Bible Commentaries
Deuteronomy 12

Verse 1

12:1 These [are] the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God {a} of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

(a) By which they are admonished to seek no other God.

Verse 3

12:3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their {b} groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

(b) In which they sacrificed to their idols.

Verse 4

12:4 Ye shall {c} not do so unto the LORD your God.

(c) You shall not serve the Lord with superstitions.

Verse 6

12:6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave {d} offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

(d) Meaning, the first fruits.

Verse 7

12:7 And there ye shall eat {e} before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

(e) Where his Ark shall be.

Verse 8

12:8 Ye shall not do after all [the things] that we do {f} here this day, every man whatsoever [is] right in his own eyes.

(f) Not that they sacrificed after their fantasies, but that God would be served more purely in the land of Canaan.

Verse 10

12:10 But [when] ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and [when] he giveth you {g} rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

(g) It was not enough to conquer unless God maintained them in rest under his protection.

Verse 14

12:14 But in the place which the LORD shall {h} choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

(h) As was declared ever by the placing of the ark in Shiloh 243 years, or as some write more that 300 years, and in other places till the temple was built.

Verse 15

12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the {i} blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, {k} as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

(i) As God has given you power and ability.

(k) Everyone may eat equally at home the beast appointed for sacrifice and the other.

Verse 17

12:17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the {l} tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

(l) Meaning, whatever was offered to the Lord, may not be eaten, except where he had appointed.

Verse 23

12:23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood {m} [is] the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

(m) Because the life of beasts is in their blood.

Verse 26

12:26 Only thy {n} holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:

(n) That which you will offer in sacrifice.

Verse 28

12:28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go {o} well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest [that which is] good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.

(o) God by promise binds himself to do good to those who obey his word.

Verse 30

12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not {p} snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

(p) By following their superstitions and idolatries, and thinking to serve me by it.

Verse 31

12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have {q} burnt in the fire to their gods.

(q) They held nothing too dear to offer to their idols.