Deuteronomy 12:3

12:1-4 Moses comes to the statutes he had to give in charge to Israel; and begins with such as relate to the worship of God. The Israelites are charged not to bring the rites and usages of idolaters into the worship of God; not under colour of making it better. We cannot serve God and mammon; nor worship the true God and idols; nor depend upon Christ Jesus and upon superstitious or self-righteous confidences.

And you shall overthrow their altars,.... Which were of stone, as Jarchi observes; whereas the altar ordered to be made by the Lord, before the altar of burnt offering in the tabernacle was made, was of earth, Exodus 20:24 these were to be demolished, lest the Israelites should be tempted to make use of them; and besides, the Lord would not have any remains of idolatry in the land where his tabernacle and worship were, as being abominable to him: and break down their pillars; or statues erected to the honour of their idols; according to Jarchi it was a single stone hewed out at first for the basis of a statue (y); perhaps such as were called Baetulia, in imitation of the stone Jacob set up for a pillar at Bethel, Genesis 28:18. and burn their groves with fire; which were planted about their temples, and under which also their idols were placed, and where they privately committed the most abominable lewdness under the notion of religion.

The Targum of Jonathan renders the word "abominations", meaning idols; and so Jarchi interprets it by a tree that is worshipped; See Gill on Deuteronomy 7:5. and you shall hew down the graven images of their gods; which were made of wood: and destroy the names of them out of the place; by never making any mention of them in common discourse, and by changing the names of places called from them; and especially by destroying all the relics of them, and whatever appertained to them, which might lead to the mention of them; see Hosea 2:17. (y) Misn. Avodah Zarah, c. 3. sect. 7.

(3) Destroy the names. —The substitution in later times of bosheth for baal in the names Jerubbaal (Jerubbesheth), Eshbaal (Ishbosheth), Meribbaal (Mephibosheth), is a curious example of the literal fulfilment of this command, or, perhaps, rather of the command in Exodus 23:13 , of which the spirit and purport agree with this.

With the appeal to the gracious guidance of Israel by God through the desert, the address of Moses passes imperceptibly into an address from the Lord, just as in Deuteronomy 11:14 . (On Deuteronomy 29:5 , Deuteronomy 29:6 , vid., Deuteronomy 8:3-4 ; on Deuteronomy 29:7 , vid., Deuteronomy 2:26 ., and Deuteronomy 3:1 . and Deuteronomy 3:12 .).

The immediate connection of Deuteronomy 12:17 with Deuteronomy 12:14 is clear. On these grounds Deuteronomy 12:15-16 are generally taken as a later insertion. Note, too, the Pl. ye shall not eat in 16. The Pl. does not occur in the rest of this statement of the law and may well be due to the hand that has made this addition; as so many of these sporadic changes of address are found in editorial additions. The LXX confirms the Pl. here: the Sam. Sg. may be due to harmonising. Deuteronomy 12:17 . Direct continuation of Deuteronomy 12:13-14 , completing the list of offerings to be brought to the one altar. On the contents see on Deuteronomy 12:6; Deuteronomy 12:11 : the phraseology is however, characteristic of the Sg. passages. Thou mayest not ] Heb., lit. thou shalt not be able : in the sense thou must or darest not only in Sg. passages: here, Deuteronomy 16:5 , Deuteronomy 17:15 , Deuteronomy 22:3 , or with he , Deuteronomy 21:16 ; Deuteronomy 22:19 ; Deuteronomy 22:29 ; Deuteronomy 24:4 . within thy gates ] Thy homestead or town of residence: used almost exclusively with Sg. ( Deuteronomy 5:14 , Deuteronomy 12:17 f., 21, Deuteronomy 14:21 ; Deuteronomy 14:27-29 , Deuteronomy 15:22 , Deuteronomy 16:11 ; Deuteronomy 16:14 , Deuteronomy 17:8 , Deuteronomy 24:14 , Deuteronomy 26:12 , Deuteronomy 31:12 , cp. Deuteronomy 28:57 ). Only one Pl. passage has it, Deuteronomy 12:12 . Deuteronomy 12:18 . See on Deuteronomy 12:5; Deuteronomy 12:7; Deuteronomy 12:12 . Deuteronomy 12:19 .

12 . beware ] give heed to thyself or be on guard with respect to thyself , apparently a common phrase from one person to another, Exodus 10:28 (J), etc.; addressed to Israel in the editorial passage, Exodus 34:12 and frequently in D: Deuteronomy 4:9 , Deuteronomy 8:11 (both followed, as here, by lest thou forget ), Deuteronomy 12:13 ; Deuteronomy 12:19 ; Deuteronomy 12:30 , Deuteronomy 15:9 , all Sg. and in the Pl. Deuteronomy 4:23 ; Deuteronomy 9:16 (cp. Deuteronomy 4:15 ). which brought thee , etc.] Once more an emphasis on the providence of Israel’s God. house of bondmen ] So in J, Exodus 13:3 ; Exodus 13:14 ; in Deut. only in Sg.: Deuteronomy 5:6 ; Deuteronomy 6:12 ; Deuteronomy 7:8 ; Deuteronomy 8:14 ; Deuteronomy 13:5 ; Deuteronomy 13:10 ; the slaves’ quarter (ergastulum). Deuteronomy 6:12