1These are the statutesH2706 and judgmentsH4941, which ye shall observeH8104 to doH6213 in the landH776, which the LORDH3068 GodH430 of thy fathersH1 givethH5414 thee to possessH3423 it, all the daysH3117 that ye liveH2416 upon the earthH127. 2Ye shall utterlyH6 destroyH6 all the placesH4725, in which the nationsH1471 whichH834 ye shall possessH3423 servedH5647 their godsH430, upon the highH7311 mountainsH2022, and upon the hillsH1389, and under every greenH7488 treeH6086: 3And ye shall overthrowH5422 their altarsH4196, and breakH7665 their pillarsH4676, and burnH8313 their grovesH842 with fireH784; and ye shall hew downH1438 the graven imagesH6456 of their godsH430, and destroyH6 the namesH8034 of them out of that placeH4725. 4Ye shall not do soH6213 to the LORDH3068 your GodH430. 5But the placeH4725 which the LORDH3068 your GodH430 shall chooseH977 out of all your tribesH7626 to putH7760 his nameH8034 there, even his habitationH7933 shall ye seekH1875, and there thou shalt comeH935: 6And there ye shall bringH935 your burnt offeringsH5930, and your sacrificesH2077, and your tithesH4643, and heave offeringsH8641 of your handH3027, and your vowsH5088, and your freewill offeringsH5071, and the firstlingsH1062 of your herdsH1241 and of your flocksH6629: 7And there ye shall eatH398 beforeH6440 the LORDH3068 your GodH430, and ye shall rejoiceH8055 in all that ye putH4916 your handH3027 to, ye and your householdsH1004, in which the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 hath blessedH1288 thee. 8Ye shall not doH6213 after all the things that we doH6213 here this dayH3117, every manH376 whatever is rightH3477 in his own eyesH5869. 9For ye are not as yet comeH935 to the restH4496 and to the inheritanceH5159, which the LORDH3068 your GodH430 givethH5414 you. 10But when ye go overH5674 JordanH3383, and dwellH3427 in the landH776 which the LORDH3068 your GodH430 giveth you to inheritH5157, and when he giveth you restH5117 from all your enemiesH341 on every sideH5439, so that ye dwellH3427 in safetyH983; 11Then there shall be a placeH4725 which the LORDH3068 your GodH430 shall chooseH977 to cause his nameH8034 to dwellH7931 there; there shall ye bringH935 all that I commandH6680 you; your burnt offeringsH5930, and your sacrificesH2077, your tithesH4643, and the heave offeringH8641 of your handH3027, and all your choiceH4005 vowsH5088 which ye vowH5087 to the LORDH3068: 12And ye shall rejoiceH8055 beforeH6440 the LORDH3068 your GodH430, ye, and your sonsH1121, and your daughtersH1323, and your maleH5650 and female servantsH519, and the LeviteH3881 that is within your gatesH8179; forasmuchH3588 as he hath no partH2506 nor inheritanceH5159 with you. 13Take heedH8104 to thyself that thou offerH5927 not thy burnt offeringsH5930 in every placeH4725 that thou seestH7200: 14But in the placeH4725 which the LORDH3068 shall chooseH977 in oneH259 of thy tribesH7626, there thou shalt offerH5927 thy burnt offeringsH5930, and there thou shalt doH6213 all that I commandH6680 thee. 15However thou mayest killH2076 and eatH398 fleshH1320 in all thy gatesH8179, whatever thy soulH5315 desirethH185, according to the blessingH1293 of the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 which he hath givenH5414 thee: the uncleanH2931 and the cleanH2889 may eatH398 of it, as of the roebuckH6643, and as of the hartH354. 16Only ye shall not eatH398 the bloodH1818; ye shall pourH8210 it upon the earthH776 as waterH4325. 17Thou mayestH3201 not eatH398 within thy gatesH8179 the titheH4643 of thy grainH1715, or of thy wineH8492, or of thy oilH3323, or the firstlingsH1062 of thy herdsH1241 or of thy flockH6629, nor any of thy vowsH5088 which thou vowestH5087, nor thy freewill offeringsH5071, or heave offeringH8641 of thy handH3027: 18But thou must eatH398 them beforeH6440 the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 in the placeH4725 which the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 shall chooseH977, thou, and thy sonH1121, and thy daughterH1323, and thy male servantH5650, and thy female servantH519, and the LeviteH3881 that is within thy gatesH8179: and thou shalt rejoiceH8055 beforeH6440 the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 in all that thou puttestH4916 thine handsH3027 to. 19Take heedH8104 to thyself that thou forsakeH5800 not the LeviteH3881 as long as thou livestH3117 upon the earthH127. 