Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12:1 “Be careful to watch these prescriptions and rules in the land that Yahveh, the God of your fathers, has given you to take possession of all the days you live on the land.

Deuteronomy 12:2 Destroy completely all the places where the nations that you are taking possession of worship their gods — on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Deuteronomy 12:3 Tear down their altars, smash their standing stones, burn their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and destroy their names from every place.

Deuteronomy 12:4 Don’t worship Yahveh your God this way.

Deuteronomy 12:5 Instead, turn to the place Yahveh your God chooses from all your tribes to place his name for his dwelling and go there.

Deuteronomy 12:6 You are to bring there your ascending offerings[1] and sacrifices, your tenths, and personal contributions, your solemn pledge[2] offerings and spontaneous voluntary[3] offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

Deuteronomy 12:7 You will eat there in the presence of Yahveh your God and enjoy[4] everything you do with your household because Yahveh, your God, has empowered you.

Deuteronomy 12:8 “You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own sight.

Deuteronomy 12:9 You see, you have not yet come into the resting place and the inheritance Yahveh your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 12:10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land Yahveh your God is giving you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all the enemies around you, and you live in security,

Deuteronomy 12:11 then Yahveh, your God will choose the place to have his name dwell. Bring there everything I command you: your ascending offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions, and all your best offerings you solemnly pledge to Yahveh.

Deuteronomy 12:12 You will enjoy the face of Yahveh, your God – you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your city gates since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

Deuteronomy 12:13 Be careful or else you will offer your ascending offerings in all the sacred places you see.

Deuteronomy 12:14 You must offer your ascending offerings only in the place Yahveh chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:15 “But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your city gates, according to the empowerment Yahveh your God has given you. Those who are contaminated[5] or pure[6] may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer,

Deuteronomy 12:16 but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the land like water.

Deuteronomy 12:17 Within your city gates you may not eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, or fresh oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your solemn pledge offerings that you pledge; your spontaneous voluntary offerings; or your personal contributions.

Deuteronomy 12:18 You are to eat them in the presence of Yahveh your God at the place Yahveh your God chooses – you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your city gates. Enjoy the face of Yahveh your God in everything you do,

Deuteronomy 12:19 and be careful or else you will neglect the Levite, as long as you live in your land.

Deuteronomy 12:20 “When Yahveh your God enlarges your territory as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I want to eat meat’ because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want.

Deuteronomy 12:21 If the place where Yahveh your God chooses to place his name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock he has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your city gates whenever you want.

Deuteronomy 12:22 You may certainly[7] eat it as the gazelle and deer are eaten; both the pure and the contaminated may eat it.

Deuteronomy 12:23 Only be strong enough not to eat the blood, since the blood is the personal existence, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

Deuteronomy 12:24 Do not eat blood; pour it on the land like water.

Deuteronomy 12:25 Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in Yahveh’s sight.

Deuteronomy 12:26 “But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your solemn pledge offerings and go to the place Yahveh chooses.

Deuteronomy 12:27 Present the meat and blood of your ascending offerings on the altar of Yahveh your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of Yahveh your God, but you may eat the meat.

Deuteronomy 12:28 Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may permanently prosper, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of Yahveh your God.

Deuteronomy 12:29 “When Yahveh your God eliminates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you take possession from them and stay in their land,

Deuteronomy 12:30 be careful or else you will be ensnared by their ways after they have been exterminated before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I’ll also do the same.’

Deuteronomy 12:31 You must not do the same to Yahveh your God, because they practice every repulsive act, which Yahveh hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

Deuteronomy 12:32 Be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.

[1] עֹלָה= ascending offering. Deuteronomy 12:6, 11, 13, 14, 27; 27:6.

[2]נֶדֶר = slemn pledge. Deuteronomy 12:6, 11, 17, 26; 23:18, 21.

[3]נְדָבָה = spontaneous voluntary offering. Deuteronomy 12:6, 17; 16:10; 23:23.

[4]שָׂמַח = enjoy. Deuteronomy 12:7, 12, 18; 14:26; 16:11, 14; 24:5; 26:11; 27:7; 33:18.

[5]טָמֵא = (ritually) contaminated. Deuteronomy 12:15, 22; 14:7, 8, 10, 19; 15:22; 26:14.

[6]טָהוֹר = (ritually) pure. Deuteronomy 12:15, 22; 14:11, 20; 15:22; 23:10.

[7]אַךְ = certainly. Deuteronomy 12:22; 14:7; 16:15; 28:29.

Deuteronomy 12 quotes:

“He felt, to speak after the manner of men, it was of no use entering upon practical details until the grand foundation-principle of all morality was fully established in the very deepest depths of the soul. The principle is this (let us Christians apply our hearts to it) : It is man’s bounden duty to bow implicitly to the authority of the Word of God. It matters not, in the smallest degree, what that Word may enjoin, or whether we can see the reason of this, that, or the other institution. The one grand, all-important, and conclusive point is this : Has God spoken ? If He has, that is quite enough. There is no room, no need, for any further Question.”

Mackintosh Charles Henry. Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy. Loizeaux Bros 1880. p. 122.

“The years preceding, and those which would follow immediately upon the events in Moab, were not to be typical of the Israelites’ religious life in the future. Since the Exodus from Egypt, the people had no permanent resting place, and their itinerant life style meant that of necessity their forms of worship had to be adapted to the immediate situation. The stress given to this point is important, for memory played a significant role in the faith of Israel. When in the future the people remembered the wilderness years and God’s presence and aid, they should also remember that the desert did not provide the paradigm for the settled life in the promised land”

Craigie, Peter C.. The Book of Deuteronomy (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (p. 218). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.

The DEUTERONOMY shelf in Jeff’s library.

Day: December 2, 2025

Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12

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