Deuteronomy 16 5

Deuteronomy 16:5 kjv

Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:

Deuteronomy 16:5 nkjv

"You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you;

Deuteronomy 16:5 niv

You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you

Deuteronomy 16:5 esv

You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you,

Deuteronomy 16:5 nlt

"You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of the towns that the LORD your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 16 verses

Deuteronomy 16 5 Meaning

Deuteronomy 16:5 is a direct divine prohibition instructing the Israelites not to offer the Passover sacrifice within any of their local towns or cities once they settle in the land which the LORD God is giving them. This command mandates that the sacrificial aspect of the Passover, unlike its original performance in Egypt, must henceforth be confined to a single, divinely chosen central sanctuary. It lays down a foundational principle for the centralization of Israelite worship, aiming to maintain the purity and singularity of their devotion to the LORD.

Deuteronomy 16 5 Context

Deuteronomy chapter 16 focuses on the three major annual pilgrim festivals: Passover (including the Festival of Unleavened Bread), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles). Moses reiterates and clarifies the laws concerning these festivals to the generation poised to enter the Promised Land. This particular verse, Deuteronomy 16:5, specifically addresses the sacrificial component of the Passover observance. It establishes a critical shift in worship practice: whereas the initial Passover in Egypt was performed in individual homes, this law mandates that upon settling in Canaan, the associated sacrifice must be conducted only at "the place the LORD your God will choose" (v. 6), effectively centralizing worship. This aligns with a major theme throughout Deuteronomy (chapters 12-26) concerning the singular, holy place chosen by God for all major sacrificial and corporate worship.

Deuteronomy 16 5 Word analysis

• לֹא תוּכַל לִזְבֹּחַ (lo' tukhal lizboach) – "You may not sacrifice": "Lo'" is an emphatic negative, signifying a strong prohibition. "Tukhal" (from yakol) means "you shall not be able to" or "you are not permitted/authorized to," underscoring divine authority behind the command. "Lizboach" (from zabach) refers to the act of slaughtering specifically for a cultic sacrifice.
  Significance: This phrase indicates an absolute and divinely enforced prohibition, not a suggestion. It emphasizes God's exclusive right to dictate worship practices and locations, setting clear boundaries for the sacred act of sacrifice. It establishes that participation in Passover sacrifice is regulated by divine law, not individual discretion.
• אֶת-הַפֶּסַח (et ha-Pesach) – "the Passover": "Pesach" (from pasach, meaning "to pass over" or "to spare") refers to the entire annual festival commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egypt, centered around the sacrifice of a lamb. This is the specific, highly significant act of communal worship being regulated.
  Significance: It clearly identifies the specific religious observance under consideration. The Passover was the foundational act of redemption for Israel, and this regulation underscores its paramount importance by demanding a specific, central location for its performance. This sets the stage for a collective national observance rather than fragmented local ones.
• בְּאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ (b'achad sh'areykha) – "within any of your towns": Literally, "in one of your gates." "Sha'ar" (gate) signifies the entry point of a city or town, but by metonymy, it often refers to the town itself, including its public square, administrative, and judicial centers.
  Significance: This phrase directly prohibits performing the sacrifice in local residential or municipal areas. It explicitly contrasts with the initial Passover in Egypt where sacrifices occurred within individual households. This commandment marks a fundamental shift from decentralized household sacrifice to centralized national sacrifice, thus preventing the emergence of multiple, local altars and potential syncretism.
• אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ (asher YHWH Eloheykha noten lach) – "which the LORD your God is giving you": "YHWH Eloheykha" (LORD your God) highlights the covenantal relationship and divine authority. "Noten lach" (giving you) emphasizes God's gracious bestowal of the land as an inheritance, yet it also implies that the land comes with divine stipulations regarding its use, especially concerning worship.
  Significance: This phrase anchors the commandment firmly in the context of the Promised Land as a divine gift. It asserts God's ultimate ownership and sovereign control over the land and all activities within it, particularly sacred ones. The stipulation regarding centralized worship is intrinsically linked to the covenant and the conditions of their inheritance.

• "You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your towns": This grouping creates a comprehensive prohibition, clearly defining what is prohibited (Passover sacrifice) and where it is prohibited (any local town). It highlights the definitive boundary placed on one of Israel's most sacred annual rituals. This restriction prevented private or regional variations of the central, national feast.
• "within any of your towns which the LORD your God is giving you": This phrase combines the geographical restriction with the theological foundation. It underscores that the law is specifically for the context of life in the Promised Land—a land granted by God but subject to His covenantal regulations. It reinforces that divine law governs not just religious acts but also the proper use of the land provided by God.

Deuteronomy 16 5 Bonus section

• The emphasis on "gates" as centers of town life suggests that this prohibition extends to both public and private Passover sacrifices within towns, thus allowing no ambiguity. All cultic acts relating to the Pesach animal sacrifice had to be performed at the chosen site.
• Scholars often link this Deuteronomic principle of centralization directly to the later reforms of Kings Hezekiah and Josiah, who vigorously tore down local "high places" and mandated worship at the Jerusalem Temple, fulfilling the spirit of this law after centuries of Israelite deviation.
• The rigorousness of this law contrasts sharply with the polytheistic and decentralized worship systems prevalent among Canaanite nations, which had numerous altars and shrines. Deuteronomy 16:5 underscores Yahweh's unique identity as the one true God and Israel's covenant obligation to exclusive, unadulterated worship.

Deuteronomy 16 5 Commentary

Deuteronomy 16:5 serves as a cornerstone for the Deuteronomic principle of worship centralization. It unequivocally forbids the sacrificial aspect of the Passover to be conducted anywhere other than the single, divinely chosen sanctuary (as mentioned in the subsequent verse, Deut 16:6). This command shifted Israelite worship from decentralized household altars (as was permissible in early Israelite history and seen in the first Passover) to a unified national center, ensuring uniformity of cult, preventing the infiltration of pagan practices from Canaanite local "high places," and fostering national unity around the one God, YHWH. The directive stresses the holiness of the Passover and the gravity of worship, demanding strict adherence to God's ordained location to prevent apostasy and maintain covenant fidelity in the promised land.