Deuteronomy 12:20 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 12:20 Commentary: Meat, Desire, and Divine Permission
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did God permit non‑sacrificial slaughter when Israel’s territory grew? The verse shows God honouring both His promise and ordinary human longing.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Permission for non-sacrificial meat-eating when distance from the central sanctuary makes the older requirement impractical.
- Key words: rachav (enlarge), Hiphil, God actively expands; a.vah/a.v.vah (desire), neutral appetite, not necessarily sinful; ne.phesh (soul/appetite), the whole inner self.
- Main debate: Whether this permission is a temporary concession for the settlement period or a permanent change to the law of slaughter (Leviticus 17:3-4).
- Theological theme: Divine accommodation, God adapts ritual requirements to the lived circumstances of His people without compromising the core.
- Best use: Teaching on God’s faithfulness, the place of human longing in the covenant, and the freedom that comes as God’s kingdom expands.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want.
WEB World English Bible 2000
When Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has promised you, and you say, “I want to eat meat,” because your soul desires to eat meat, you may eat meat, after all the desire of your soul.
KJV King James Version 1769
When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
When Jehovah thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`When Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath spoken to thee, and thou hast said, Let me eat flesh--for thy soul desireth to eat flesh--of all the desire of thy soul thou dost eat flesh.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
When Jehovah thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he promised thee, and thou say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh, thou mayest eat flesh, according to all the desire of thy soul.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
When the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he hath spoken to thee, and thou wilt eat the flesh that thy soul desireth:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Cuando Jehová tu Dios ensanchare tu término, como él te ha dicho, y tú dijeres, Comeré carne, porque deseó tu alma comerla, conforme á todo el deseo de tu alma comerás carne.
Quando o SENHOR teu Deus alargar teu termo, como ele te disse, e tu disseres: Comerei carne, porque desejou tua alma comê-la, conforme todo o desejo de tua alma comerás carne.
Lorsque l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, aura élargi tes frontières, comme il te l’ a promis, et que le désir de manger de la viande te fera dire: Je voudrais manger de la viande! Tu pourras en manger, selon ton désir.
Wenn aber der HERR, dein Gott, deine Grenze erweitern wird, wie er dir verheißen hat, und du sprichst: Ich will Fleisch essen, weil deine Seele Fleisch zu essen gelüstet, so iß Fleisch nach aller Lust deiner Seele.
Wanneer de HEERE, uw God, uw landpale zal verwijd hebben, gelijk als Hij tot u gesproken heeft, en gij zeggen zult: Ik zal vlees eten; dewijl uw ziel lust heeft vlees te eten, zo zult gij vlees eten, naar allen lust uwer ziel.
Quando l’Eterno, il tuo Dio, avrà ampliato i tuoi confini, come t’ha promesso, e tu, desiderando di mangiar della carne dirai: “Vorrei mangiar della carne”, potrai mangiar della carne a tuo piacimento.
Gdy rozszerzy Pan, Bóg twój, granicę twoję, jakoć powiedział, i rzekłbyś: Będę jadł mięso, przeto że pożąda dusza twoja jeść mięsa; według wszystkiej żądności duszy twojej będziesz jadł mięso.
Когда распространит Господь, Бог твой, пределы твои, как Он говорил тебе, и ты скажешь: "поем я мяса", потому что душа твоя пожелает есть мяса, — тогда, по желанию души твоей, ешь мясо.
