Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy · Chapter 12

Deuteronomy 12:3

1These 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.2Ye 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:3And 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.4Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.5But 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:6And 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:7And 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.8Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.9For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.10But 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;11Then 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:12And 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.13Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:14But 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.15Notwithstanding 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.16Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.17Thou 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:18But 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.19Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.20When 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.21If 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.22Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.23Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.24Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.25Thou 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.26Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:27And 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.28Observe 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.29When 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;30Take 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.31Thou 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.32What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3And 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.Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.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.

In context

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Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and you will break downוְנִתַּצְתֶּ֣םve-ni-tatz-TEMH5422
to tear

נָתַץ (na.tats) 1) to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth) 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to pull down 1a2) to break down, break off 1b) (Niphal) to be pulled or broken down 1c) (Piel) to tear down 1d) (Pual) to be torn down 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be broken down

altars theirמִזְבּחֹתָ֗םmiz-b-cho-TAMH4196
sacrifice

דְּבַח (de.vach) sacrifice Aramaic of miz.be.ach (מִזְבֵּחַ "altar" H4196)

and you will shatterוְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם֙ve-shi-bar-TEMH7665
to break

שָׁבַר (sha.var) 1) to break, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench 1a2) to break, rupture (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked 1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig) 1c) (Piel) to shatter, break 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406)

sacred pillars theirמַצֵּ֣בֹתָ֔םma-TZE-vo-TAMH4676
pillar

מַצֵּבָה (mats.tse.vah) 1) pillar, mastaba, stump 1a) pillar 1a1) as monument, personal memorial 1a2) with an altar 1b)(Hoph) stock, stump (of tree)

and Asherah poles theirוַאֲשֵֽׁרֵיהֶם֙va-'a-she-rei-HEMH0842
Asherah

אֲשֵׁרָה (a.she.rah) § Ashera(h) = "groves (for idol worship)" a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images her images sacred trees or poles set up near an altar

you will burn !תִּשְׂרְפ֣וּןtis-re-FUNH8313
to burn

סָרַף (sa.raph) (Pael) burnt Another spelling of sa.raph (שָׂרַף "to burn" H8313)

with the fireבָּאֵ֔שׁba-'ESHH0784
fire

אֵשׁ (esh) 1) fire 1a) fire, flames 1b) supernatural fire (accompanying theophany) 1c) fire (for cooking, roasting, parching) 1d) altar-fire 1e) God's anger (fig.) Aramaic equivalent: esh (אֶשָּׁא "fire" H0785)

and [the] images ofוּפְסִילֵ֥יu-fe-si-LEIH6456
idol

פָּסִיל (pe.sil) image, idol, graven image Another spelling of pe.sel (פֶּ֫סֶל "idol" H6459)

gods theirאֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֖ם'e-lo-hei-HEMH0430J
God

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

you will cut down !תְּגַדֵּע֑וּןte-ga-de-'UNH1438
to cut down/off

גָּדַע (ga.da) 1) to cut, hew, chop, cut down, hew down, hew off, cut off, cut in two, shave off 1a) (Qal) to hew, chop in two 1b) (Niphal) to be chopped off, be hewn off 1c) (Piel) to cut off or down in two, hew off or down in two 1d) (Pual) to chop down, hew down

and you will destroyוְאִבַּדְתֶּ֣םve-'i-bad-TEMH0006
to perish

אָבַד (a.vad) 1) perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) perish, die, be exterminated 1a2) perish, vanish (fig.) 1a3) be lost, strayed 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to destroy, kill, cause to perish, to give up (as lost), exterminate 1b2) to blot out, do away with, cause to vanish, (fig.) 1b3) cause to stray, lose 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to destroy, put to death 1c1a) of divine judgment 1c2) object name of kings (fig.) Aramaic equivalent: a.vad (אֲבַד "to destroy" H0007)

name theirשְׁמָ֔םshe-MAMH8034
name

שֵׁם (shem) 1) name 1a) name 1b) reputation, fame, glory 1c) the Name (as designation of God) 1d) memorial, monument Aramaic equivalent: shum (שֻׁם "name" H8036)

fromמִן־min-H4480A
from

מִן־ (min) prep 1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than 1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of 1b) out of 1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling) 1b2) (of material from which something is made) 1b3) (of source or origin) 1c) out of, some of, from (partitively) 1d) from, since, after (of time) 1e) than, more than (in comparison) 1f) from...even to, both...and, either...or 1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons) 1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj 2) that …

the placeהַמָּק֖וֹםha-ma-KOMH4725
place

מָקוֹם (ma.qom) 1) standing place, place 1a) standing place, station, post, office 1b) place, place of human abode 1c) city, land, region 1d) place, locality, spot 1e) space, room, distance 1f) region, quarter, direction 1g) give place to, instead of

the thatהַהֽוּא׃ha-HU'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.