Deuteronomy 12:7

7 And you shall eat there {before} Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice {in all your endeavors}, you and your family [in] which Yahweh your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:7 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 12:7

And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God
The priests and the Levites, what was their portion, so Aben Ezra; but the people also are included, and by what follows seem chiefly designed, who were to eat their part of the sacrifices, particularly of the tithes and peace offerings, in the holy place that should be chosen and appointed; see ( Deuteronomy 14:22 Deuteronomy 14:23 Deuteronomy 14:27 )

and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto;
in all the labours of their hands, and what they got thereby, which they were cheerfully to enjoy, and express their thankfulness for it in this way; see ( Ecclesiastes 5:18 Ecclesiastes 5:19 )

ye and your households;
their wives, sons, daughters, men and maid servants; yea, with them Levites, strangers, fatherless, and widows, were to partake of some of their freewill offerings, ( Deuteronomy 16:10 Deuteronomy 16:11 )

wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee;
and these offerings were eucharistical, and by way of thanksgiving for the blessing of God upon their labours, for it is that which maketh rich, ( Proverbs 10:22 ) .

Deuteronomy 12:7 In-Context

5 {But only} to the place that Yahweh your God will choose from all [of] your tribes to place his name there as his dwelling shall you seek, and there you shall go.
6 And you shall bring there your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tithes and {your donations} and your votive gifts and your freewill offerings and the firstling of your herd and your flock.
7 And you shall eat there {before} Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice {in all your endeavors}, you and your family [in] which Yahweh your God has blessed you.
8 "You must not do [just] as we [are] doing here {today}, {each according to all that is right in his eyes}.
9 For you have not come up to now to the resting place and to the inheritance that Yahweh your God [is] giving to you.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Literally "before the faces of"
  • [b]. Literally "in all [of] the sending of your hand"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.