1Dies sind die Gesetze und die Rechtsgeheiße, die ihr wahren sollt, sie zu tun in dem Land, das ER der Gott deiner Väter dir gab es zu ererben, alle Tage die ihr auf dem Boden lebt. 2Schwendet, ausschwendet alle Orte, wo die Stämme, die ihr beerbt, ihren Göttern dienten, auf den hohen Bergen, auf den Hügeln, unter alljedem üppigen Baum, 3schleifet ihre Schlachtstätten, trümmert ihre Standmale, ihre Pfahlbäume verbrennt im Feuer, die Schnitzbilder ihrer Götter zerhackt, laßt deren Namen schwinden von jenem Ort. 4Solcherweise nicht sollt ihr IHM eurem Gotte tun, 5sondern nach dem Ort hin, den ER euer Gott aus all euren Zweigen wählen wird, seinen Namen dort einzusetzen: wollt ihr seine Wohnstatt besuchen, dorthin sollst du fahren, 6dorthin sollt ihr führen eure Darhöhungen und eure Schlachtmahle, eure Zehnten und die Hebe eurer Hand, eure Gelübde und eure Willigungen, die Erstlinge eures Pflugtiers und eures Kleinviehs. 7Esset dort vor SEINEM eures Gottes Antlitz, freut euch an allem, was eure Hand beschickt hat, ihr und eure Hausleute, womit ER dein Gott dich gesegnet hat. 8Tut nicht, allwie wir heuttags hier tun, jedermann alles in seinen Augen Gerade, 9denn ihr seid bis jetzt nicht eingefahren zu der Ruhe und zu dem Eigentum, die ER dein Gott dir gibt. 10Habt ihr aber den Jordan überschritten, siedelt ihr in dem Land, das ER euer Gott euch zueignet, hat er euch Ruhe gewährt vor all euren Feinden ringsum, daß ihr in Sicherheit seßhaft wurdet, 11dann seis: der Ort, den ER euer Gott erwählen wird, seinen Namen dort einwohnen zu lassen, dorthin führet alles, was ich euch gebiete, eure Darhöhungen und eure Schlachtmahle, eure Zehnten und die Hebe eurer Hand und alle Auswahl eurer Gelübde, die ihr IHM gelobet, 12freut euch vor SEINEM eures Gottes Antlitz, ihr, eure Söhne, eure Töchter, eure Knechte, eure Mägde und der Lewit, der in euren Toren ist, denn kein Teil und Eigentum hat er bei euch. 13Wahre dich, daß du deine Darhöhungen etwa höhtest an allem Ort, den du siehst, 14sondern an dem Ort, den ER in einem deiner Zweige wählen wird, dort sollst du deine Darhöhungen höhen, und dort sollst du alles tun, was ich dir gebiete. 15Jedoch magst du nach aller Lust deiner Seele schlachten, magst Fleisch essen, gemäß SEINEM deines Gottes Segen, den er dir gab, in allen deinen Ratstoren, der Maklige und der Reine mag es essen, wie die Gazelle und wie den Hirsch; 16jedoch das Blut esset nicht, auf die Erde schütte es wie Wasser. 17Nicht kannst du in deinen Toren essen den Zehnten deines Korns, deines Mosts und deines Ausbruchöls, die Erstlinge deiner Pflugtiere und deines Kleinviehs, all deine Gelübde, die du gelobst, deine Willigungen und die Hebe deiner Hand, 18sondern vor SEINEM deines Gottes Antlitz sollst du es essen, an dem Ort, den ER dein Gott erwählen wird, du, dein Sohn, deine Tochter, dein Knecht, deine Magd, und der Lewit, der in deinen Toren ist, freuen sollst du dich vor SEINEM deines Gottes Antlitz an allem, was deine Hand beschickt hat. - 19Wahre dich, daß du etwa verließest den Lewiten, all deine Tage auf deinem Boden. 20Wenn ER dein Gott deine Gemarkung weitet, wie er dir geredet hat, du sprichst: Ich möchte Fleisch essen, - denn deine Seele lüstet, Fleisch zu essen, - nach aller Lust deiner Seele magst du Fleisch essen. 21Wenn dir zu fern ist der Ort, den ER dein Gott wählt, seinen Namen dort einzusetzen, magst du schlachten von deinem Pflugtier und von deinem Kleinvieh, das ER dir gab, wie ich dir geboten habe, essen in deinen Toren nach aller Lust deiner Seele, 22nur eben wie man die Gazelle und den Hirsch ißt, so magst du es essen, der Maklige und der Reine mitsammen mögen es essen. 23Jedoch bleibe stark, keinesfalls das Blut zu essen, denn das Blut ist die Seele, du sollst nicht die Seele mit dem Fleische essen, 24iß es nicht, auf die Erde schütte es wie Wasser, 25iß es nicht, damits dir und deinen Söhnen nach dir gut ergehe, weil du das in SEINEN Augen Gerade getan hast. 26Jedoch deine Darheiligungen, die dir obliegen werden, und deine Gelübde sollst du aufladen, sollst kommen zu dem Ort, den ER wählen wird, 27du sollst deine Darhöhungen bereiten lassen, das Fleisch und das Blut, an SEINER deines Gottes Schlachtstatt, auch das Blut deiner Schlachtmahle werde an SEINE deines Gottes Schlachtstatt geschüttet, aber das Fleisch magst du essen. 28Wahre und höre all diese Reden, die ich dir gebiete, damits dir und deinen Söhnen nach dir auf Weltzeit gut ergehe, weil du das in SEINEN deines Gottes Augen Gute und Gerade getan hast. 29Wenn ER dein Gott vor dir her die Stämme ausgerottet hat, wohin du kommst, sie zu enterben, du hast sie beerbt, hast ihr Land besetzt, 30wahre dich! du möchtest sonst ihnen nach verstrickt werden, nachdem sie vor dir her ausgetilgt worden sind, und du möchtest sonst umsuchen ihre Götter, sprechend: Wie dienten diese Stämme ihren Göttern? und: So will auch ich tun! 31Nicht sollst du so tun, IHM deinem Gott, denn alles, was IHM ein Greuel ist, den er haßt, haben sie ihren Göttern getan, denn sogar ihre Söhne und ihre Töchter verbrannten sie im Feuer ihren Göttern.
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.