Deuteronomy 15:20

Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Moses addresses Israel on the plains of Moab, giving final instructions on consecrated animals before the people cross the Jordan.

The words — The text uses לִפְנֵי (li'penê, "before") and בַּמָּקוֹם (ba-māqôm, "in the place") to command that the family consumes the firstborn annually at the central sanctuary Yahweh designates.

The thread — This directive runs parallel to Deuteronomy 12:5 and 14:23, which require eating tithes and firstborn offerings in God's presence at the chosen dwelling, while Deuteronomy 12:17 explicitly prohibits consuming these same items within local gates.

Why it lands — The verse mandates relocating the consumption of holy food to the central sanctuary each year, ensuring the community gathers for worship rather than privatizing sacred provisions.

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

לִפְנֵי֩li/f.Nei<to>/ before יְהוָ֨הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹהֶ֤יךָ'e.lo.Hei./khaGod/ your תֹאכֲלֶ֙נּוּ֙to.kha.Le./nuyou will eat/ it שָׁנָ֣הsha.Naha year בְשָׁנָ֔הve./sha.Nahin/ a year בַּמָּק֖וֹםba./ma.Komin the/ place אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which יִבְחַ֣רyiv.Charhe will choose יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahweh אַתָּ֖ה'a.Tahyou וּבֵיתֶֽךָ׃u./vei.Te./khaand/ household/ your

King James Version

Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 12:5 Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.
Deuteronomy 12:17 Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.
Deuteronomy 14:23 And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.