Deuteronomy 12:16-26

16 Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the eretz as water.

17 You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, nor any of your vows which you vow, nor your freewill-offerings, nor the heave-offering of your hand;

18 but you shall eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God shall choose, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your man-servant, and your maid-servant, and the Levite who is within your gates: and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you put your hand to.

19 Take heed to yourself that you don't forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

20 When the LORD your God shall enlarge your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, I will eat flesh, because your soul desires to eat flesh; you may eat flesh, after all the desire of your soul.

21 If the place which the LORD your God shall choose, to put his name there, be too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates, after all the desire of your soul.

22 Even as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so you shall eat of it: the unclean and the clean may eat of it alike.

23 Only be sure that you don't eat the blood: for the blood is the life; and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.

24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the eretz as water.

25 You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD.

26 Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go to the place which the LORD shall choose:

Deuteronomy 12:16-26 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.