Deuteronomy 12:18

18 But only {before} Yahweh your God you shall eat it, at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite who [is] in your {towns}, and you must rejoice {before} your God {in all your undertakings}.

Deuteronomy 12:18 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 12:18

But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God, in the place
which the Lord thy God shall choose
Which may be said to be eaten before him, being eaten in the place where his sanctuary stood, in which he dwelt:

thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy
maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates;
who were all to come with him to this place; (See Gill on Deuteronomy 12:12)

and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest
thine hand unto;
cheerfully make and keep this feast in the manner directed to, rejoicing with his family and his friends, with the Levites and with the poor, expressing his thankfulness to God for his blessing on his labour.

Deuteronomy 12:18 In-Context

16 Only the blood you must not eat, [but] on the ground you must pour it like water.

17 You are not allowed to eat in your {towns} the tithe of your grain and your wine and your olive oil and the firstborn of your herd and your flock and all [of] your votive gifts that you vowed and your freewill offering and {your donations}.

18 But only {before} Yahweh your God you shall eat it, at the place that Yahweh your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter and your slave and your slave woman and the Levite who [is] in your {towns}, and you must rejoice {before} your God {in all your undertakings}.

19 {Take care} so that you do not neglect the Levite all [of] your days on your land.

20 "When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory [just] as he has {promised} to you, and you say 'I want to eat [some] meat,' {because you want it}, {whenever you desire} you may eat meat.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "before the face of"
• [b]. Hebrew "choose it"
• [c]. Literally "gate"
• [d]. Literally "before the face of"
• [e]. Literally "in all [of] the sending of your hand"