Deuteronomy 12:31

Deuteronomy 12:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
• New Living Translation (NLT)You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.

Context of Deuteronomy 12:31

29The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, 30and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. 32See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.

Deuteronomy 12:31 word by word

לֹא־תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה כֵ֔ן לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּי֩ כָּל־תּוֹעֲבַ֨ת יְהוָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׂנֵ֗א עָשׂוּ֙ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם כִּ֣י גַ֤ם אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם֙ וְאֶת־בְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם יִשְׂרְפ֥וּ בָאֵ֖שׁ לֵֽאלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thou shalt not doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: offerH6213
• so unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• for every abominationתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
• which he hatethשָׂנֵאώânê' · to hateH8130
• have they doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• for even their sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• and their daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• they have burntשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
• in the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 12:31

• Deuteronomy 12:4You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.
• Deuteronomy 18:9When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
• Exodus 23:2“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd,
• Leviticus 18:3You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.
• 2 Kings 17:15They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”
• 2 Kings 21:2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
• 2 Chronicles 33:2He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
• 2 Chronicles 36:14Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
• Deuteronomy 20:2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army.
• Deuteronomy 18:10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
• Leviticus 18:21“ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
• Leviticus 20:2“Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him.
• Jeremiah 7:31They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.
• Jeremiah 32:35They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.
• Ezekiel 20:31When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.
• Ezekiel 23:27So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 12:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire - Almost all the nations in the world agreed in offering human victims to their gods on extraordinary occasions, by which it is evident that none of those nations had any right notion of the Divine nature. How necessary, then, was the volume of revelation, to teach men what that religion is with which God can be well pleased! The Hindoos to this day offer human victims to their goddess Cali, and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-32Verses 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 sought him. Now, under the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31burn their sons and daughters: Human sacrifice was a terrible practice in ancient pagan religions. The Ammonites believed that their god Molech demanded this sacrifice from his followers (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35).Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 12:31

• Idolatry
• Judgments
• Offerings

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• High place
• Idolatry
• Lust
• Rest
• Atonement, Day of
• Chemosh
• Criticism
• Deuteronomy

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings