Deuteronomy 12
Summary for Deut 12:1: 12:1–26:15 a After Moses laid out the principles of the covenant (5:1–11:32 b), he moved to the application of these principles in everyday life. Passages in this section expand on the Ten Commandments and cover some of the contingencies that inevitably arise in the complexity of human relationships.12:2 c green tree: The Canaanites selected groves of trees for worship sites because their lush foliage demonstrated fertility. Sometimes trees were stylized in the form of wooden poles driven into the ground and dedicated to the worship of the mother goddess, Asherah (see 7:5 d).
12:3 e sacred pillars: See study note on 7:5.
• Asherah poles: The feminine counterpart to the sacred pillar was a wooden pole dedicated to the mother goddess, Asherah.
• erase the names: With the destruction of all idols and every vestige of pagan worship, the names of these deities would be forgotten. Future generations would know nothing of them (see also study note on 7:24).
12:5 f his name will be honored: The name of the Lord represents the Lord himself. God lived among his people in a designated location by placing his name there (see Exod 3:13-14 g).
12:6 h All of the offerings listed here are expressions of thanksgiving, fellowship, and loyalty to the Lord. In covenant relationships, the vassal offered tribute to the great king as a sign of submission and a promise of dependability (see study note on 1:31).
12:8 i doing as you please: Until the Exodus, the Israelites probably worshiped at multiple shrines in Egypt. With the construction of the Tabernacle, worship was centralized and remained so with the later building of the Temple. In the future, the community would be required to assemble on stated occasions to worship the Lord collectively at the central sanctuary, although local worship by individuals, families, and even villages would continue (see Exod 20:24-26 j; 1 Sam 9:11-14 k).
12:12 l The Levites, descendants of Jacob’s son Levi, were set apart to serve the Lord full time in Israel’s religious life (Num 18:1-7 m). The primary task of the Levites was to assist the priests in their various responsibilities. Because the priests and the Levites could not engage in secular pursuits, they depended on the generosity of Israel’s other tribes for their livelihood (Num 18:21-24 n).
12:15 o butcher your animals ... whenever you want: This instruction refers to animals for eating, not for a ritual sacrifice.
• ceremonially clean or unclean: The slaughter of animals for food could take place without the slayer undergoing the purification rituals necessary when sacrificial animals were slain.
12:16 p The prohibition against consuming blood pertained both to sacrificial animals and to those slain for meat. Because it represented life, blood was sacred and was to be rendered only to God. This principle is inherent in creation and preceded the law (Gen 4:10-11 q; 9:4-6 r; Lev 17:11 s). See also study note on Lev 7:26-27.
12:18 t The place he will choose was the central sanctuary—first the Tabernacle and then the Temple.
12:21 u you may butcher: Because an animal’s blood was considered sacred (see Gen 9:4-6 v), even meat intended for human consumption was to be slaughtered at the central designated place of worship if that was at all practical (cp. Lev 17:8-9 w); if not, the animal could be sacrificed locally, but the blood still had to be disposed of in a ritually appropriate manner (Deut 12:23-25 x; cp. Lev 17:10-12 y).
12:23 z the blood is the life: In this figure of speech, the means (blood) is equated with the effect (life). Since life is sacred, its vehicle, the blood, is also sacred (see also Lev 17:11 aa).
12:27 ab you may eat the meat: The exception was meat sacrificed in burnt offerings, which was to be given to the Lord and wholly consumed in the fire (see Lev 1:3-17 ac and study note).
12:31 ad burn their sons and daughters: Human sacrifice was one of the most abhorrent practices of ancient pagan religions. The Ammonites believed that their god Molech required such sacrifice from his worshipers (Lev 18:21 ae; 20:2 af; 2 Kgs 23:10 ag; Jer 32:35 ah).
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