Text: Ezra 3:2
OT Text Referred to: Deuteronomy 12:5
Subject: Centralized worship restored after exile
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Redemptive-Historical Progression
Significance: Deuteronomy 12:5 establishes the foundational principle that Israel must worship at "the place the LORD your God will choose" (הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר, hammaqom 'asher yivchar), and Ezra 3:2 records the post-exilic community's first act as rebuilding the altar at Jerusalem to offer burnt offerings "as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God." The returnees' insistence on the authorized site—even before the temple was rebuilt—demonstrates that Deuteronomy's centralization command governed their understanding of legitimate worship. This post-exilic obedience represents a redemptive-historical development: the same command that anticipated a future chosen place now guides restoration after its destruction.