Deuteronomy 12:17-27

17 Nothing that you offer to the Lord is to be eaten in the places where you live: neither the tithes of your grain, your wine, or your olive oil, nor the first-born of your cattle and sheep, the gifts that you promise to the Lord, your freewill offerings, or any other offerings.

18 You and your children, together with your servants and the Levites who live in your towns, are to eat these offerings only in the presence of the Lord your God, in the one place of worship chosen by the Lord your God. And you are to be happy there over everything that you have done.

19 Be sure, also, not to neglect the Levites, as long as you live in your land.

20 "When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised, you may eat meat whenever you want to.

21 If the one place of worship is too far away, then, whenever you wish, you may kill any of the cattle or sheep that the Lord has given you, and you may eat the meat at home, as I have told you.

22 Anyone, ritually clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as he would eat the meat of deer or antelope.

23 Only do not eat meat with blood still in it, for the life is in the blood, and you must not eat the life with the meat. ¹

24 Do not use the blood for food; instead, pour it out on the ground like water.

25 If you obey this command, the Lord will be pleased, and all will go well for you and your descendants.

26 Take to the one place of worship your offerings and the gifts that you have promised the Lord.

27 Offer there the sacrifices which are to be completely burned on the Lord's altar. Also offer those sacrifices in which you eat the meat and pour the blood out on the altar.

Deuteronomy 12:17-27 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.

Cross References

• 1. 12.23, 24Leviticus 17.10-14.