Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee:

DEUTERONOMY 16:5KJV
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Deuteronomy 16:5 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 16:5 mean?

Deuteronomy 16:5 instructs the Israelites that they are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover offering just anywhere within their towns or gates that God has given them. The verse sets a restriction on where this important sacrifice can take place.

In this verse, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the land God is giving them. The context is about how to properly observe the Passover, a central festival remembering their escape from Egypt. This command emphasizes that the Passover sacrifice must not be made in any local town but only in a specific place chosen by God, which is explained further in the following verses.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 16:5

  • "sacrifice" (זָבַח, zāvaḥ): This word refers specifically to the act of slaughtering an animal as an offering. Here, it highlights that the Passover is not just a meal but a formal sacrifice with ritual significance.
  • "passover" (פֶּסַח, pesaḥ): This is the name of the festival and the sacrificial lamb or goat itself. The use of this word ties the command directly to the foundational story of Israel’s deliverance.
  • "gates" (שַׁעַר, shaʿar): In ancient Israel, "gates" refers to the entrances of towns or cities, often representing the whole community. The instruction is that the sacrifice cannot be made just anywhere people live, but only at a central, designated location.

Why Deuteronomy 16:5 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the Passover sacrifice was not a private or local affair but required a centralized place of worship, which later became the temple in Jerusalem.
  • It helps explain why later Jewish tradition focused on Jerusalem as the only proper place for certain sacrifices, shaping religious practice for generations.
  • The restriction sets the stage for the next verses, which specify the chosen place and reinforce the importance of unity and obedience in worship.

Where else these words appear

“passover” Hebrew H6453 · used in 46 verses

  • Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.
  • Numbers 28:16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD.
  • 2 Chronicles 30:18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one

“sacrifice” Hebrew H2076 · used in 127 verses

  • Genesis 31:54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
  • 1 Samuel 2:13 And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
  • 2 Chronicles 15:11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.