20When the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 shall enlargeH7337 thy borderH1366, as he hath promisedH1696 thee, and thou shalt sayH559, I will eatH398 fleshH1320, because thy soulH5315 longethH183 to eatH398 fleshH1320; thou mayest eatH398 fleshH1320, whatever thy soulH5315 desirethH185. 21If the placeH4725 which the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 hath chosenH977 to putH7760 his nameH8034 there shall be too farH7368 from thee, then thou shalt killH2076 of thy herdH1241 and of thy flockH6629, which the LORDH3068 hath givenH5414 thee, as I have commandedH6680 thee, and thou shalt eatH398 in thy gatesH8179 whatever thy soulH5315 desirethH185. 22Even as the roebuckH6643 and the hartH354 is eatenH398, so thou shalt eatH398 them: the uncleanH2931 and the cleanH2889 shall eatH398 of them alikeH3162. 23Only be sureH2388 that thou eatH398 not the bloodH1818: for the bloodH1818 is the lifeH5315; and thou mayest not eatH398 the lifeH5315 with the fleshH1320. 24Thou shalt not eatH398 it; thou shalt pourH8210 it upon the earthH776 as waterH4325. 25Thou shalt not eatH398 it; that it may be wellH3190 with thee, and with thy childrenH1121 afterH310 thee, when thou shalt doH6213 that which is rightH3477 in the sightH5869 of the LORDH3068. 26Only thy holy thingsH6944 which thou hast, and thy vowsH5088, thou shalt takeH5375, and goH935 to the placeH4725 which the LORDH3068 shall chooseH977: 27And thou shalt offerH6213 thy burnt offeringsH5930, the fleshH1320 and the bloodH1818, upon the altarH4196 of the LORDH3068 thy GodH430: and the bloodH1818 of thy sacrificesH2077 shall be poured outH8210 upon the altarH4196 of the LORDH3068 thy GodH430, and thou shalt eatH398 the fleshH1320. 28ObserveH8104 and hearH8085 all these wordsH1697 which I commandH6680 thee, that it may be wellH3190 with thee, and with thy childrenH1121 afterH310 thee forH5704 everH5769, when thou doestH6213 that which is goodH2896 and rightH3477 in the sightH5869 of the LORDH3068 thy GodH430. 29When the LORDH3068 thy GodH430 shall cut offH3772 the nationsH1471 from beforeH6440 thee, where thou goestH935 to possessH3423 them, and thou succeedestH3423 them, and dwellestH3427 in their landH776; 30Take heedH8104 to thyself that thou be not snaredH5367 by followingH310 them, afterH310 that they are destroyedH8045 from beforeH6440 thee; and that thou enquireH1875 not after their godsH430, sayingH559, How did these nationsH1471 serveH5647 their godsH430? even so will I doH6213 likewiseH1571. 31Thou shalt not doH6213 so to the LORDH3068 thy GodH430: for every abominationH8441 to the LORDH3068, which he hatethH8130, have they doneH6213 to their godsH430; for even their sonsH1121 and their daughtersH1323 they have burntH8313 in the fireH784 to their godsH430. 32Whatever thingH1697 I commandH6680 you, observeH8104 to doH6213 it: thou shalt not addH3254 to it, nor diminishH1639 from it.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 MONUMENTS OF IDOLATRY TO BE DESTROYED. (
Deut 12:1-
Deut 12:15)
These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe--Having in the preceding chapter inculcated upon the Israelites the general obligation to fear and love God, Moses here enters into a detail of some special duties they were to practise on their obtaining possession of the promised land.
2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods--This divine command was founded on the tendencies of human nature; for to remove out of sight everything that had been associated with idolatry, that it might never be spoken of and no vestige of it remain, was the only effectual way to keep the Israelites from temptations to it. It is observable that Moses does not make any mention of temples, for such buildings were not in existence at that early period. The "places" chosen as the scene of heathen worship were situated either on the summit of a lofty mountain, or on some artificial mound, or in a grove, planted with particular trees, such as oaks, poplars, and elms (
Isa 57:5-
Isa 57:7;
Hos 4:13). The reason for the selection of such sites was both to secure retirement and to direct the attention upward to heaven; and the "place" was nothing else than a consecrated enclosure, or at most, a canopy or screen from the weather.
3 And ye shall overthrow their altars--piles of turf or small stones.
and break their pillars--Before the art of sculpture was known, the statues of idols were only rude blocks of colored stones.
