“Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days.”
"The people were sacrificing at the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD." — The *high places* (*bamot*) remain in use during the period before the temple's construction, suggesting *decentralized worship*. The phrase *kiy lo-nivan beyt YHVH le-shem-YHVH* (because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD) explains why the people resort to local altars. The narrative notes this almost parenthetically; it will become a major issue in later Israelite history (the centralization of worship at the temple).
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