Deuteronomy 12 · Verse 15

Deuteronomy 12:15

Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

Deuteronomy 12:15, King James Version

Deuteronomy 12:15 in other translations

BSB	But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer,
WEB	Yet you may kill and eat meat within all your gates, after all the desire of your soul, according to the LORD your God’s blessing which he has given you. The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer.
ASV	Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat flesh within all thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and as of the hart.
YLT	‘Only, with all the desire of thy soul thou dost sacrifice, and hast eaten flesh according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which He hath given to thee, in all thy gates; the unclean and the clean do eat it, as of the roe, and as of the hart.
DARBY	Nevertheless, according to all the desire of thy soul thou mayest slay and eat flesh in all thy gates, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and the hart.
BBE	Only you may put to death animals, such as the gazelle or the roe, for your food in any of your towns, at the desire of your soul, in keeping with the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you: the unclean and the clean may take of it.
Webster	Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatever thy soul desireth, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat of it as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

What does Deuteronomy 12:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

15. Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates--Every animal designed for food, whether ox, goat, or lamb, was during the abode in the wilderness ordered to be slain as a peace offering at the door of the tabernacle; its blood to be sprinkled, and its fat burnt upon the altar by the priest. The encampment, being then round about the altar, made this practice, appointed to prevent idolatry, easy and practicable. But on the settlement in the promised land, the obligation to slay at the tabernacle was dispensed with. The people were left at liberty to prepare their meat in their cities or homes. according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee--The style of living should be accommodated to one's condition and means--profuse and riotous indulgence can never secure the divine blessing. the unclean and the clean may eat thereof--The unclean here are those who were under some slight defilement, which, without excluding them from society, yet debarred them from eating any of the sacred meats (Le 7:20). They were at liberty freely to partake of common articles of food. of the roebuck--the gazelle. and as of the hart--The Syrian deer (Cervus barbatus) is a species between our red and fallow deer, distinguished by the want of a bis-antler, or second branch on the horns, reckoning from below, and for a spotted livery which is effaced only in the third or fourth year.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 15 Thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates - With the proviso that the blood be poured out on the ground. 1. The blood should not be eaten. 2. It should be poured out by way of sacrifice. I think this is the meaning; and not that they should pour out the blood with as little ceremony and respect as they poured water upon the ground, which is the meaning according to Calmet and others. The roebuck, and - the hart - It is very likely that by צבי tsebi the antelope is meant; and by איל aiyal, the hart or deer. This is the opinion of Dr. Shaw; and from the report of travelers we learn that both these animals are found in that desert to the present day. See Harmer, vol. iv., p. 25, etc. Of the propriety of eating clean animals there could be no question, but the blood must be poured out; yet there were cases in which they might kill and eat in all their gates, cities, and dwellings - such as the roebuck and the hart, or all clean wild beasts, for these being taken in hunting, and frequently shot by arrows, their blood could not be poured out at the altar. Therefore the command appears to take in only such tame beasts as were used for food.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 12:5-32

The command to bring ALL the sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle, was now explained with reference to the promised land. As to moral service, then, as now, men might pray and worship every where, as they did in their synagogues. The place which God would choose, is said to be the place where he would put his name. It was to be his habitation, where, as King of Israel, he would be found by all who reverently…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 12:5-32 →

Deuteronomy 12:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

רַק֩rakonlyH7535

בְּכָל\־be.kholin allH3605

אַוַּ֨ת'a.Vat[the] desire ofH185

נַפְשְׁךָ֜naf.she.Khaself yourH5315

תִּזְבַּ֣ח\׀tiz.Bachyou will slaughterH2076

וְאָכַלְתָּ֣ve.'a.khal.Taand you will eatH398

בָשָׂ֗רva.SarmeatH1320

כְּבִרְכַּ֨תke.vir.Kataccording to [the] blessing ofH1293

יְהוָ֧הYah.wehYahwehH3068

אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ'e.lo.Hei.khaGod yourH430

אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834

נָֽתַן\־na.tan-he has givenH5414

לְךָ֖le.Khato you

בְּכָל\־be.kholin allH3605

שְׁעָרֶ֑יךָshe.'a.Rei.khagates yourH8179

הַטָּמֵ֤אha.ta.Me'the uncleanH2931

וְהַטָּהוֹר֙ve.ha.ta.hOrand the cleanH2889

יֹאכְלֶ֔נּוּyo.khe.Le.nuhe will eat itH398

כַּצְּבִ֖יka.tze.Vilike <the> gazelleH6643

וְכָאַיָּֽל\׃ve.kha.'ai.Yaland like <the> deerH354

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 12:15

Deuteronomy 14:5
The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Deuteronomy 12:20-23
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. If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike. Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
Deuteronomy 15:22-23
Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart. Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.
Deuteronomy 14:26
And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
Leviticus 17:3-5
What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

whatsoever.
14:26
the unclean.
21,22; 14:5; 15:22,23; Le 17:3-5Of the propriety of eating clean animals there could be no question, but the blood must be poured out: yet there were cases when they might kill and eat in all their gates such as the roebuck and the hart, or all clean wild beasts; for these being taken in hunting, and frequently shot by arrows, their blood could not be poured out at the altar

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Deuteronomy 12:14
But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.
Deuteronomy 12:15
Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.
Deuteronomy 12:16
Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

Read all of Deuteronomy 12

Deuteronomy 12:15 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Con todo, podrás matar y comer carne en todas tus poblaciones conforme al deseo de tu alma, según la bendición de Jehová tu Dios que él te habrá dado: el inmundo y el limpio la comerá, como la de corzo ó de ciervo:
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Toutefois, suivant tout le désir de ton âme, tu sacrifieras et tu mangeras de la chair dans toutes tes portes, selon la bénédiction de l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, qu’il t’aura donnée. Celui qui est impur et celui qui est pur en mangeront, comme on mange de la gazelle et du cerf;
German Elberfelder 1871	Doch magst du nach allem Begehr deiner Seele schlachten und Fleisch essen in allen deinen Toren, nach dem Segen Jehovas, deines Gottes, den er dir gegeben hat: Der Unreine und der Reine mögen es essen, wie die Gazelle und wie den Hirsch.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Sin autem comedere volueris, et te esus carnium delectaverit, occide, comede juxta benedictionem Domini Dei tui, quam dedit tibi in urbibus tuis: sive immundum fuerit, hoc est, maculatum et debile: sive mundum, hoc est, integrum et sine macula, quod offerri licet, sicut capream et cervum, comedes: