Deuteronomy 16:2 kjv
Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.
Deuteronomy 16:2 nkjv
Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name.
Deuteronomy 16:2 niv
Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
Deuteronomy 16:2 esv
And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the LORD your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the LORD will choose, to make his name dwell there.
Deuteronomy 16:2 nlt
Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it must be sacrificed to the LORD your God at the designated place of worship ? the place he chooses for his name to be honored.
Deuteronomy 16 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 12:3-11 | "Speak to all the congregation... on the tenth of this month ...a lamb for a household." | Original Passover instructions, lamb/kid only. |
| Ex 12:21 | "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, 'Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb.'" | Emphasizes taking a lamb for Passover. |
| Ex 23:14-17 | "Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me... the Feast of Unleavened Bread..." | Three annual pilgrim feasts, including Passover. |
| Lev 23:5 | "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover." | Precise timing of the Passover. |
| Num 9:2-5 | "Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time." | Reiteration of Passover observance. |
| Deut 12:5 | "But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose... to put his name there..." | Establishes the command for a central sanctuary. |
| Deut 12:6 | "There you shall bring your burnt offerings...and your sacrifices..." | Specificity that sacrifices go to the chosen place. |
| Deut 12:11 | "...to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you..." | Reinforces God's choice and the location for commanded acts. |
| Deut 14:23 | "And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose... you shall eat the tithe..." | Food also to be eaten in the chosen place, strengthening the concept of centralization. |
| 1 Ki 8:29 | "that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there’..." | Solomon's dedication prayer for the Temple, God's Name dwelling. |
| 1 Ki 8:43 | "...that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name." | Temple as the dwelling place of God's Name. |
| 2 Chr 7:16 | "For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually." | God's eternal presence at the chosen sanctuary. |
| Ps 78:67-69 | "He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim... He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the high heavens..." | God's specific choice of Zion/Jerusalem as His dwelling place. |
| Jer 7:12 | "Go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first..." | Historically, Shiloh was an earlier "chosen place" before Jerusalem. |
| Isa 60:13 | "The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane tree, and the pine tree, together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of My feet glorious." | Future glory associated with God's dwelling place. |
| Jn 1:29 | "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" | Foreshadows Christ as the ultimate Passover Lamb. |
| Jn 19:36 | "For these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.'" | Fulfills Passover lamb instructions regarding bone integrity. |
| 1 Cor 5:7 | "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." | Identifies Christ as the ultimate Passover sacrifice. |
| Heb 9:11-12 | "But when Christ appeared as a high priest... he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood..." | Christ's sacrifice as superior and once-for-all, making previous animal sacrifices obsolete. |
| Heb 10:1-4 | "For since the law has but a shadow... it can never, by the same sacrifices... make perfect those who draw near." | Old Testament sacrifices, including Passover, pointed to a greater reality. |
| Rev 5:6 | "And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders stood a Lamb, as though it had been slain..." | Vision of Christ as the slain Lamb in heavenly worship. |
Deuteronomy 16 verses
Deuteronomy 16 2 Meaning
This verse instructs the Israelites to observe the Passover feast by offering sacrifices from both the flock and the herd. These sacrifices are to be presented exclusively at the central place that the Lord God Himself will choose as the site where His Name will reside, emphasizing the unified and prescribed worship required by God.
Deuteronomy 16 2 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 16 outlines the observance of Israel’s three annual pilgrim feasts: Passover/Unleavened Bread, Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths (Tabernacles). These feasts are presented as pivotal moments for the covenant community to reaffirm their relationship with the Lord and remember His mighty acts of deliverance and provision. Verse 2 specifically addresses the Passover, which commemorated God's liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. This entire chapter, and indeed much of Deuteronomy, operates within the framework of centralizing worship, a repeated theme introduced in Deut 12. This centralization served as a direct polemic against the polytheistic and decentralized worship practices prevalent among the Canaanite nations, which often involved high places and local shrines for various deities. By mandating a single, divinely chosen place for major sacrifices and feasts, God sought to maintain the purity and unity of Israel's worship, distinguishing them as His holy people set apart from the surrounding cultures.
Deuteronomy 16 2 Word analysis
- You shall therefore sacrifice: (Hebrew: וְזָבַחְתָּ - ve-zavachta, from זָבַח - zavakh, to slaughter, sacrifice). This is a strong command, emphasizing the obligatory nature of the act. The term zavakh generally means to slaughter an animal, often for ritual sacrifice or for food. Here, it is specifically tied to a religious observance, indicating a solemn act of worship.
- the Passover: (Hebrew: פֶּסַח - Pesach). This refers to the specific feast commemorating Israel's liberation from Egypt, where the angel of death "passed over" the houses of Israelites marked by the blood of a lamb. The core act was the killing of a lamb or goat, its blood applied to the doorposts, and its roasted flesh eaten.
- to the Lord your God: (Hebrew: לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - la-YHWH Eloheykha). Emphasizes that this act is exclusively directed to YHWH, the covenant God of Israel, distinguishing Him from any pagan deities. It underscores monotheism and loyalty.
- from the flock and the herd: (Hebrew: צֹאן וּבָקָר - tzo'n u-bakar). Tzo'n refers to sheep and goats (the flock), while bakar refers to cattle (the herd). This phrase presents a unique interpretive challenge for Passover, as the original Passover regulations (Ex 12:5) strictly specified a lamb or a young goat from the flock. The inclusion of "the herd" here suggests that "Passover" in Deut 16:2 is used in a broader sense to refer to the entire festival, encompassing other sacrifices such as the Chagigah (peace offerings) which were regularly brought during the festival and could include cattle. These peace offerings would have provided ample meat for the celebratory meals for pilgrims. Thus, it’s not just the paschal lamb (strictly from flock), but the accompanying festive sacrifices.
- in the place that the Lord will choose: (Hebrew: בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה - bam-maqom asher yivchar YHWH). This foundational Deuteronomic theme of centralization. It emphasizes God's sovereign initiative in selecting the proper site for His worship, as opposed to human preference or localized shrines. This "chosen place" would eventually be Jerusalem, where the Temple stood.
- to make his name dwell there: (Hebrew: לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם - leshakken sh'mo sham). This phrase is crucial. God does not literally "dwell" in a physical building in His omnipresence; rather, His Name dwells there. "His Name" represents His presence, authority, power, and reputation. It signifies where God chooses to reveal Himself and establish a focal point for Israel's worship, affirming His identity and sovereign presence among His people. It ensures that the worship is properly authorized and focused solely on Him.
- sacrifice the Passover...from the flock and the herd: This phrase clarifies the scope of the offering. While the original Passover (Pesach) was strictly a lamb or goat, the context in Deuteronomy often broadens the term "Passover" to refer to the entire "Feast of Unleavened Bread" period. During this period, other festival sacrifices (like peace offerings) could be brought from both flock and herd, providing abundant food for the celebration at the central sanctuary. This interpretation harmonizes the different regulations.
- in the place that the Lord will choose to make his name dwell there: This specific formulation encapsulates the core theological shift in Deuteronomy regarding worship. It moves away from local, family-based sacrificial altars permitted in earlier periods (e.g., Ex 20:24) towards a unified, single, divinely ordained sanctuary. This ensured doctrinal purity, preventing syncretism with pagan practices and fostering national unity around one God and one place of worship. The concept of God causing His Name to dwell signifies His unique presence and the authenticity of the worship performed there, making it the legitimate focal point of the covenant.
Deuteronomy 16 2 Bonus section
The mention of "flock and herd" for Passover is a unique feature of the Deuteronomic presentation of the festival. While Exodus 12 specifically commands a lamb or goat for the Paschal sacrifice itself, rabbinic tradition and scholarly interpretations have long recognized that the larger festival of Passover involved additional "festival offerings" (Chagigah) that could include cattle. Deuteronomy, functioning as a reformist and summarizing work, consolidates these practices into a more general command to ensure proper observance in the promised land. The emphasis on God choosing the place underscores divine sovereignty and prevents human caprice in worship, reflecting a concern for pure and true devotion that honors God's holiness and exclusive right to define how He is to be worshipped.
Deuteronomy 16 2 Commentary
Deuteronomy 16:2 lays out the command for the Israelite community to observe the Passover. This act of sacrifice is not merely a ritual but a profound remembrance of God’s redemptive power and a pledge of continued covenant loyalty. The specifying of offerings "from the flock and the herd" broadens the typical understanding of the Paschal sacrifice, suggesting that "Passover" in this context refers to the larger festival encompassing various associated sacrifices (such as Chagigah peace offerings), allowing for communal feasting and provision. Crucially, all these sacrifices were to be offered exclusively at "the place that the Lord will choose," an emphatic reiteration of Deuteronomy’s theme of centralizing worship. This divine mandate for a singular, designated sanctuary prevented scattered, unauthorized worship and idolatrous syncretism prevalent among neighboring nations, thereby safeguarding Israel's unique relationship with the one true God. The reason for this centralized location is to "make His name dwell there," signifying that this chosen site is where God chooses to reveal His presence, authority, and blessing to His people, legitimizing their worship and fostering a unified national identity centered on Him. This anticipation of a single sanctuary foreshadows the Jerusalem Temple as the designated place where God's Name indeed dwelled among His people for centuries.