Deuteronomy 12:4

4 1You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.

Deuteronomy 12:4 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 12:4

Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.
] Not sacrifice to him on hills and mountains, and under green trees; though the Jews commonly refer this to the destruction of the names of God, and of any thing appertaining to the temple; that though the temples and the altars of the Heathens were to be overthrown, yet not a stone was to be taken from the house of God, or that belonged to it, nor any of his names to be blotted out; so the Targum of Jonathan and Maimonides F26, who also observes F1, that whoever removes a stone by way of destruction from the altar, or from the temple, or from the court, is to be beaten; so he that burns the holy wood.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 Yesode Hattorah, c. 6. sect. 7, 9.
F1 Ibid. sect. 8.

Deuteronomy 12:4 In-Context

2 You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
3 You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.
4 You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.
5 But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go,
6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

Cross References 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.