Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 12:13
Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see;
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses instructs the Israelites on the plains of Moab, outlining worship protocols immediately before they enter the Promised Land.
The words — The imperative הִשָּׁמֵר (hiššāmer) commands "take heed," joined with the cautionary particle פֶּן (pen) meaning "lest" or "be careful not to."
The thread — This directive connects to Deuteronomy 12:6, which orders bringing all offerings to the chosen location, and echoes the worship regulations later addressed in Leviticus 17:2.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to reject decentralized or self-directed worship and submit sacrificial practice to a single, divinely appointed location.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:
Cross-references
- Leviticus 17:2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has commanded:
- Deuteronomy 12:6 To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
- 1 Kings 15:34 And Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
- 2 Chronicles 15:17 The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.
- 1 Kings 12:28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”