Deuteronomy 26:14
לֹא־אָכַלְתִּי בְאֹנִי מִמֶּנּוּ וְלֹא־בִעַרְתִּי מִמֶּנּוּ בְּטָמֵא וְלֹא־נָתַתִּי מִמֶּנּוּ לְמֵת שָׁמַעְתִּי בְּקוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהָי עָשִׂיתִי כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתָֽנִי׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
לֹא־אָכַ֨לְתִּי בְאֹנִ֜י מִמֶּ֗נּוּ וְלֹא־בִעַ֤רְתִּי מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ בְּטָמֵ֔א וְלֹא־נָתַ֥תִּי מִמֶּ֖נּוּ לְמֵ֑ת שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי בְּקוֹל֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י עָשִׂ֕יתִי כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתָֽנִי׃
καὶ οὐκ ἔφαγον ἐν ὀδύνῃ μου ἀπ’ αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἐκάρπωσα ἀπ’ αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκάθαρτον, οὐκ ἔδωκα ἀπ’ αὐτῶν τῷ τεθνηκότι· ἐπήκουσα τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἐπήκουσα καθότι ἐνετείλω μοι.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
Non comedi ex eis in luctu meo, nec separavi ea in qualibet immunditia, nec expendi ex his quidquam in re funebri. Obedivi voci Domini Dei mei, et feci omnia sicut præcepisti mihi.
No he comido de él en mi luto, ni he quitado nada de él mientras estaba impuro, ni he dado de él para los muertos. He escuchado la voz de Yehová, mi Dios. He hecho conforme a todo lo que me has ordenado.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
No he comido de ello en mi luto, ni he sacado de ello en inmundicia, ni de ello he dado para mortuorio: he obedecido á la voz de Jehová mi Dios, he hecho conforme á todo lo que me has mandado.
I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything You commanded me.
✦ What the text says
Summary
The speaker recites a declaration accompanying the tithe offering, stating that they did not eat from it while in mourning, did not remove any of it while unclean, and did not give any of it for the dead. The declaration closes by affirming obedience to the voice of Yehovah and to everything commanded.
Key words
- 'oni ("mourning", H0205H) — masculine singular construct noun with pronominal suffix, forming "in my mourning"; marks the ritual state during which consumption of the tithe was avoided.
- vi'arti ("I have removed", H1197I) — piel perfect, first person; the piel stem intensifies the basic sense of ba'ar (to burn/remove), here denoting a deliberate act of clearing or disposing.
- tame' ("unclean", H2931) — masculine singular adjective describing the state of the speaker at the time the action (or non-action) occurred.
- qol ("voice of", H6963A) — masculine singular construct noun, linking to Yehovah as the one whose voice was heeded, forming the phrase "voice of Yehovah."
- tzivvitani ("you have commanded me", H6680 + H9030) — piel perfect second person masculine with first-person object suffix, closing the verse with the totality of commands obeyed.
What the text says
The verse is built on a triple negative structure (lo'... lo'... lo'...), each clause using a first-person qal or piel perfect verb followed by mimmenu ("any of it", H4480A + H9033), referring back to the tithe portion discussed earlier in the passage. This repetition creates a formulaic, legal-declarative rhythm: eating, removing, and giving are each denied under specific conditions — mourning ('oni), uncleanness (tame'), and death (met, H4191, a qal participle "the dead one"). The shift from qal ('akhalti, natati) to piel (vi'arti) in the second clause reflects a difference in verbal intensity: the piel stem here marks a more deliberate, effortful action of clearing away, distinct from the simple acts of eating or giving.
The final two clauses pivot from negation to affirmation, both using qal perfect verbs (shama'ti, "I have listened", H8085H; 'asiti, "I have done", H6213A) to state compliance with "the voice of Yehovah my God" (qol Yehovah 'Elohai) and with "all that you have commanded me" (kol 'asher tzivvitani), using the relative particle 'asher (H0834A) to introduce the totality of instructions referenced.
Differences between versions
The LXX renders vi'arti ("I have removed", H1197I) as ekarposa ("I offered as profit/fruit"), a notably different sense from the Hebrew's removal/clearing action; the Vulgate instead uses separavi ("I have separated"). The LXX also reads "voice of the Lord our God" (ἡμῶν) where the Hebrew has 'Elohai ("my God", H0430G with H9020 suffix), a shift from first-person singular to plural possession. Additionally, the LXX repeats ἐπήκουσα ("I heard/obeyed") twice, a doubling not present in the Hebrew's single shama'ti.
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.