Deuteronomy 12:5

12:5 But you must seek only the place he ¹  chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence, ²  and you must go there.

Deuteronomy 12:14

12:14 for you may do so ³  only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas – there you may do everything I am commanding you. ⁴ 

Deuteronomy 12:18

12:18 Only in the presence of the Lord your God may you eat these, in the place he ⁵  chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites ⁶  in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the Lord your God in all the output of your labor. ⁷ 

Deuteronomy 12:21

12:21 If the place he ⁸  chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may slaughter any of your herd and flock he ⁹  has given you just as I have stipulated; you may eat them in your villages ¹⁰  just as you wish.

Deuteronomy 12:26

12:26 Only the holy things and votive offerings that belong to you, you must pick up and take to the place the Lord will choose. ¹¹ 

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¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

² tc Some scholars, on the basis of v. 11, emend the MT reading שִׁכְנוֹ (shikhno, “his residence”) to the infinitive construct לְשָׁכֵן (lÿshakhen, “to make [his name] to dwell”), perhaps with the 3rd person masculine singular sf לְשַׁכְּנוֹ (lÿshakÿno, “to cause it to dwell”). Though the presupposed nounשֵׁכֶן (shekhen) is nowhere else attested, the parallel here with שַׁמָּה (shammah, “there”) favors retaining the MT as it stands.

³ tn Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁴ sn This injunction to worship in a single and central sanctuary – one limited and appropriate to the thrice-annual festival celebrations (see Exod 23:14-17; 34:22-24; Lev 23:4-36; Deut 16:16-17) – marks a departure from previous times when worship was carried out at local shrines (cf. Gen 8:20; 12:7; 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 35:1, 3, 7; Exod 17:15). Apart from the corporate worship of the whole theocratic community, however, worship at local altars would still be permitted as in the past (Deut 16:21; Judg 6:24-27; 13:19-20; 1 Sam 7:17; 10:5, 13; 2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Kgs 18:30).

⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

⁶ tn See note at Deut 12:12.

⁷ tn Heb “in all the sending forth of your hands.”

⁸ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

⁹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

¹⁰ tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “in your own community.”

¹¹ tc Again, to complete a commonly attested wording the LXX adds after “choose” the phrase “to place his name there.” This shows insensitivity to deliberate departures from literary stereotypes. The MT reading is to be preferred.