「 耶和華─你的 神 照他所 應許 擴張 你境界的時候， 你心 裡想要 吃 肉，說：『我要吃 肉』，就可以隨 心 所欲 地吃 肉。
When the Lord your God makes wide the limit of your land, as he has said, and you say, I will take flesh for my food, because you have a desire for it; then you may take whatever flesh you have a desire for.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 12:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse is a practical extension of the law of the one sanctuary. The Cambridge Bible explains that among the Semites all slaughter of domestic animals was originally sacramental, tied to the altar. Confining sacrifice to a single place made meat-eating impossible for Israelites who lived far away. So God permitted non-ritual slaughter. Keil and Delitzsch connect this permission to the gradual expansion of the land, promised in Exodus 23:27-33 and Genesis 15:18. Gill notes that the people had eaten little meat in the wilderness but would have abundant herds in Canaan. All stress conditions: the blood must not be eaten (verse 16), and holy things still belong at the sanctuary (verses 17-18). The Cambridge Bible calls this a religious advance, it separates everyday eating from pagan ideas of kinship between tribe, god, and animal.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God grants permission to eat meat from domestic animals without sacrifice when the people are living in the land and are distant from the chosen sanctuary, provided they do not eat the blood and still bring holy things to the altar.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the permission | All traditions agree that Deuteronomy 12:20 permits Israelites to slaughter domestic animals for food outside the central sanctuary when distance makes that necessary. | Some see this as a permanent relaxation of Leviticus 17:3-4 (the verse became obsolete once the Temple was distant); others argue it was a temporary measure for the settlement period, and later restoration would re‑establish the single‑sanctuary rule. |
| Role of human desire | The desire for meat is acknowledged as a natural, God‑given appetite rather than as rebellion. | Jewish tradition sometimes frames the permission as a concession to the yetzer hara (evil inclination), while many Christian readings emphasise it as an example of God’s generous provision (1 Timothy 4:4-5). |
| Blood prohibition | Universally upheld: the blood must not be eaten and must be poured on the ground (verse 23-24). | No substantive debate; the prohibition is repeated throughout the Old Testament and reinforced in the New Testament (Acts 15:20). |
| Relationship to the central sanctuary | Holy things (tithes, firstborn, vows) must still be taken to the place God chooses. | The degree to which ordinary meals are separated from the sanctuary is understood differently: in Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the Eucharist keeps a connection between altar and everyday food; in some Protestant traditions, this verse is used to argue that only explicitly sacred things (sacraments) require a designated site. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Deuteronomy 12:20 sits within a larger section that centralises worship at one sanctuary (Deuteronomy 12:5-14). Earlier law in Leviticus 17:3-4 required that every slaughter of an ox, lamb or goat take place at the tabernacle door, treating the killing of domestic animals as a sacrificial act. That made sense during the wilderness journey when the whole camp was within reach of the tent of meeting. But once Israel settled the land and multiplied, the distance to the chosen sanctuary would become impractical for ordinary meals.
The promise of an enlarged border is a thread woven through the exodus narratives. Exodus 34:24 says, “I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders.” The Canaanite conquest would be gradual, but God’s intention was a land stretching from the River to the sea (Exodus 23:31; Genesis 15:18). This verse anticipates that day.
Moses therefore relaxes the earlier requirement. The slaughter of a cow or sheep for the family table will no longer require a journey to the altar. Instead, the slaughter becomes like hunting game: no ritual needed, but the blood must be poured on the ground, returning life to God (verses 23-24; Lange points out this still acknowledges God as the source of life).
The practical relief here is not a lowering of standards. It is a release from ceremony when ceremony had become a burden. God knows where His people live and what their kitchens need. He does not demand that every meal be a pilgrimage.
Textual Notes
None of the consulted sources note any significant textual variants for Deuteronomy 12:20. The Hebrew text, including the word order and the presence of the object marker ’et before ge.vu.le.kha (your territory), is stable across manuscripts. The main interpretive question belongs to theology, not text criticism.
Reception History
Jewish commentators have read this verse as the scriptural foundation for shechita, the ritual slaughter of animals for ordinary consumption. The separation of meat-eating from the Temple cult allowed Jewish life to continue even when the sanctuary was far away or destroyed. In Christian tradition, the passage was often cited to illustrate God’s willingness to relax ceremonial requirements for the sake of human need, a principle that prepared for the gospel’s freedom from the law (Acts 10:9-16; Romans 14:14). The blood prohibition, retained in the apostolic decree (Acts 15:20), shows that some elements of the old order persist in the new. Across the centuries, this verse has comforted believers who felt that God only cared about worship in a building; it reminds them that He also watches over the dinner table.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God keeps His promises. The enlargement of the border is not accidental; it is what God spoke (as He has promised you). Permission to eat meat rests on the same faithfulness that gave them the land.
- God hears human desire. The verse records the people’s own words: “I want to eat meat.” The Hebrew cohortative (o.khe.Lah) expresses a strong wish. God does not scold this longing; He grants it.
- Freedom comes with boundaries. The permission has a limit: the blood must not be eaten. Liberty within covenant is never a blank cheque.
Five-point outline
- Divine enlargement: God expands their territory, His action, not theirs.
