Deuteronomy 12:20
New International Version
When the LORD your God has enlarged your territory as he promised you, and you crave meat and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want.

New Living Translation
“When the LORD your God expands your territory as he has promised, and you have the urge to eat meat, you may freely eat meat whenever you want.

English Standard Version
“When the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire.

Berean Standard Bible
When 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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
“When the LORD your God enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘Let me eat meat,’ because you long to eat meat, you may eat as much meat as your heart desires.

New American Standard Bible
“When the LORD your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire.

NASB 1995
“When the LORD your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire.

NASB 1977
“When the LORD your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire.

Legacy Standard Bible
“When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire.

Amplified Bible
“When the LORD your God extends your territory, as He promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you want to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you wish.

Christian Standard Bible
“When the LORD your God enlarges your territory as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I want to eat meat’ because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I want to eat meat because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want.

American Standard Version
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when LORD JEHOVAH your God will enlarge your border as He said to you, and you will say 'I will eat meat' because your soul lusts to eat meat, in all the lusts of your soul, you shall eat meat.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy borders, as he said to thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh; if thy soul should desire to eat flesh, thou shalt eat flesh according to all the desire of thy soul.

Douay-Rheims Bible
When the Lord thy God shall have enlarged thy borders, as he hath spoken to thee, and thou wilt eat the flesh that thy soul desireth:

English Revised Version
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 desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD your God will expand your [country's] borders as he promised. You will say, "I'm hungry for meat." Then eat as much meat as you want.

Good News Translation
"When the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised, you may eat meat whenever you want to.

International Standard Version
When the LORD your God enlarges your territory—just as he told you—and you say 'I want to eat meat' since you desire to eat it, you may do so as much as you please.

JPS Tanakh 1917
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 desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul.

Literal Standard Version
When your God YHWH enlarges your border, as He has spoken to you, and you have said, Let me eat flesh—for your soul desires to eat flesh—you eat flesh of all the desire of your soul.

Majority Standard Bible
When 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.

New American Bible
After the LORD, your God, has enlarged your territory, as he promised you, and you think, “I will eat meat,” as it is your desire to eat meat, you may eat it freely;

NET Bible
When the LORD your God extends your borders as he said he would do and you say, "I want to eat meat just as I please," you may do so as you wish.

New Revised Standard Version
When the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, “I am going to eat some meat,” because you wish to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you have the desire.

New Heart English Bible
When the LORD your God shall enlarge your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, "I want to eat meat," because your soul desires to eat meat; you may eat meat, after all the desire of your soul.

Webster's Bible Translation
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, whatever thy soul desireth.

World English Bible
When Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has promised you, and you say, “I want to eat meat,” because your soul desires to eat meat, you may eat meat, after all the desire of your soul.

Young's Literal Translation
'When Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath spoken to thee, and thou hast said, Let me eat flesh -- for thy soul desireth to eat flesh -- of all the desire of thy soul thou dost eat flesh.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
One Place for Worship
19and be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land. 20When 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. 21If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.…

Cross References
Genesis 15:18
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land--from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates--

Deuteronomy 11:24
Every 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.

Deuteronomy 12:15
But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer,

Deuteronomy 12:21
If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.

Deuteronomy 19:8
And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised them,


Treasury of Scripture

When the LORD your God shall enlarge your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, I will eat flesh, because your soul longs to eat flesh; you may eat flesh, whatever your soul lusts after.

shall

1 Chronicles 4:10
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

as he hath

Deuteronomy 11:24
Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.

Deuteronomy 19:8
And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

Genesis 15:18-21
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: …

I will

Deuteronomy 12:15
Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

Genesis 31:30
And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

Numbers 11:4,20,34
And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? …

Jump to Previous
Border Crave Desire Desires Desireth Eat Enlarge Enlarged Enlarges Extends Longeth Mayest Meat Promised Soul Territory Want Whatever Whatsoever
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Border Crave Desire Desires Desireth Eat Enlarge Enlarged Enlarges Extends Longeth Mayest Meat Promised Soul Territory Want Whatever Whatsoever
Deuteronomy 12
1. Monuments of idolatry to be destroyed
4. The place of God's service to be kept
15. Blood is forbidden
17. Holy things must be eaten in the holy place
19. The Levite is not to be forsaken
20. Blood is again forbidden
26. and holy things must be eaten in the holy place
29. Idolatry is not to be enquired after














(20) When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border. . . .--This and the following verses (20-25) are perfectly intelligible as an expansion of Deuteronomy 12:15-16, and a modification of the strict rule introduced in Leviticus 18:2, &c. The distance from the central place of worship to the borders of the land would be manifestly too great for all feasting to be limited to that one spot.

Verse 20. - When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border. These laws were to continue in force even when God should, according to his promise (Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:27-31), extend the boundaries of their land.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the LORD
יְהוָ֨ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God
אֱלֹהֶ֥יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

expands
יַרְחִיב֩ (yar·ḥîḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7337: To be or grow wide or large

your territory
גְּבֽוּלְךָ֮ (gə·ḇū·lə·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1366: A cord, a boundary, the territory inclosed

as
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

He has promised,
דִּבֶּר־ (dib·ber-)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

and you
נַפְשְׁךָ֖ (nap̄·šə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

crave
תְאַוֶּ֥ה (ṯə·’aw·weh)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 183: To incline, desire

meat
בָּשָׂ֑ר (bā·śār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

and say,
וְאָמַרְתָּ֙ (wə·’ā·mar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“I want to eat
אֹכְלָ֣ה (’ō·ḵə·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 398: To eat

meat,”
בָשָׂ֔ר (ḇā·śār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

you may eat
תֹּאכַ֥ל (tō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

it
בָּשָֽׂר׃ (bā·śār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

whenever
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

you
נַפְשְׁךָ֖ (nap̄·šə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

want.
אַוַּ֥ת (’aw·waṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 185: Longing


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 12:20 When Yahweh your God shall enlarge your (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 12:19
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