Deuteronomy 16:5 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 16:5 Commentary: Only at the Chosen Place
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God forbid sacrificing the Passover in local towns?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Passover may only be sacrificed at the place God chooses, not in local towns.
- Key words: “sacrifice” (zavach) indicates a sacrificial act; “gates” means towns; “not able” functions as a strong prohibition.
- Main debate: Whether this command was fully observed before Josiah’s reform, and its relation to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
- Theological theme: Centralization of worship and the unity of God’s people around His presence.
- Best use: Teaching about the importance of corporate worship and the memorial of redemption.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns that the LORD your God is giving you.
WEB World English Bible 2000
You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which Yahweh your God gives you;
KJV King James Version 1769
Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`Thou art not able to sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover in one of thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Thou mayst not immolate the phase in any one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God will give thee:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No podrás sacrificar la pascua en ninguna de tus ciudades, que Jehová tu Dios te da;
Não poderás sacrificar a páscoa em nenhuma de tuas cidades, que o SENHOR teu Deus te dá;
Tu ne pourras point sacrifier la Pâque dans l’ un quelconque des lieux que l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, te donne pour demeure;
Du darfst nicht Passah schlachten in irgend deiner Tore einem, die dir der HERR, dein Gott gegeben hat;
Gij zult het pascha niet mogen slachten in een uwer poorten, die de HEERE, uw God, u geeft.
Non potrai immolare la Pasqua in una qualunque delle città che l’Eterno, il tuo Dio, ti dà;
Nie będziesz mógł ofiarować ofiary święta przejścia w któremkolwiek mieście twojem, z onych, które Pan, Bóg twój, dawa tobie.
Не можешь ты заколать Пасху в котором—нибудь из жилищ твоих, которые Господь, Бог твой, даст тебе;
在耶和華─你 神 所 賜 的各 城中，你不 可 獻 逾越節的祭；
The Passover offering is not to be put to death in any of the towns which the Lord your God gives you:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 16:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree the verse prohibits Passover sacrifice anywhere but the central sanctuary God will choose. Barnes calls the concentration of religious services at one common sanctuary the 'cardinal point' of the chapter. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note the Passover was an actual sacrifice whose blood had to be sprinkled on the altar, so it could not be offered in local towns. Gill specifies that only in Jerusalem, the place God chose, could they kill and eat the Passover. Matthew Henry connects this to the unity of God's people: all were to meet at one place to remember deliverance together.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse clearly prohibits local sacrifice of the Passover, requiring it at the central sanctuary God will choose, emphasizing worship unity and the sacrificial nature of the feast.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Location of Passover sacrifice | The Passover must be sacrificed at the central sanctuary God chooses, not in local towns. | Some traditions hold that this applied only after a permanent sanctuary existed (Shiloh or Jerusalem); others see it as binding from the moment Israel entered the land. |
| Relation to Feast of Unleavened Bread | The two are closely associated in Deuteronomy 16, forming a unified festival. | Source-critical scholars argue the Passover and Unleavened Bread laws were originally separate and later combined (Cambridge notes editorial fusion); traditional commentators treat them as one institution from Sinai. |
| Historicity of observance | King Josiah enforced this command in 2 Kings 23, centralizing the Passover in Jerusalem. | Whether earlier Israel always followed this central sanctuary rule is debated; some think the Passover was kept locally until the reform, while others see the command as largely neglected. |
| Christian application | Christ is the true Passover Lamb sacrificed once for all at Jerusalem. | Some Christians interpret this verse as a principle for unity in worship (gathering together rather than private observance); others see it as entirely fulfilled in Christ with no direct church-age application. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Israel is about to enter Canaan, where they will settle in towns with gates, their political and economic centers. Earlier in Deuteronomy (ch. 12), God established that all sacrificial worship must occur at 'the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there' (Deut 12:5). The Passover, first celebrated in individual homes in Egypt (Exod 12), is now classified as a sacrifice. Its blood must be applied to the altar at the single sanctuary. The Hebrew verb tukhal ('you are not able') functions as a strong prohibition: this is not optional.
