַד
It is the basic verb behind “learn,” making awe something acquired.
talmid: Learner; disciple.
תַּלְמִיד
This branch names one who is learning, showing that the verse presents awe as a formed understanding.
יִרְאָה
yir'ah
GROWS FROM
ירא
Fear, revere, stand in awe.
“fear” in this verse is yir'ah. Because the object of this response is the LORD, the root carries awe and reverence. Paired with “learn,” it describes a recognition formed through life lived in God’s presence.
ALSO GROWS
yare: To fear or revere.
יָרֵא
This verb shares the root and shows the response as an ongoing relation to God.
nora: Awesome; fearsome.
נוֹרָא
This branch describes what evokes awe, linking the learned response to the presence before which the meal is eaten.
THE PATTERN
Eating before God turns material provision into a way of recognizing divine presence.
And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.THE THREAD
Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:The same roots, למד (lamad, “learn”) and ירא (yare, “fear or revere”), bind the verses: both describe awe as something learned. Here that learning happens as the gathered people hear instruction; Deuteronomy 14:23 locates it in a meal where God’s nature dwells.
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