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Deuteronomy 12:19

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 12:19 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest in thy land.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest in thy land.
Deuteronomy 12:19 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 12

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.
17Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy grain, or of thy new wine, or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill-offerings, nor the heave-offering of thy hand;
18but thou shalt eat them before Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.
19Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest in thy land.
20When 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.
21If the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to put his name there, be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which Jehovah hath given thee, as I have commanded thee; and thou mayest eat within thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul.
22Even as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat thereof: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof alike.
← Deuteronomy 12:18Deuteronomy 12:20 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite, etc.] By withholding from him the tithes appointed for his maintenance; or rather by neglecting to take him with him in order to partake of the feast or entertainment before spoken of: as long as thou livest upon the earth; so that it was not one time only, but always; whenever he ate these holy things before the Lord, as long as he lived, he was to be careful he had the Levite with him, for a reason given, (<051212>Deuteronomy 12:12).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Take: Deu 14:27-29; Ch2 11:13, Ch2 11:14, 31:4-21; Neh 10:34-39; Co1 9:10-14 as long: etc. Heb. all thy days, Deu 12:1 Deuteronomy 12:20”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 12 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification