Deuteronomy 12: The Place He Will Choose
Israel must destroy pagan shrines and worship the LORD only at the place he chooses, on his terms and not their own.
Deuteronomy 12 (WEB)
1 These are the statutes and the ordinances which you shall observe to do in the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess it, all the days that you live on the earth.
2 You shall surely destroy all the places in which the nations that you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
3 You shall break down their altars, and dash their pillars in pieces, and burn their Asherah poles with fire. You shall cut down the engraved images of their gods. You shall destroy their name out of that place.
4 You shall not do so to Yahweh your God.
5 But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, you shall seek his habitation, and there you shall come.
6 There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the wave offering of your hand, your vows, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
7 There you shall eat before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which Yahweh your God has blessed you.
8 You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatever is right in his own eyes;
9 for you haven’t yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which Yahweh your God gives you.
10 But when you go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all your enemies around you, so that you dwell in safety;
11 then it shall happen that to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the wave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which you vow to Yahweh.
12 You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, you, and your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
13 Be careful that you don’t offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see;
14 but in the place which Yahweh chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.
15 Notwithstanding, you may kill and eat flesh within all your gates, after all the desire of your soul, according to Yahweh your God’s blessing which he has given you. The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle, and as of the deer.
16 Only you shall not eat the blood. You shall pour it out on the earth like water.
17 You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, nor any of your vows which you vow, nor your freewill offerings, nor the wave offering of your hand;
18 but you shall eat them before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates. You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God in all that you put your hand to.
19 Be careful that you don’t forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.
20 When Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, “I want to eat meat,” because your soul desires to eat meat; you may eat meat, after all the desire of your soul.
21 If the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to put his name there, is too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates, after all the desire of your soul.
22 Even as the gazelle and as the deer is eaten, so you shall eat of it. The unclean and the clean may eat of it alike.
23 Only be sure that you don’t eat the blood; for the blood is the life. You shall not eat the life with the flesh.
24 You shall not eat it. You shall pour it out on the earth like water.
25 You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh.
26 Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go to the place which Yahweh shall choose.
27 You shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God; and you shall eat the flesh.
28 Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in Yahweh your God’s eyes.
29 When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations from before you, where you go in to dispossess them, and you dispossess them, and dwell in their land;
30 be careful that you are not ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before you; and that you not inquire after their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”
31 You shall not do so to Yahweh your God; for every abomination to Yahweh, which he hates, have they done to their gods; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 Whatever thing I command you, that you shall observe to do. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it.
Deuteronomy 12 (KJV)
1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
4 Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.
5 But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:
7 And there ye shall eat 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.
8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you.
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 rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
11 Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord:
12 And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.
13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:
14 But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.
15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.
16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.
17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the 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:
18 But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.
19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.
20 When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
21 If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.
25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord.
26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose:
27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.
28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go 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.
29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not 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.
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 burnt in the fire to their gods.
32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Deuteronomy 12 (ASV)
1 These are the statutes and the ordinances which ye shall observe to do in the land which Jehovah, the God of thy fathers, hath given thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
2 Ye shall surely destroy all the places wherein the nations that ye shall dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
3 and ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods; and ye shall destroy their name out of that place.
4 Ye shall not do so unto Jehovah your God.
5 But unto the place which Jehovah your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come;
6 and thither ye shall bring your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock:
7 and there ye shall eat before Jehovah your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee.
8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes;
9 for ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
10 But when ye go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which Jehovah your God causeth you to inherit, and he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
11 then it shall come to pass that to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, thither shall ye bring all that I command you: your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto Jehovah.
12 And ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and the Levite that is within your gates, forasmuch as he hath no portion nor inheritance with you.
13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest;
14 but in the place which Jehovah shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.
15 Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat flesh within all thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and as of the hart.
16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.
17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy grain, or of thy new wine, or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill-offerings, nor the heave-offering of thy hand;
18 but thou shalt eat them before Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.
19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest in thy land.
20 When Jehovah thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul.
21 If the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to put his name there, be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which Jehovah hath given thee, as I have commanded thee; and thou mayest eat within thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul.
22 Even as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat thereof: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof alike.
23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.
24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.
25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah.
26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which Jehovah shall choose;
27 and thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of Jehovah thy God; and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of Jehovah thy God; and thou shalt eat the flesh.
28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.
