Deuteronomy 12:21
And if the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, that his name should be there, be far off, thou shalt kill of thy herds and of thy flocks, as I have commanded thee, and shalt eat in thy towns, as it pleaseth thee.
Open Deuteronomy 12:21 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- locus autem, quem elegerit Dominus Deus tuus ut sit nomen ejus ibi, si procul fuerit, occides de armentis et pecoribus, quæ habueris, sicut præcepi tibi, et comedes in oppidis tuis, ut tibi placet.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἐὰν δὲ μακρὰν ἀπέχῃ σου ὁ τόπος ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ θεός σου ἐκεῖ ἐπικληθῆναι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ θύσεις ἀπὸ τῶν βοῶν σου καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων σου, ὧν ἂν δῷ ὁ θεός σοι, ὃν τρόπον ἐνετειλάμην σοι, καὶ φάγῃ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσίν σου κατὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ψυχῆς σου·
- Hebrew (WLC)
- כִּֽי יִרְחַ֨ק מִמְּךָ֜ הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִבְחַ֜ר יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶיךָ֮ לָשׂ֣וּם שְׁמ֣וֹ שָׁם֒ וְזָבַחְתָּ֞ מִבְּקָרְךָ֣ וּמִצֹּֽאנְךָ֗ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן יְהוָה֙ לְךָ֔ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוִּיתִ֑ךָ וְאָֽכַלְתָּ֙ בִּשְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל אַוַּ֥ת נַפְשֶֽׁךָ
Haydock's commentary
Far off. Hence many conclude, that those who lived near the tabernacle, were bound to bring the animals which they designed for their own use, to be slain there, as they did in the desert. Others suppose that all were under the same predicament, and are hereby authorized to follow the same regulations, and to eat the flesh, whether they be clean or otherwise, provided they abstain from the blood. See Leviticus xvii. 3. (Calmet)
The custom of bringing the beasts to be slain before the door of the tabernacle, was to be no longer obligatory. (Menochius)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Tertullian An Answer to the Jews, Of Sacrifices
So, again, we show that sacrifices of earthly oblations and of spiritual sacrifices were predicted; and, moreover, that from the beginning the earthly were foreshown, in the person of Cain, to be those of the “elder son,” that is, of Israel; and the opposite sacrifices demonstrated to be those of the “younger son,” Abel, that is, of our people. For the elder, Cain, offered gifts to God from the fruit of the earth; but the younger son, Abel, from the fruit of his ewes. “God had respect unto Abel, and unto his gifts; but unto Cain and unto his gifts He had not respect. And God said unto Cain, Why is thy countenance fallen? hast thou not, if thou offerest indeed aright, but dost not divide aright, sinned? Hold thy peace. For unto thee shalt thy conversion be and he shall lord it over thee. …