5 And thou shalt speak H6030 and say H559 before H6440 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 A Syrian H761 ready to perish H6 was my father, H1 and he went down H3381 into Egypt, H4714 and sojourned H1481 there with H4962 a few, H4592 and became there a nation, H1471 great, H1419 mighty, H6099 and populous: H7227
And the famine H7458 was sore H3515 in the land. H776 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up H3615 H398 the corn H7668 which they had brought out H935 of Egypt, H4714 their father H1 said H559 unto them, Go again, H7725 buy H7666 us a little H4592 food. H400
Hearken H8085 to me, ye that follow after H7291 righteousness, H6664 ye that seek H1245 the LORD: H3068 look H5027 unto the rock H6697 whence ye are hewn, H2672 and to the hole H4718 of the pit H953 whence ye are digged. H5365 Look H5027 unto Abraham H85 your father, H1 and unto Sarah H8283 that bare H2342 you: for I called H7121 him alone, H259 and blessed H1288 him, and increased H7235 him.
And Israel H3478 took his journey H5265 with all that he had, and came H935 to Beersheba, H884 and offered H2076 sacrifices H2077 unto the God H430 of his father H1 Isaac. H3327 And God H430 spake H559 unto Israel H3478 in the visions H4759 of the night, H3915 and said, H559 Jacob, H3290 Jacob. H3290 And he said, H559 Here am I. And he said, H559 I am God, H410 the God H430 of thy father: H1 fear H3372 not to go down H3381 into Egypt; H4714 for I will there make H7760 of thee a great H1419 nation: H1471 I will go down H3381 with thee into Egypt; H4714 and I will also surely H5927 bring thee up H5927 again: and Joseph H3130 shall put H7896 his hand H3027 upon thine eyes. H5869 And Jacob H3290 rose up H6965 from Beersheba: H884 and the sons H1121 of Israel H3478 carried H5375 Jacob H3290 their father, H1 and their little ones, H2945 and their wives, H802 in the wagons H5699 which Pharaoh H6547 had sent H7971 to carry H5375 him. And they took H3947 their cattle, H4735 and their goods, H7399 which they had gotten H7408 in the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 and came H935 into Egypt, H4714 Jacob, H3290 and all his seed H2233 with him: His sons, H1121 and his sons' H1121 sons H1121 with him, his daughters, H1323 and his sons' H1121 daughters, H1323 and all his seed H2233 brought he H935 with him into Egypt. H4714
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 26
Commentary on Deuteronomy 26 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 26
De 26:1-15. The Confession of Him That Offers the Basket of First Fruits.
2. Thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth—The Israelites in Canaan, being God's tenants-at-will, were required to give Him tribute in the form of first-fruits and tithes. No Israelite was at liberty to use any productions of his field until he had presented the required offerings. The tribute began to be exigible after the settlement in the promised land, and it was yearly repeated at one of the great feasts (Le 2:14; 23:10; 23:15; Nu 28:26; De 16:9). Every master of a family carried it on his shoulders in a little basket of osier, peeled willow, or palm leaves, and brought it to the sanctuary.
5. thou shalt say … A Syrian ready to perish was my father—rather, "a wandering Syrian." The ancestors of the Hebrews were nomad shepherds, either Syrians by birth as Abraham, or by long residence as Jacob. When they were established as a nation in the possession of the promised land, they were indebted to God's unmerited goodness for their distinguished privileges, and in token of gratitude they brought this basket of first-fruits.
11. thou shalt rejoice—feasting with friends and the Levites, who were invited on such occasions to share in the cheerful festivities that followed oblations (De 12:7; 16:10-15).
12-15. When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year—Among the Hebrews there were two tithings. The first was appropriated to the Levites (Nu 18:21). The second, being the tenth of what remained, was brought to Jerusalem in kind; or it was converted into money, and the owner, on arriving in the capital, purchased sheep, bread, and oil (De 14:22, 23). This was done for two consecutive years. But this second tithing was eaten at home, and the third year distributed among the poor of the place (De 14:28, 29).
13. thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house—This was a solemn declaration that nothing which should be devoted to the divine service had been secretly reserved for personal use.
14. I have not eaten thereof in my mourning—in a season of sorrow, which brought defilement on sacred things; under a pretense of poverty, and grudging to give any away to the poor.
neither … for any unclean use—that is, any common purpose, different from what God had appointed and which would have been a desecration of it.
nor given ought thereof for the dead—on any funeral service, or, to an idol, which is a dead thing.