Deuteronomy 12:20
in Deuteronomy 12When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When 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.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 12
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
When the LORD your God expands your territory
on Deuteronomy 12:20-22
Enlarging the border is promised at Exodus 34:24 and Deuteronomy 19:8, and here it sets a wider permission. The man who says “I want to eat meat” may eat it, where Numbers 11:4-33 meets the same craving with quail and a plague. That earlier craving was a complaint against the manna and against God, and this passage attaches no fault to the appetite.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee,....
There is a natural regular appetite, which it is lawful to gratify with temperance and sobriety, not taking too great a pleasure in the gratification, nor being uneasy if it be crossed. The unclean, who might not eat of the holy things, yet might eat of the same sort of flesh when it was only used as common food.
To prevent a revolt to false gods, we are forbidden to worship the true God in such a way and manner as the false gods were worshipped in, and are commanded to observe the instituted ordinances of worship that we may adhere to the proper object of worship. For this reason Moses is very large in his exposition of the second commandment.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יַרְחִיב֩ | yarchiv | he will enlarge | H7337 → | 25 times |
| יְהוָ֨ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֥יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| גְּבֽוּלְךָ֮ | gevulekha | territory your | H1366 → | 240 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| דִּבֶּר־ | diber- | he spoke | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| לָךְ֒ | lokh | to you | ||
| וְאָמַרְתָּ֙ | veamarta | and you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֹכְלָ֣ה | ʾokhelah | I want to eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| בָשָׂ֔ר | vasar | meat | H1320 → | 270 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תְאַוֶּ֥ה | teaveh | it will desire | H183 → | 26 times |
| נַפְשְׁךָ֖ | nafshekha | appetite your | H5315 → | 754 times |
| לֶאֱכֹ֣ל | leekhol | to eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| בָּשָׂ֑ר | basar | meat | H1320 → | 270 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | in all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אַוַּ֥ת | ʾavat | [the] desire | H185 → | 7 times |
| נַפְשְׁךָ֖ | nafshekha | appetite your | H5315 → | 754 times |
| תֹּאכַ֥ל | tokhal | you will eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| בָּשָֽׂר׃ | basar | meat | H1320 → | 270 times |
כִּֽי־if
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יַרְחִיב֩he will enlarge
yarchivH7337 →25 times
יְהוָ֨הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֥יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
גְּבֽוּלְךָ֮territory your
gevulekhaH1366 →240 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
דִּבֶּר־he spoke
diber-H1696 →1141 times
לָךְ֒to you
lokh
וְאָמַרְתָּ֙and you will say
veamartaH559 →5305 times
אֹכְלָ֣הI want to eat
ʾokhelahH398 →810 times
בָשָׂ֔רmeat
vasarH1320 →270 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
תְאַוֶּ֥הit will desire
teavehH183 →26 times
נַפְשְׁךָ֖appetite your
nafshekhaH5315 →754 times
לֶאֱכֹ֣לto eat
leekholH398 →810 times
בָּשָׂ֑רmeat
basarH1320 →270 times
בְּכָל־in all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
אַוַּ֥ת[the] desire
ʾavatH185 →7 times
נַפְשְׁךָ֖appetite your
nafshekhaH5315 →754 times
תֹּאכַ֥לyou will eat
tokhalH398 →810 times
בָּשָֽׂר׃meat
basarH1320 →270 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Chronicles 4:10And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will…
it leads to
- Matthew 7:7–11
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- Psalms 116:1–4
I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice— my appeal for mercy.
- Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.
- Jeremiah 33:3
Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
- Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
- Matthew 7:7–11
Through
Genesis 28:14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through…
it leads to
- Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
- Genesis 22:18
And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
- Genesis 12:3
Through
Deuteronomy 11:24Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea.
it leads to
- Joshua 14:9
On that day Moses swore to me, saying, ‘Surely the land on which you have set foot will be an inheritance to you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD…
- Joshua 14:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.