5 unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose . . . to put his name there . . . thou shalt come--They were forbidden to worship either in the impure superstitious manner of the heathen, or in any of the places frequented by them. A particular place for the general rendezvous of all the tribes would be chosen by God Himself; and the choice of one common place for the solemn rites of religion was an act of divine wisdom, for the security of the true religion. It was admirably calculated to prevent the corruption which would otherwise have crept in from their frequenting groves and high hills--to preserve uniformity of worship and keep alive their faith in Him to whom all their sacrifices pointed. The place was successively Mizpeh, Shiloh, and especially Jerusalem. But in all the references made to it by Moses, the name is never mentioned. This studied silence was maintained partly lest the Canaanites within whose territories it lay might have concentrated their forces to frustrate all hopes of obtaining it; partly lest the desire of possessing a place of such importance might have become a cause of strife or rivalry amongst the Hebrew tribes, as about the appointment to the priesthood (Num. 16:1-30).
7 there ye shall eat before the Lord--of the things mentioned (
Deut 12:6); but of course, none of the parts assigned to the priests before the Lord--in the place where the sanctuary should be established, and in those parts of the Holy City which the people were at liberty to frequent and inhabit.
12 ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, &c.--Hence it appears that, although males only were commanded to appear before God at the annual solemn feasts (
Exod 23:17), the women were allowed to accompany them (1Sa. 1:3-23).
15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates--Every animal designed for food, whether ox, goat, or lamb, was during the abode in the wilderness ordered to be slain as a peace offering at the door of the tabernacle; its blood to be sprinkled, and its fat burnt upon the altar by the priest. The encampment, being then round about the altar, made this practice, appointed to prevent idolatry, easy and practicable. But on the settlement in the promised land, the obligation to slay at the tabernacle was dispensed with. The people were left at liberty to prepare their meat in their cities or homes.
according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee--The style of living should be accommodated to one's condition and means--profuse and riotous indulgence can never secure the divine blessing.
the unclean and the clean may eat thereof--The unclean here are those who were under some slight defilement, which, without excluding them from society, yet debarred them from eating any of the sacred meats (
Lev 7:20). They were at liberty freely to partake of common articles of food.
of the roebuck--the gazelle.
and as of the hart--The Syrian deer (Cervus barbatus) is a species between our red and fallow deer, distinguished by the want of a bis-antler, or second branch on the horns, reckoning from below, and for a spotted livery which is effaced only in the third or fourth year.
16 BLOOD PROHIBITED. (
Deut 12:16-
Deut 12:25)
ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water--The prohibition against eating or drinking blood as an unnatural custom accompanied the announcement of the divine grant of animal flesh for food (
Gen 9:4), and the prohibition was repeatedly renewed by Moses with reference to the great objects of the law (
Lev 17:12), the prevention of idolatry, and the consecration of the sacrificial blood to God. In regard, however, to the blood of animals slain for food, it might be shed without ceremony and poured on the ground as a common thing like water--only for the sake of decency, as well as for preventing all risk of idolatry, it was to be covered over with earth (
Lev 17:13), in opposition to the practice of heathen sportsmen, who left it exposed as an offering to the god of the chase.
22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so shalt thou eat them, &c.--Game when procured in the wilderness had not been required to be brought to the door of the tabernacle. The people were now to be as free in the killing of domestic cattle as of wild animals. The permission to hunt and use venison for food was doubtless a great boon to the Israelites, not only in the wilderness, but on their settlement in Canaan, as the mountainous ranges of Lebanon, Carmel, and Gilead, on which deer abounded in vast numbers, would thus furnish them with a plentiful and luxuriant repast.
26 HOLY THINGS TO BE EATEN IN THE HOLY PLACE. (
Deut 12:26-
Deut 12:32)
Only thy holy things which thou hast--The tithes mentioned (
Deut 12:17) are not to be considered ordinary tithes, which belonged to the Levites, and of which private Israelites had a right to eat; but they are other extraordinary tithes or gifts, which the people carried to the sanctuary to be presented as peace offerings, and on which, after being offered and the allotted portion given to the priest, they feasted with their families and friends (
Lev 27:30).
29 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them . . . saying, How did these nations serve their gods?--The Israelites, influenced by superstitious fear, too often endeavored to propitiate the deities of Canaan. Their Egyptian education had early impressed that bugbear notion of a set of local deities, who expected their dues of all who came to inhabit the country which they honored with their protection, and severely resented the neglect of payment in all newcomers [WARBURTON]. Taking into consideration the prevalence of this idea among them, we see that against an Egyptian influence was directed the full force of the wholesome caution with which this chapter closes.