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Deuteronomy 14:24

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 14:24 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee;
Deuteronomy 14:24 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 14

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
21Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou mayest give it unto the sojourner that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner: for thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother`s milk.
22Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year.
23And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God always.
24And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee;
25then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose:
26and thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household.
27And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And if the way be too long for thee, etc.] The way from the place where any Israelite might live: to carry it; the tithe and the firstlings, it would be too expensive or too troublesome in any way that could be devised: or if the place shall be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there; which by the event appeared to be the city of Jerusalem, and this from some parts of the land of Canaan was very distant: when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee; with a large increase of the fruits of the earth, and of flocks and herds.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“if the place: Deu 11:24, Deu 12:21; Exo 23:31 which: Deu 12:5 Deuteronomy 14:26”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“In the land of Canaan, however, where the people would be scattered over a great extent of country, there would be many for whom the fulfilment of this command would be very difficult-would, in fact, appear almost impossible. To meet this difficulty, permission was given for those who lived at a great distance from the sanctuary to sell the tithes at home, provided they could not convey them in kind, and then to spend the money so obtained in the purchase of the things required for the sacrificial meals at the place of the sanctuary. ממּך ירבּה כּי, "if the way be too great (too far) for thee," etc., sc., for the delivery of the tithe. The parenthetical clause, "if Jehovah thy God shall…”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 14 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification