TRV
Translation
King James Version
Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:
Complete Jewish Bible
You may not sacrifice the Pesach offering in just any of the towns that ADONAI your God is giving you;
Berean Standard Bible
You are not to sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns that the LORD your God is giving you.
American Standard Version
Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee;
World English Bible Messianic
You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates, which the LORD your God gives you;
Geneva Bible (1599)
Thou maist not offer ye Passeouer within any of thy gates, which ye Lord thy God giueth thee:
Young's Literal Translation
`Thou art not able to sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee,
Study This Verse
Commentary on Deuteronomy 16 verses 1–17
1 ¶ Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:
6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.
9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:
11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.
Much of the communion between God and his people Israel was kept up, and a face of religion preserved in the nation, by the three yearly feasts, the institution of which, and the laws concerning them, we have several times met with already; and here they are repeated.
I. The law of the passover, so great a solemnity that it made the whole month, in the midst of which it was placed, considerable: Observe the month Abib, Deu 16:1. Though one week only of this month was to be kept as a festival, yet their preparations before must be so solemn, and their reflections upon it and improvements of it afterwards so serious, as to amount to an observance of the whole month. The month of Abib, or of new fruits, as the Chaldee translates it, answers to our March (or part of March and part of April), and was by a special order from God, in remembrance of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, made the beginning of their year (Exo 12:2), which before was reckoned to begin in September. This month they were to keep the passover, in remembrance of their being brought out of Egypt by night, Deu 16:1. The Chaldee paraphrasts expound it, "Because they came out of Egypt by daylight," there being an express order that they should not stir out of their doors till morning, Exo 12:22. One of them expounds it thus: "He brought thee out of Egypt, and did wonders by night." The other, "and thou shalt eat the passover by night." The laws concerning it are, 1. That they must be sure to sacrifice the passover in the place that God should choose (Deu 16:2), and in no other place, Deu 16:5-7. The passover was itself a sacrifice; hence Christ, as our passover, is said to be sacrificed for us (Co1 5:7), and many other sacrifices were offered during the seven days of the feast (Num 28:19, etc.), which are included here, for they are said to be sacrificed of the flock and the herd, whereas the passover itself was only of the flock, either a lamb or a kid: now no sacrifice was accepted but from the altar that sanctified it; it was therefore necessary that they should to up to the place of the altar, for, though the paschal lamb was entirely eaten by the owners, yet it must be killed in the court, the blood sprinkled, and the inwards burned upon the altar. By confining them to the appointed rule, from which they would have been apt to vary, and to introduce foolish inventions of their own, had they been permitted to offer these sacrifices within their own gates, from under the inspection of the priests. They were also hereby directed to have their eye up unto God in the solemnity, and the desire of their hearts towards the remembrance of his name, being appointed to attend where he had chosen to place his name, Deu 16:2 and Deu 16:6. But, when the solemnity was over, they might turn and go unto their tents, Deu 16:7. Some think that they might, if they pleased, return the very morning after the paschal lamb was killed and eaten, the priests and Levites being sufficient to carry on the rest of the week's work; but the first day of the seven is so far from being the day of their dispersion that it is expressly appointed for a holy convocation (Lev 23:7; Num 28:18); therefore we must take it as Jonathan's paraphrase expounds it, in the morning after the end of the feast thou shalt go to thy cities. And it was the practice to keep together the whole week, Ch2 35:17. 2. That they must eat unleavened bread for seven days, and no leavened bread must be seen in all their coasts, Deu 16:3, Deu 16:4, Deu 16:8. The bread they were confined to is here called bread of affliction, because neither grateful to the taste nor easy of digestion, and therefore proper to signify the heaviness of their spirits in their bondage and to keep in remembrance the haste in which they came out, the case being so urgent that they could not stay for the leavening of the bread they took with them for their march. The Jewish writers tell us that the custom at the passover supper was that the master of the family broke this unleavened bread, and gave to every one a piece of it, saying, This is (that is, this signifies, represents, or commemorates, which explains that saying of our Saviour, This is my body) the bread of affliction which your fathers did eat in the land of Egypt. The gospel meaning of this feast of unleavened bread the apostle gives us, Co1 5:7. Christ our passover being sacrificed for us, and we having participated in the blessed fruits of that sacrifice to our comfort, let us keep the feast in a holy conversation, free from the leaven of malice towards our brethren and hypocrisy towards God, and with the unleavened bread of sincerity and love. Lastly, Observe, concerning the passover, for what end it was instituted: "That thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of Egypt, not only on the day of the passover, or during the seven days of the feast, but all the days of thy life (Deu 16:3), as a constant inducement to obedience." Thus we celebrate the memorial of Christ's death at certain times, that we may remember it at all times, as a reason why we should live to him that died for us and rose again.
II. Seven weeks after the passover the feast of pentecost was to be observed, concerning which they are here directed, 1. Whence to number their seven weeks, from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn (Deu 16:9), that is, from the morrow after the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, for on that day (though it is probable the people did not begin their harvest till the feast was ended) messengers were sent to reap a sheaf of barley, which was to be offered to God as the first-fruits, Lev 23:10. Some think it implies a particular care which Providence would take of their land with respect to the weather, that their harvest should be always ripe and ready for the sickle just at the same time. 2. How they were to keep this feast. (1.) They must bring an offering unto God, Deu 16:10. It is here called a tribute of a free-will-offering. It was required of them as a tribute to their Sovereign Lord and owner, under whom they held all they had; and yet because the law did not determine the quantum, but it was left to every man's generosity to bring what he chose, and whatever he brought he must give cheerfully, it is therefore called a free-will offering. It was a grateful acknowledgment of the goodness of God to them in the mercies of these corn-harvests now finished, and therefore must be according as God had blessed them. Where God sows plentifully he expects to reap accordingly. (2.) They must rejoice before God, Deu 16:11. Holy joy is the heart and soul of thankful praises, which are as the language and expression of holy joy. They must rejoice in their receivings from God, and in their returns of service and sacrifice to him; our duty must be our delight as well as our enjoyments. They must have their very servants to rejoice with them, "for remember (Deu 16:12) that thou wast a bond-man, and wouldest have been very thankful if thy taskmasters would have given thee some time and cause for rejoicing; and thy God did bring thee out to keep a feast with gladness; therefore be pleasant with thy servants, and make them easy." And, it should seem, those general words, thou shalt observe and do these statutes, are added here for a particular reason, because this feast was kept in remembrance of the giving of the law upon Mount Sinai, fifty days after they came out of Egypt; now the best way of expressing our thankfulness to God for his favour to us in giving us his law is to observe and do according to the precepts of it.
III. They must keep the feast of tabernacles, Deu 16:13-15. Here is no repetition of the law concerning the sacrifices that were to be offered in great abundance at this feast (which we had at large, Num 29:12, etc.), because the care of these belonged to the priests and Levites, who had not so much need of a repetition as the people had, and because the spiritual part of the service, which consisted in holy joy, was most pleasing to God, and was to be the perpetual duty of a gospel conversation, of which this feast was typical. Observe what stress is laid upon it here: Thou shalt rejoice in thy feast (Deu 16:14), and, because the Lord shall bless thee, thou shalt surely rejoice, Deu 16:15. Note, 1. It is the will of God that his people should be a cheerful people. If those that were under the law must rejoice before God, much more must we that are under the grace of the gospel, which makes it our duty, not only as here to rejoice in our feasts, but to rejoice evermore, to rejoice in the Lord always. 2. When we rejoice in God ourselves we should do what we can to assist others also to rejoice in him, by comforting the mourners and supplying the necessitous, that even the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow may rejoice with us. See Job 29:13. 3. We must rejoice in God, not only because of what we have received and are receiving from him daily, but because of what he has promised, and we expect to receive yet further from him: because he shall bless thee, therefore thou shalt rejoice. Those that make God their joy may rejoice in hope, for he is faithful that has promised.
IV. The laws concerning the three solemn feasts are summed up (Deu 16:16, Deu 16:17), as often before, Exo 23:16, Exo 23:17; Exo 34:23. The general commands concerning them are, 1. That all the males must then make their personal appearance before God, that by their frequent meeting to worship God, at the same place, and by the same rule, they might be kept faithful and constant to that holy religion which was established among them. 2. That none must appear before God empty, but every man must bring some offering or other, in token of a dependence upon God and gratitude to him. And God was not unreasonable in his demands; let every man but give as he was able, and no more was expected. The same is still the rule of charity, Co1 16:2. Those that give to their power shall be accepted, but those that give beyond their power are accounted worthy of double honour (Co2 8:3), as the poor widow that gave all she had, Luk 21:4.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–17. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Deuteronomy 16:5 delivers a precise and emphatic divine command concerning the proper observance of the Passover festival, explicitly prohibiting its sacrifice within the local towns or "gates" throughout Israel. This injunction underscores God's unwavering intention for a singular, centralized system of worship, ensuring that this foundational act of remembrance and atonement, commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egypt, would be performed exclusively at the divinely chosen location where the Lord would establish His name. This mandate was crucial for safeguarding the purity, unity, and distinctiveness of Israel's faith against the pervasive syncretism and idolatry prevalent among the surrounding nations.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Deuteronomy 16:5 employs several potent literary devices to convey its authoritative and non-negotiable message. The most prominent is Command/Prohibition, directly stating what the Israelites "mayest not" do, underscoring the absolute and divine nature of God's will regarding the centralization of worship. This is powerfully reinforced by the pervasive Repetition of the theme of a single, chosen place for God's name to dwell, a motif that permeates the entire book of Deuteronomy, especially Deuteronomy 12. This constant reiteration emphasizes the profound theological significance of centralized worship for Israel's identity and purity. Furthermore, the phrase "within any of thy gates" utilizes Metonymy, where "gates" stands in for the entire local community or city. This compact phrase effectively communicates the comprehensive idea that no local, decentralized sacrifice of the Passover is permitted, symbolizing the rejection of fragmented or localized worship in favor of a unified, national observance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Deuteronomy 16:5 is a critical articulation of God's profound desire for a holy, unified, and distinct people, worshipping Him in a manner that truly reflects His singular nature and sovereign authority. The command for centralized worship was far from arbitrary; it was a divinely inspired strategy to cultivate a unique national identity rooted exclusively in Yahweh, thereby preventing the spiritual dilution and eventual apostasy that would inevitably arise from adopting the localized, polytheistic, and often immoral practices of the Canaanites. By requiring all Israel to gather at one chosen place for the Passover, God instilled a deep sense of corporate identity, shared history, and mutual accountability, powerfully reinforcing the covenant relationship. This foundational principle of exclusive worship and the sanctity of God's designated dwelling place resonates throughout the Old Testament narrative, from the Tabernacle to the Temple, emphasizing that true worship is always on God's terms, in His presence, and in a way that honors His holiness and preserves the purity of His people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
While the specific command to sacrifice the Passover lamb at a single physical location no longer applies in the new covenant era, the underlying principles of Deuteronomy 16:5 remain profoundly relevant and spiritually nourishing for believers today. This verse powerfully calls us to a deep consideration of the centrality of God's revealed will in our worship. Our worship, both corporately in the gathered assembly and individually in our daily lives, must be offered on God's terms, not according to our personal convenience, fleeting preferences, or prevailing cultural trends. It challenges us to honestly examine if our spiritual practices truly honor God's holiness and supreme authority, or if we are subtly tempted to decentralize our devotion, allowing other "gates" (such as idols, worldly pursuits, self-interest, or even unbiblical traditions) to compete for the place of ultimate worship in our hearts and lives. Furthermore, the emphasis on unity in Israel's worship serves as a powerful and enduring reminder for the church today: we are called to be one body, united in Christ, gathering together not around local preferences or superficial distinctions but around the unchanging truth of the Gospel and the glorious person of Jesus Christ, our ultimate Passover Lamb and the singular focus of our adoration.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was it so important for the Passover to be sacrificed in one specific place, rather than locally?
Answer: The centralization of the Passover sacrifice, along with other major national festivals, was a crucial theological and practical measure for ancient Israel. Theologically, it powerfully reinforced the concept of Yahweh as the one true God, distinct from the polytheistic deities of the Canaanites who were worshipped at numerous local shrines. Practically, it served as a vital safeguard, preventing the Israelites from adopting the corrupt and idolatrous practices of their neighbors, thereby ensuring the purity and integrity of their worship. It also fostered profound national unity by requiring all tribes to gather at a single, divinely designated location, strengthening their shared identity as God's covenant people and reinforcing their collective memory of His redemptive acts. This command was a foundational safeguard against syncretism and a means to preserve Israel's unique calling as God's holy nation, worshipping Him exclusively and according to His precise instructions, as outlined comprehensively in Deuteronomy 12.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Deuteronomy 16:5, with its strict command for the centralized worship of the Passover, finds its profound and ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in a physical location but in the very person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament Passover lamb, meticulously sacrificed "at the place the LORD your God will choose" (Deuteronomy 16:6), powerfully foreshadowed Jesus, who is divinely declared by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Just as the physical Temple in Jerusalem became the singular, divinely appointed place for atonement and worship, Christ Himself is the ultimate Temple, the living dwelling place of God among humanity (John 2:19-21). His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross, outside the "gates" of Jerusalem but in the divinely appointed time and manner, completely superseded all localized and repetitive Old Covenant sacrifices (Hebrews 9:28). Therefore, all true worship in the New Covenant now centers entirely on Him, our Passover Lamb who has been sacrificed. Believers are no longer bound to a physical location for worship but are called to worship God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24), with Christ as the singular focus and the sole mediator of our access to God (Hebrews 10:19-22). He is the true and ultimate "chosen place" where God's name dwells, and through whom all humanity can approach the Father in perfect reconciliation.