Text: Deuteronomy 12:2-28
OT Text Referred to: Leviticus 17:1-9
Subject: centralized worship and sacrifice
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Leviticus 17:1-9 mandates that all sacrificial slaughter occur at the Tent of Meeting rather than "in the open field," on penalty of being "cut off" (כָּרַת, karat). Deuteronomy 12:2-28 extends this centralization principle to settled life in the promised land, commanding Israel to bring offerings to "the place the LORD your God will choose" (הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר, hamaqom asher yivchar) and to destroy all Canaanite worship sites. A key development occurs in Deuteronomy 12:15, which permits secular slaughter at local sites while reserving sacrificial slaughter for the central sanctuary — a modification of the Leviticus 17 rule adapted for a geographically dispersed nation. Both texts share the theological foundation: worship must be centralized to prevent syncretism with pagan practices.