Back to Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12:17-19

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 free will offerings, nor the wave offering of your hand; 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. Be careful that you don’t forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

World English Bible · Public Domain
Show the surrounding paragraph

Deuteronomy 12:17-19 sits inside this longer paragraph.

Yet you may kill and eat meat 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 the deer. Only you shall not eat the blood. You shall pour it out on the earth like water. 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 free will offerings, nor the wave offering of your hand; 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. Be careful that you don’t forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

Read all of Deuteronomy 12 →

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    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 free will offerings, nor the wave offering of your hand;

    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.

    Be careful that you don’t forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

  • KJV King James Version

    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:

    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.

    Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.

Show all 3 translations
  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy 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 offering of thy hand;

    but thou shalt 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 man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates; and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.

    Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon thy land.

View more translations →

Examined in Scripture Analysis

Cross-references (28)

  • Deuteronomy 12:7 (v18) 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…
  • 2 Chronicles 31:4-21 (v19) Moreover he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves…
  • Deuteronomy 14:23 (v18) You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine,…
  • Deuteronomy 26:14 (v17) I have not eaten of it in my mourning, neither have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor given of it for the dead. I have listened…
  • Nehemiah 10:34-39 (v19) We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our…
Show all 28 cross-references
  • Deuteronomy 12:5 (v18) 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 you…
  • Deuteronomy 12:6 (v17) You shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the wave offering of your hand, your vows, your free will offerings,…
  • Deuteronomy 14:22-29 (v17) You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year. You shall eat before Yahweh your God,…
  • Deuteronomy 14:27-29 (v19) You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you. At the end of every three years…
  • 2 Chronicles 11:13-14 (v19) The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territory. For the Levites left their pasture lands and…
  • 1 Corinthians 9:10-14 (v19) or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes…
  • Leviticus 27:30-32 (v17) “ ‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is Yahweh’s. It is holy to Yahweh. If a man…
  • Numbers 18:21-24 (v17) “To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve,…
  • Deuteronomy 12:11 (v17) 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…
  • Deuteronomy 12:11-12 (v18) 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…
  • Deuteronomy 12:19 (v18) Be careful that you don’t forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.
  • Deuteronomy 12:26 (v17) Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take and go to the place which Yahweh shall choose.
  • Deuteronomy 15:20 (v18) You shall eat it before Yahweh your God year by year in the place which Yahweh shall choose, you and your household.
  • Deuteronomy 26:12 (v17) When you have finished tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then you shall give it to…
  • Psalms 32:11 (v18) Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!
  • Psalms 68:3 (v18) But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
  • Proverbs 3:17 (v18) Her ways are ways of pleasantness. All her paths are peace.
  • Isaiah 12:3 (v18) Therefore with joy you will draw water out of the wells of salvation.
  • Acts 2:46 (v18) Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and…
  • Acts 16:34 (v18) He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31 (v18) Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
  • Galatians 5:22 (v18) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
  • Philippians 3:1-3 (v18) Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not tiresome, but for you it is safe. Beware of…

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (15 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v17 Meaning, whatsoever was offered to the Lord, might not…

Meaning, whatsoever was offered to the Lord, might not be eaten, but where he had appointed.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On v19 Deu 12:19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv17, 19 Thou; either,
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv17–19 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v17 Within thy gates - That is, in your private…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v19 Verse 19. Forsake not the Levite] These had no…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v17 Deu 12:17. Within thy gates — That is, in…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv17–18 Tithes. These were of an extraordinary nature, destined for…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v17 17. Thou mayest not eat… the tithe of thy…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv17–18 (17) The tithe.—This is understood by Jewish commentators of…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv17, 19 Vers. 17-19. (Cf. vers. 6, 7, 12.) Thou mayest…
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v18
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v17 Concerning the Care of the Levites, The Eating of…
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv17–18 General Information:
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v18 12:18 The place he will choose was the central…
Share