Deuteronomy 14:1–2

The Holy and the Profane

14:1 You are children1 of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead bald2 for the sake of the dead. 14:2 For you are a people holy3 to the Lord your God. He4 has chosen you to be his people, prized5 above all others on the face of the earth.

1	tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); TEV, NLT “people.”
2	sn Do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead bald. These were pagan practices associated with mourning the dead; they were not be imitated by God’s people (though they frequently were; cf. 1 Kgs 18:28; Jer 16:6; 41:5; 47:5; Hos 7:14 [LXX]; Mic 5:1). For other warnings against such practices see Lev 21:5; Jer 16:5.
3	tn Or “set apart.”
4	tn Heb “The Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
5	tn Or “treasured.” The Hebrew term סְגֻלָּה (ségullah) describes Israel as God’s choice people, those whom he elected and who are most precious to him (cf. Exod 19:4–6; Deut 14:2; 26:18; 1 Chr 29:3; Ps 135:4; Eccl 2:8 Mal 3:17). See E. Carpenter, NIDOTTE 3:224. sn The Hebrew term translated “select” (and the whole verse) is reminiscent of the classic covenant text (Exod 19:4–6) which describes Israel’s entry into covenant relationship with the Lord. Israel must resist paganism and its trappings precisely because she is a holy people elected by the Lord from among the nations to be his instrument of world redemption (cf. Deut 7:6; 26:18; Ps 135:4; Mal 3:17; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet 2:9).