Deuteronomy 12:1-6

Regulations and the case laws:

1

Worship at the location the Lord selects

1 These are the regulations and the case laws that you must carefully keep in the fertile land the LORD, your ancestors' God, has given to you to possess for as long as you live on that land:
2 You must completely destroy every place where the nations that you are displacing worshipped their gods—whether on high mountains or hills or under leafy green trees.
3 Rip down their altars and shatter their sacred stones. Burn their sacred poles with fire. Hack their gods' idols into pieces. Wipe out their names from that place.
4 Don't act like they did toward the LORD your God!
5 Instead, you must search for the location the LORD your God will select from all your tribes to put his name there, as his residence, and you must go there.
6 You must bring your entirely burned offerings, your sacrifices, your tenth-part gifts, your contributions, your payments for solemn promises, your spontaneous gifts, and the oldest offspring of your herds and flocks to that place.

Deuteronomy 12:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 12

In this chapter orders are given to destroy all altars, pillars, groves, and images, made for the worship of idols in the land of Canaan, De 12:1-3 and to bring all sacrifices and holy things unto the place which the Lord should choose for his habitation, and not do as they then did, not being come to their rest, De 12:4-14, flesh for their common food might be killed and eaten in their own houses, provided they did not eat the blood, but poured it out upon the earth, De 12:15-25, tithes, vows, and freewill offerings, were to be eaten in the holy place, De 12:17-19 and burnt offerings to be offered on the altar of the Lord and the blood of them to be poured out upon the altar, De 12:26-28, all which they were carefully to observe, De 12:29, and they are cautioned against idolatry, and inquiring after the manner of it, as practised by the old inhabitants of the land, and introducing their customs into the service of God, De 12:30-32.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Heb asherim, perhaps objects devoted to the goddess Asherah
  • [b]. Or the contribution of your hands; also in 12:11, 17
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