29 When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest in to dispossess them, and thou dispossessest them, and dwellest in their land;
30 take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How do these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah thy God: for every abomination to Jehovah, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods.
32 What thing soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Summary
Moses gives the statutes Israel is to keep in the land, beginning with worship. They must utterly destroy every place where the nations served their gods—on the high mountains, hills, and under every green tree—tearing down altars, smashing pillars, burning Asherah poles, and wiping out the very names of those gods. But they are not to worship the LORD in that scattered, self-styled way. Instead, the LORD will choose one place to put his name, and there alone they are to bring their offerings, sacrifices, tithes, vows, and firstborn, and there they are to eat and rejoice before him with their households. They are not to do as they please, each one doing what is right in his own eyes, but to wait for the rest and inheritance God will give. Moses makes provision for ordinary meals: once in the land they may slaughter and eat meat within their towns according to their desire, clean and unclean alike, but they must never eat the blood, for the blood is the life, pouring it out on the ground like water. The holy offerings, however, must be brought to the chosen place. Above all, when the nations are destroyed, Israel must not be ensnared into asking how those peoples worshiped their gods, for the LORD detests their abominations, even the burning of their own children. Israel must worship only as God commands, neither adding to nor taking away.
Key Themes
- The central place of worship — The single place the LORD will choose to put his name, where Israel must bring their offerings and rejoice before him.
- The destruction of idolatry — The command to wipe out every pagan shrine, altar, and name, leaving no foothold for false worship in the land.
- Worship on God's terms — The principle that Israel must worship as God commands, not by doing what is right in their own eyes or imitating the nations.
- The blood and the life — The solemn prohibition against eating blood, for the blood is the life, pointing to the sacredness of atonement.
Key Verse
Deuteronomy 12:5 (WEB)
But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, you shall seek his habitation, and there you shall come.
Lessons Learned
- Worship of the true God leaves no room for the shrines and symbols of false gods.
- We worship God on his terms, at the place and in the way he appoints, not however we please.
- Doing what is right in our own eyes is not freedom but a path away from God.
- Worship is meant to be joyful, shared, and gathered in God's presence.
- The sanctity of blood and life points toward the costly atonement fulfilled in Christ.
- False worship must be removed. “You shall surely destroy all the places in which the nations… served their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:2, WEB). Idolatry tolerated becomes idolatry adopted.
- Worship is on God's terms. “You shall not do so to Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 12:4, WEB); they must come to “the place which Yahweh your God shall choose” (12:5). God defines how he is worshiped.
- True worship overflows in joy. “There you shall eat before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice” (Deuteronomy 12:7, WEB). Coming to God is meant to gladden the heart.
- Worship is not self-styled. Israel must not do “whatever is right in his own eyes” (Deuteronomy 12:8, WEB). We submit to God's revealed will, not our own preferences.
- Why does God command Israel to destroy the pagan places of worship so completely (12:2-3)?
- What is the significance of God choosing one place “to put his name” (12:5) for Israel's worship?
- How does the phrase “whatever is right in his own eyes” (12:8) describe a wrong approach to worship? Where do we see this attitude today?
- Worship in this chapter is marked by rejoicing before the LORD (12:7, 12). How does that challenge or enrich your view of worship?
- God insists Israel worship only as he commands, not by imitating the nations (12:30-31). Where might you be tempted to shape your faith around culture rather than God's word?
- The pagan shrines were not neutral; they were active snares that could lure Israel into idolatry. Total removal left no foothold for false worship to creep back in. The principle warns us that tolerated idols rarely stay quiet—what we fail to root out tends to take root in us.
- By choosing one place for his name, God unified Israel's worship and prevented the fragmented, do-it-yourself religion of the nations. It safeguarded right worship and pointed forward to the ultimate place God's name dwells—in Christ, in whom we now draw near to the Father.
- Doing what is right in one's own eyes makes the self the authority over worship, exactly the disorder seen later in Judges. Today it appears wherever we craft a faith to suit our tastes rather than submit to God's word. True worship bows to God's revelation, not our preferences.
- Worship here is not grim duty but glad feasting in God's presence with one's whole household. It reminds us that coming to God is meant to bring joy. Encourage the group to recover delight in worship, seeing it as communion with a generous God, not mere obligation.
- This is a personal-application question. The temptation to imitate surrounding culture in worship and values is perennial. Invite members to examine where cultural assumptions, rather than Scripture, are shaping their faith, and to recommit to worshiping God as he has revealed.