Deuteronomy 12:1-14

The Chosen Place of Worship

1 "Be careful to follow these statutes and ordinances in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess all the days you live on the earth.

2 Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are driving out worship their gods-on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every flourishing tree.

3 Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every^[a] place.^[b]

4 Don't worship the Lord your God this way.

5 Instead, you must go to the place the Lord your God chooses from all your tribes to put His name for His dwelling.

6 You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions,^[c] your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

7 You will eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do,^[d] because the Lord your God has blessed you.

8 "You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone [is doing] whatever seems right in his own eyes.

9 Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place and the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you.

10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security,

11 then the Lord your God will choose the place to have His name dwell. Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions,^[e] and all your choice offerings you vow to the Lord.

12 You will rejoice before the Lord your God-you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.^[f]

13 Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the [sacred] places you see.

14 You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:1-14 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

• [a]. Lit that
• [b]. Ex 23:20-26; 34:13
• [c]. Lit and the contributions from your hands
• [d]. Lit you put your hand to
• [e]. Lit tenth, the contributions from your hands
• [f]. Nm 18:20