This command guards against two dangers. First, local altars could lead to syncretism with Canaanite practices. Second, a single gathering reinforces that redemption from Egypt was a national act, not a private family memory. The Passover timing, 'at evening, at the going down of the sun' (Deut 16:6), anchors it to the exact Exodus moment. After the meal, families could 'return to your tents' (Deut 16:7), meaning they lodged near the sanctuary for the following seven-day feast. The land itself is a gift from God, and the central sanctuary becomes the hub for celebrating the Giver as well as the deliverance gift.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no textual variants for Deuteronomy 16:5. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this verse was foundational for requiring Passover sacrifice only in Jerusalem; the Talmud details pilgrimage laws. Early Christian writers saw the command as a type of Christ, the Lord’s Supper taking the place of the one central sacrifice (1 Corinthians 5:7). During the Reformation, the verse was sometimes used to critique private masses and to argue for corporate worship around Word and sacrament. Modern readers find here a call to gather as one people around the memorial of redemption, valuing unity over convenience.
Preaching This Verse
Three-pont outline
- Worship at God’s chosen place, not our own convenience.
- The Passover as a sacrifice requires the altar, location matters.
- Memorial is meant to unite God’s people, not divide them.
Five-pont outline
- The command forbids local observance of the Passover.
- It requires travel to the central sanctuary (Deut 16:6-7).
- It ties the feast to the altar as a true sacrifice.
- It fosters communal unity around God’s presence.
- It reminds every generation that redemption is one shared story.
Illustration hooks
- A family that always hosts Thanksgiving at home, until the patriarch insists everyone travel to the ancestral farm for the meal. The journey itself makes the feast more meaningful.
- A church with multiple campuses holds one combined service on Easter. The hassle of travel offsets the blessing of worshiping together as one body.
- A national holiday celebrated at the capital rather than in each town square. The central event ties the whole people to a single story.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Why can’t I celebrate Passover at home if I want to? What difference does location make?”
- “Is this command still binding for Christians, or is it fulfilled in Christ?”
- “What does this say about the importance of gathering together for worship today?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in Moses’ instructions for life in the Promised Land. The Passover, the great memorial of redemption, must be observed at the central sanctuary, not in local towns. Why would God require this? What does it teach about unity, sacrifice, and memory?
Discussion questions
- What does the phrase “within any of your gates” refer to in the context of ancient Israelite towns?
- Why was the Passover considered a sacrifice in addition to a meal? Use Exodus 12:27 and Deuteronomy 16:2 to explain.
- How does Deuteronomy 16:5 connect with the central sanctuary law in Deuteronomy 12:5-6?
- What does this command reveal about God’s desire for corporate worship?
- How might this law have prevented the Israelites from adopting local pagan practices?
- In what ways does our Christian worship today reflect a “central sanctuary” principle, for instance, gathering as one body on the Lord’s Day?
- How does unity in worship point to the gospel of Christ, the true Passover Lamb sacrificed once for all?
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)
| Deuteronomy 12:5 | But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, you shall seek his habitation, and you shall come there. |
| Deuteronomy 12:6 | You shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the wave offering of your hand, your vows, your free will offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock there. |
| Deuteronomy 16:2 | You shall sacrifice the Passover to Yahweh your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Yahweh shall choose to cause his name to dwell there. |
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
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the repeated command in these verses is not merely to observe the three annual feasts, but to observe them exclusively at the one central sanctuary. He notes this point is made six times in sixteen verses, partly because the Passover had been neglected for thirty-nine years in the wilderness.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary argues that Deuteronomy 16:1-8 shows signs of being a compilation of two originally separate laws, one on Passover and one on Unleavened Bread. The instructions about unleavened bread break the flow of the Passover commands, and verse 8 appears to be an addition by a later editor.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes the strict command that the Passover sacrifice must be offered only at the place God chooses, not in the worshiper's own local towns. It forbids the household celebration that might seem more convenient, insisting on a single, central location for this sacred observance.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the Passover sacrifice was strictly forbidden in any local city, even those with gates where public business was conducted. It could only be offered in the single place God chose, Jerusalem, within the land He gave Israel.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB insists the Passover was an actual sacrifice, not merely a religious feast. The blood had to be sprinkled on the altar in the tabernacle or temple, pointing forward to the true Passover sacrificed for us at the appointed time.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the section as a single unfolding of the Sabbath idea in six stages: release of debts, freedom for slaves, consecration of firstlings, redemption celebrated in Passover, joy in the harvest feast, and finally the Feast of Tabernacles pointing to a perfect Sabbath at the end of all time. Each command deepens the meaning of rest.