Deuteronomy 12:1-7

Laws of the Sanctuary

1 "These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess ¹as long * as you live on the earth.

2 "You shall utterly destroy all the places where * the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the ²high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.

3 "³You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and ⁴obliterate their name from that place.

4 "You shall not act like this toward the LORD your God.

5 "⁵But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.

6 "There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, ⁶your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

7 "There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and ⁷rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

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Deuteronomy 12:1-7 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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 7

1. Deuteronomy 4:9, 10; 1 Kings 8:40
2. 2 Kings 16:4; 2 Kings 17:10, 11
3. Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 7:5; Judges 2:2
4. Exodus 23:13; Psalms 16:4; Zechariah 13:2
5. Exodus 20:24; Deuteronomy 12:11, 13; 2 Chronicles 7:12; Psalms 78:68
6. Deuteronomy 14:22
7. Leviticus 23:40; Deuteronomy 12:12, 18; Deuteronomy 14:26; Deuteronomy 28:47; Ecclesiastes 3:12, 13; Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Footnotes 5

[a]. Lit "all the days"
[b]. Lit "ground"
[c]. I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
[d]. Or "heave offering"
[e]. Lit "the putting forth of your hand"