- Legitimate craving: The soul (נֶפֶשׁ, ne.phesh) desires meat; this appetite is not sinful.
- Permission to satisfy: “You may eat meat, after all the desire of your soul”, a full allowance.
- Conditional practice: The blood prohibition remains (verse 23); life belongs to God.
- Central sanctuary for holy things: Tithes, firstborn and vows still go to the chosen place (verses 17-18).
Illustration hooks
- A family moves from a small town with a church on every corner to a rural area an hour from the nearest congregation. They wonder how to stay faithful. The permission in this verse suggests God makes room for their new circumstances.
- A person craves something simple, a favourite meal after a long week. The verse honours that kind of everyday desire. God is not only in the sanctuary; He is present at the dinner table.
- An expat Christian living where there is no church building feels disconnected. This passage offers hope: the Lord adapts the form of worship to the reality of distance, while keeping the core.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Is it wrong to want good things for myself, a nicer home, a holiday, a steak dinner?”
- “Does God care about the practical logistics of my life, or only about what happens in worship?”
- “When can I set aside a religious rule because it no longer fits my situation?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage sits at the intersection of God’s promises, human appetite, and the shape of worship. It shows God adapting His commands to the concrete circumstances of His people. As you discuss, notice how the permission is both generous and bounded. The goal is not to decide what rules we can ignore, but to see how the Lord accommodates His presence to where we actually are.
Discussion questions
- Read Deuteronomy 12:20 aloud. What does this verse reveal about God’s attitude toward the people’s stated desire for meat?
- The Hebrew word for “desire” here is a.vah (used also in Numbers 11:4 for the lusting of the mixed multitude). How is the desire in this verse treated differently from the craving in Numbers?
- Why does God tie the permission to the enlargement of the border? What does that promise have to do with their appetite for meat?
- Compare this verse with Leviticus 17:3-4. What changed, and why? Does this mean God’s law is flexible, or only that it applies differently in different situations?
- The blood prohibition is repeated in verses 16 and 23-24. Why is this restriction so important, even when the slaughter is no longer sacrificial?
- How does this passage help the group think about the relationship between everyday life and worship? Where do you see a separation between the two today, and would that be a problem?
- In what ways does this permission “cut off the ancient primitive superstitions,” as the Cambridge Bible notes? How might similar patterns of linking food to religious status still appear in our own communities?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 15:18 | In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: |
| Genesis 15:21 | the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” |
| Genesis 28:14 | Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed. |
| Genesis 31:30 | Now, you want to be gone, because you greatly longed for your father’s house, but why have you stolen my gods?” |
| Exodus 23:31 | I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. |
| Exodus 34:24 | For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither shall any man desire your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh, your God, three times in the year. |
| Numbers 11:4 | The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly; and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? |
| Numbers 11:20 | but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you; because you have rejected Yahweh who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
According to the Cambridge Bible for Schools, the law commanding a single sanctuary was necessary to protect belief in the one God. Worship at many shrines had led Israelites to imagine multiple Jehovahs and confuse His attributes with local deities. The later permission to slaughter animals without ritual consecration was a religious advance, separating ordinary food from primitive kinship superstitions.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible renders this as a straightforward permission from God: once the nation
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights the change from wilderness scarcity to Canaan's abundance: Israel previously ate little meat to preserve their flocks, but with spacious pastures and larger herds God's promise brought liberty to eat freely. He permits satisfying craving for meat, only warning against intemperance.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch note that God’s rules for slaughter remained binding even when Israel’s territory expanded. The extension included both the gradual removal of the Canaanites and growth beyond Canaan itself. Distance from the sanctuary is what justifies allowing slaughter outside the central place of worship.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange contrasts the many local deities of Canaan with the one Jehovah, who as Spirit must be worshipped at the single place He chooses, not wherever human whim decides. This choice eliminates all arbitrary, self-willed worship.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that God gave the Israelites a temporary liberty in the wilderness—each doing what seemed right—but required strict unity of worship once they entered the land. His focus falls on why: a single, chosen place prevented idolatry and kept worship focused on God's presence and blessing, not on human preference.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley points out that enlarging Israel's border would create a practical problem: bringing all their cattle to the tabernacle would become impossible due to the greater distance. The command forces a shift in worship practice, making regular pilgrimage to the central sanctuary unworkable.